Jaguar previewed an electric SUV at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show; McLaren confirmed a new supercar with a three-seat cockpit, à la the legendary F1; and we spied a prototype for a new BMW 8-Series Convertible. It's the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority.
The L.A. auto show dominated the news cycle this week. One of the stars was Jaguar’s I-Pace concept, which previews an electric SUV due on the market in the second half of 2018. It will be just the first of a fleet of new plug-ins from the Brit firm, including more electric cars as well as plug-in hybrids.
Another star in L.A. was Alfa Romeo’s new Stelvio. The SUV was unveiled in fiery Quadrifoglio trim. This particular Stelvio model will come with a 505-horsepower powerplant and a 0-60 mph time of just 3.9 seconds. The standard Stelvio won’t be a slouch either as it will still offer a handy 280 hp.
McLaren didn’t have an official presence in L.A. but it made some of the biggest headlines of the week. The automaker confirmed plans for a spiritual successor to the F1 and released a single teaser sketch. Though we can’t be certain, the confirmation may have been to deflect the news from a day prior that Ron Dennis is losing his role as CEO and Chairman at McLaren following a spat with fellow shareholders.
One of the big surprises of the week was the 2017-spec Porsche 911 RSR. While the race car may look like every other 911 on the outside, its engine is positioned in front of the rear axle, i.e. it’s mid-engined. Even though the car is now fundamentally different to the 911 road car, Porsche was allowed to change the design due to engine position optimization rules allowable in the World Endurance Championship and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in which the car will compete.
There were some interesting spy shots this week as well. One of the upcoming cars we saw was a new BMW 8-Series Convertible. The original 8-Series never spawned a convertible, though BMW had built a prototype. As for the new car, it’s too early to confirm but it looks like it might feature a retractable hard-top. This should help differentiate it from the soft-top-equipped Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe.
Another car we spied for the first time was Mercedes’ next-generation CLS. This will be the third iteration of the swoopy sedan and judging from our spy shots the designers won’t be pulling any surprises. Hopefully we see some influences from the stunning Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobil concept from 2015.
