MIA: LUXURY CARS AT THE LA AUTO SHOW
The City of Angels is often defined by glamor, movie stars and luxury cars. But down at the Convention Center, most luxury car makers at the LA Auto Show were Missing In Action.
By BT Justice & John Grafman
Fri, Dec 5, 2025 05:00 AM PST
Featured image above: The sign posts at the entrance to the LA Auto Show suggest there could be many directions it can take (Nakano photograph)
Luxury cars are everywhere in Los Angeles, except maybe the LA Auto Show.
Inside the LA Convention Center, we didn’t find Mercedes or BMW or Audi or Lexus. Land Rover—and many other luxury manufacturers were nowhere to be found.
It’s not that luxury makes are snubbing LA specifically.
It appears luxury brands are skipping traditional auto shows in general.
Maybe they determined that few well-heeled buyers attend auto shows?
Have they decided they get more bang for the buck spending their marketing budgets on ads, reviews, influencers or charitable donations?
Is This a Trend?
“Maybe, just maybe, luxury brands are leading the industry away from auto shows,” speculated one industry analyst, pointing to some of the non-luxury brand no-shows that materialized this year.
“If you want to see certain luxury vehicles in Southern California, the message is ‘skip the LA Auto Show.’ Instead, head to Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Pacoima, Boyle Heights—anywhere other than the LA Convention Center,” said the analyst.
But does that mean premium car buyers have no choice but to go to a dealer?
Altogether, the number of automotive brands that stayed away from the LA Auto Show this year virtually equaled those that participated.
Manufacturers of the following brands chose not to exhibit at the 2025 LA Auto Show:
- Acura
- Aston Martin
- Audi
- BMW
- Ferrari
- Ineos
- Infiniti\
- Jaguar
- Lamborghini
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Lotus
- Mazda
- McLaren
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mini
- Mitsubishi
- Polestar
- Porsche
- Rolls-Royce
- Tesla
- VinFast
Manufacturers of the following brands chose to display at the LA Auto Show this year:
- Alfa Romeo
- Chevrolet
- Chrysler
- Dodge
- Fiat
- Ford
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jeep
- Kia
- Lincoln
- Lucid
- Maserati
- Nissan
- Ram
- Rivian
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Buick-Cadillac-GMC (combined mini-exhibit)
LA Auto Show Fights Back
The organizers of the LA Auto Show didn’t acquiesce to the trend lying down.
They made a gallant effort to get local dealer support to step in when the manufacturers didn’t.
There was a one-car display of the Bentley Flying Spur, presented by Rusnak Bentley Pasadena. It was strategically placed just outside the entrance to the South Hall of the Convention Center.
The LA Auto Show had a modest display for the Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Hummer line just outside the West Hall.
Perhaps the most gallant effort of all was by Downtown LA Porsche.
In past years, Porsche USA would occupy Petree Hall at the Convention Center.
This year, DTLA Porsche had an exhibit area full of a wide assortment of new cars almost as large as the Porsche USA exhibits at the Petree.
Equally impressive was the number of McLarens at the show. Not because McLaren had an exhibit. It was all due to a technology company called SPARQ, which had McLarens up the kazoo at the Hall of SPARQ.
The display was as large as any single car manufacturer’s exhibit.
Is the Migration Away from Auto Shows the Right Move?
Last August, Acura chose to debut its RSX Prototype at Monterey Car Week.
That should have been a sign that Acura would skip the subsequent LA Auto Show.
But was it the right move?
To attend Monterey Car Week and see the ultra-exotic cars there carried an entry fee of $459. Does Acura really think Monterey Car Week attendees consider purchasing an Acura RSX?
Conversely, how many potential customers did Acura lose out on by skipping the LA Auto Show?
The LA Auto Show has never really been the venue for the ultra-exotic cars.
On the other hand, for Southland consumers of premium brands like Acura, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, and Mercedes Benz, there are few places in Southern California where potential buyers can take a close look without the hassles associated with visiting a dealership.
The Last Laugh?
So, what about the premium brands that did show up at the LA Auto Show?
Two had a major presence—Genesis and Rivian.
Did they benefit by not having half their competition present at the show? Quite possibly.
