Back to 2009

Los Angeles auto show 2009 photo gallery

Published: 02 December 2009 Updated: 26 January 2015
Los Angeles auto show 2009 photo gallery
The new Ford Fiesta: a sign that the US is switching on to downsizing
+35

Browse through the photos at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show on this page. We’ve got the latest pictures of all the important debuts at LA’s motor show – and we’ll be adding more photos in the next few hours.

CAR’s reporting team in Los Angeles is filing pictures back as soon as the covers are whisked off the important new cars – from the VW Up! Lite to the Honda P-Nut, Porsche’s new Boxster Spyder to the Cadillac CTS Coupé.

Don’t forget to read the exclusive CAR Live Blog filed live from the 2009 Los Angeles auto show. Click on the related stories links to the left of this page for our full LA coverage.

By Ben Pulman

Ex-CAR editor-at-large

Comments
Advertisement
The new Ford Fiesta: a sign that the US is switching on to downsizing Bob Lutz's name hastily sellotaped on to the boards directing journos to the GM keynote speech, after Fritz Henderson resigned last night. Eleventh hour change, anyone? BMW Vision EfficientDynamics stars on BMW's stand. Of course, it's not new – we saw it at Frankfurt. Still fab, though Does the BMW X6 look slightly better in LA? It's a misshapen, swollen mishap on European roads, according to the majority view Cadillac CTS Coupé is the big news on the GM stand. If you discount the CEO resigning, the infighting over Saab, the U-turn on flogging Opel/Vauxhall etc etc News on the Chevrolet stand was all about the Volt. And the Cruze. But we know which one we're more interested in Fisker was on home turf at the LA show: clean fuel tech with glamour galore It's the Honda P-Nut. Watch out allergists! Honda loaded up its Element with dogs. Elemental The Honda P-Nut is an innovative 1+2 city car designed to run on ICE, hyrbid or pure EV powertrains. Just look past the woeful name The new Hyundai Sonata on show in Los Angeles. Looks pretty slick, right? There she goes: the new 2010 Jaguar XJ was first unveiled in London in summer 2009, but now it's at the LA auto show. We like Lexus serves up its US-spec recreational SUV, the GX. Glad it's not sold in the UK The Lexus LF-A. Wonderful. Mad. But just too pricey for our liking That's more like it: the new compact Lexus LF-Ch hybrid 1-series basher is all present and correct in LA. As it should be. This is the more eco-sensitive side of the US, after all Even Norfolk specialist Lotus made it out to LA. The US is its biggest export market, after all Mazda 2 is coming to the US. No surprise really, since it's loosely related to the Ford Fiesta Mercedes SLS Gullwing supercar. Was ever a car better suited to Los Angeles? A brace of Mini concepts. That'll be the Mini coupé and speedster, both bound for production in 2011 Morgan's stand is in the concourse at the 2009 LA auto show – well worth a diversion That'll be the official Porsche drummer at the Boxster Spyder unveil... Errr, and that'll be CAR writer Guy Bird having a crack at the drums. He didn't last long before being turfed off! Porsche Boxster Spyder: one of the few world debuts at LA auto show 2009 Rolls-Royce showed off the Phantom and Ghost at LA. Very spiritual Saab might be on borrowed time, but they're still turning up to shows. As they should – stiff upper lip in adversity, and all that. And besides, the new 9-5 looks really, really promising Spyker attended LA – on the day it went public and confirmed it was interested in buying Saab from GM It's the new US-spec Subaru Impreza. Looks quite mean and broody. Can we have one over here? Suzuki Kizashi: they've gone and sported it up for LA. Shades of Evo, anyone? Warning: this is what motor shows do to you. A weary Japanese hack spotted in the media centre And the world debut of the... Toyota Sienna MPV. Yawn We're not being snobbish – we love some MPVs! But both CAR commentators at LA thought the new Toyota Sienna was a bit, well, beige A final edition VW Beetle, tucked away round the back of the VW stand Volkswagen's Up! Lite is one of the major draws of the 2009 Los Angeles auto show 116mpg? In a four-door? That'll be the new VW Up! Lite And the covers come off... the new VW Up! Lite. It's the four-door, sensible Up – and remarkably close to production Dr Ulrich Hackenberg (right) with the VW Up! Lite at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show. For our interview with Dr H, read the CAR Live Blog from LA