LA Auto Show 2011

[LongRanger]

Didn't go opening day, like usual, but still managed to find my way downtown, check-out the cars.

Kinda somber mood this year . . . and no Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, or Bugatti.

Starting off with the requisite Porsche content --- I always start off this show with a visit to the Porsche pavilion, better known as The Porsche Experience, located just off the entrance. No vintage vehicle on display this year, just a nice semi-tatty racer . . . looks like a GT3 Cup car.

Rick

[LongRanger]

The latest from Stuttgart . . .

This is The Franchise, as far as I'm concerned. And I was pretty disappointed. Styling looks pasteurized to the point of blandness. Thing is gigantic, too --- and self-conscious looking . . . . count the tags on the tail-piece --- in case you might not be clear on what you're looking at.

Looks like they're making the car bigger just to keep up with all the 18"-19"-20" wheels people stick under these things. Yikes.

Rick

[LongRanger]

I know there are all kinds of environmental, legislative, and political concerns that affect these cars --- never mind those little business decisions (like making money) . . . but is this all that they can come up with?

I'm sure it drives nice. And I hope it makes Porsche a lot of money . . . but this thing looks more like a Nissan or Mitsubishi than anything German . . . and even more out of touch than that 918 Spyder.

Rick

[advtracing]

don't like the new look , the rear tails lights are to aston like , and the car has gone far to bulky

[curtisaa]

The 911 is NOT Porsches' "bread & butter" any longer. The 4 door models are outselling the 2 door cars by 3-1. What the company is trying to do with the new 911 is make it more of an everyday driver. They figured out the consumers are buying the current 911's and driving them on weekends . Porsche needs desparately for the buyer to drive their 2 door cars daily. Porsche made the cabin larger and more friendly ( cup holders).

So what do they do, Porsche puts the car out there in silver....booorrring !!!!

[LongRanger]

Their smaller, funkier cars at least look like they could be fun to drive.

As for the SUVs, well --- gack!

(I mean really . . . . can things get any more over-the-top with these carriages? Looks like a ginormous chrome-plated Cheshire cat, fercryssake! Who signed-off on this?)

And what happens when they start putting batteries in these things? Hey! -- maybe that's what's going on. Maybe the manufacturers are just building cars big enough to haul around the batteries we're all gonna need in the next decade.

Yeah, yeah ---- that's the ticket.

Fin de siècle

[Macroni]

excellent job reporting.

[LongRanger]

excellent job reporting.

. . . . but somebody's gotta do it.



Rick

[Bill Simmeth]

Yowzers! Smokin'

[Reza]

exactly what i thought seeing the thing at RRIV. how low can porsche go, cloning a f^&king Aston !!

don't like the new look , the rear tails lights are to aston like , and the car has gone far to bulky