Rivian dominated the outdoor ride and drive. Inside the convention center, Rivian showed off its smaller (and less expensive) R2—a major attraction for the LA Auto Show-goer.
And over at Genesis, on display at the popular exhibit was the production version of the GC60 Magma—Genesis’ counterpart to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
Volvo had a much smaller but cleverly presented exhibit that included a large bus converted into a Volvo museum and a multi-colored display of its unibody construction safety features.
The Spotlight on Brands Present
The spotlight was brighter on those companies that did show (see the complete list below).
The Hyundai Motor Group (includes Hyundai, Kia and Genesis) continued to have a dominant presence.
Equally dominant was the presence of Toyota, which utilized its LA Convention Center exhibit as the venue for the North American auto show debut of the new RAV4 hybrids and C-HR EV crossover SUVs.
Nissan had a smaller exhibit, but it at least showed the attendees that it is alive and kicking with new models like the third-generation Leaf and plug-in hybrid Rogue.
Volkswagen scored with its story associated with the restoration of the Type 2 bus that survived the Altadena fires.
Chevrolet had its new Bolt EV on display as well as a wide array of Corvettes that included the ZR1x and CX concept.
In the End
Unlike the past few years when 11th hour pull-outs by manufacturers left gaping spaces inside the LA Convention Center, the LA Auto Show organizers did an impressive job of space utilization.
Even though half the brands were not there, what was there kept the show experience lively and festive.
Whether premium brands start showing up again for 2026 and beyond, only time will tell. One thing is for sure: it appears the LA Auto Show organizers will not go down without a fight. – BT Justice
Sidebar Comment on Lucid
Lucid Motors might mean many things to many people, but a complacent car company isn’t one of those.
The new Gravity Touring model is proof of that. Derek Jenkins - VP of Design, and then Zak Walker - Senior Director of Advanced Product Creation, detailed the latest achievements. According to Lucid, the Touring model doesn’t compromise space over agility, performance over range, capability over sophistication, or practicality over electrification.
The new Lucid Gen 2 Powertrain includes an updated battery, drive unit, a charging system that’s NCAS compatible, and a thermal system.
While the company does state this is offroad worthy, the numbers certainly lean in on being street savvy. Gravity Touring has 560 horsepower, good for 0-60 in four seconds.
Four-wheel steering means a better turning radius at slow speeds and smoother lane changes at highway cruising speeds.
The standard air suspension improves ride, handling, and allows added ground clearance when needed.
The blended design hints at a large luxury sedan, SUV, and dare we say minivan. In doing so, it’s hard not to find something to like. And the rear pillar allows fans to easily spot this as a Lucid model.
Given this the model line-up is growing, it’s becoming evident that Lucid Motors is not a flash in the pan, which is probably disappointing to other companies. – John Grafman
Further Reading
The Future of the LA Auto Show, by John Grafman (for AutoDesignO)
LA Auto Show at a Glance, by the Editors
The Best Days to See the LA Auto Show, by Roseanne Murphy
The Golden Era of Auto Shows, by Christopher Merlo & Roy Nakano
The Golden Era of Automotive Press Kits, by John Grafman
LA Auto Show: The Secretary Came to Town, by Zoran Segina
Where to Eat at the LA Auto Show, by Reed Berry & Chuck Dapoz
Where, Oh Where to Park at the LA Auto Show, by Roy Nakano
For more information about the LA Auto Show:
Go to the LA Auto Show Website.
About The Authors
BT Justice grew up in Texas, working on cars in his uncles' auto shop. In high school, he raced motorcycles. In the Army, did engine repair and rebuilds, primarily on Humvees and trucks, earning the nickname bulletproof. After a degree in mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute, he worked for each of the Big Three before heading to SoCal, where he founded an engineering company that consulted on suspension tuning for OEMs. He holds an SCCA license but says, "My competition days are over, but I'll always love racing the canyons."
Together with
John Grafman spent far too much of his youth thriving on the canyons that connect the valley to Malibu. This antisocial behavior has evidentially scarred him for life. Nevertheless, using his powers for good rather than evil, John has spent the past dozen or so years working on models for numerous automotive design studios on the west coast. You’ve seen his work on the exterior and interiors of some of your favorite concept and production cars. You can now see his imprint throughout LA CAR.
