The Monday Rundown: 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show Debuts and More
L.A. sizzle fizzles out, but new Lucid Gravity, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, and Toyota Camry make waves on the west coast
Hi there, and welcome to Driving American, the automotive publication focused on the cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans made in America by Americans.
Each issue of the Monday Rundown summarizes the latest new vehicle news and reporting related to U.S. automotive manufacturing so that you know what’s going on and can learn more if you’d like to.
According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, change is the only constant in life. That’s evident in how car companies introduce new vehicles, and the pandemic only reinforced the notion that spending big on splashy media introductions at the major North American auto shows may be unnecessary. And so it was at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, though a handful of automakers revealed several models to be made in the U.S.A.
2025 Lucid Gravity electric luxury SUV could resolve EV maker’s struggles
When everyone wants an SUV, and you build a sedan instead, you will struggle. And that’s the problem at Lucid. The Air sedan is flawed yet appealing, and when I reviewed it earlier this year, I said it was the best electric vehicle I’d driven to date. But it’s not an SUV.
Now, the 2025 Lucid Gravity is officially on its way, designed in California and built in Casa Grande, Arizona. Reflecting similar styling themes established with the Air sedan, the 2025 Gravity SUV has a distinctive, upscale look inside and out. Lower body cladding and a raised ride height ensure you won’t mistake it for a station wagon, and a mostly glass roof bathes the three-row, seven-passenger interior in natural light. Lucid promises generous legroom in both rear rows and 112 cubic feet of cargo space, though it’s unclear if that measurement includes the front trunk, or frunk.
Drivers face a new squircle-shaped steering wheel that might prove a bad idea. But with next-generation software and over-the-air update capability, the Clearview Cockpit 34-inch data display and the landscape-oriented Pilot Panel should resolve some of my complaints with the Air sedan.
Depending on the version, the Lucid Gravity will offer over 440 miles of estimated range, acceleration to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, 6,000 pounds of towing capacity, and 1,500 pounds of maximum payload capacity. Plug into a functional 350-kW DC fast charger, and if everything goes right, the Gravity should add 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.
So, what will this cost you? Lucid claims the 2025 Gravity base price will start at less than $80,000.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT debuts in L.A.
Hyundai is adding a more rugged XRT version of its redesigned 2024 Santa Fe to the lineup, which was as predictable as the sun rising.
At Hyundai, SUVs with an XRT badge are supposed to be more rugged but typically offer little more than blacked-out trim, a roof rack, and totally unnecessary side steps that just get in the way if you actually go off-roading.
Ah, but the new 2024 Santa Fe XRT is different. It gets 1.5 inches of added ground clearance and has standard all-terrain tires. Hyundai appears to have also left the side steps off the menu.
Otherwise, these are the headlines for the redesigned 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe:
The boxy design is a dramatic departure and provides a roomier interior
Standard three-row seating
Turbocharged gas and hybrid powertrains
High-tech cabin
Made in Alabama
Hyundai is taking a risk with the new Santa Fe. While the SUV’s appearance isn’t for everyone, the people who like it will probably love it, similar to what happened with the equally polarizing Ford Flex when it first went on sale 15 years ago. But the Flex never became a big seller outside of Michigan (Ford’s home state) and California (where it reminded people of woody wagons and the surfing lifestyle).
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe goes on sale in March 2024, with the Santa Fe Hybrid following shortly after.
2024 Kia Sorento gets significant changes
The 2024 Kia Sorento is easy to identify thanks to Telluride-inspired front styling. The interior gets an update, too, with available next-generation digital instrumentation and infotainment systems housed in a panoramic curved display. And there’s a new SX Prestige X-Pro trim level made for off-roading. It joins the X-Line package, which adds rugged styling details to several versions of the Sorento. Earthy exterior and interior colors help convey the X-Line and X-Pro models’ purpose.
The 2024 Sorento is the second model to get Kia’s new Connected Car Navigation Cockpit technology, after the EV9 electric SUV. In addition, improvements are coming to the SUV’s collection of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Powertrains are unchanged, with standard and available turbocharged four-cylinder engines making between 191 and 281 horsepower.
Kia builds the 2024 Sorento in West Point, Georgia. However, the Sorento Hybrid and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid are assembled in South Korea. The electrified models carry over for 2024 but will receive the updates above for the 2025 model year.
2025 Toyota Camry isn’t totally redesigned, but it comes close
Automakers often claim their models are redesigned, but they’re not. A redesign suggests a ground-up reworking of a vehicle, from the rubber to the roof. Anything else is a reskin, a refresh, or an update.
The 2025 Toyota Camry is a reskin. It uses the same platform and underlying vehicle architecture as the previous-generation model but with restyled body panels and numerous interior updates. Toyota’s approach with the 2024 Camry is similar to what Honda did with the current Accord model, which is based on vehicle engineering dating back to 2018.
Don’t begrudge Toyota for taking this path. Midsize family cars no longer sell in substantial numbers, so investing in a completely new design is financially unwise. Besides, the new 2025 Camry changes are substantial enough that it likely doesn’t matter.
First, the styling is more appealing. I never liked the 2018-2024 Camry’s look, and while the 2025 Camry has the same proportions and overall styling theme, Toyota has penned a layer of refinement that eliminates some of the car’s boy-racer-meets-vacuum-cleaner looks.
Second, new tech brings the Camry into the modern age. From the new digital instrumentation and Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment systems to added standard safety features and a next-generation Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 ADAS collection, the new Camry impresses.
In addition, all 2025 Camrys will have a 225-horsepower hybrid powertrain (232 hp with all-wheel drive). The standard four-cylinder and optional V6 engines are no longer available.
Look for the redesigned 2025 Camry at your local Toyota dealership in the spring of 2024, after the car goes into production at the automaker’s Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly plant.
Electric Jeep Wrangler reportedly planned for 2028
This story has nothing to do with the Los Angeles Auto Show and has everything to do with something I’m excited about. You see, I’m a big Jeep Wrangler fan, but there are three things preventing me from buying one:
High prices
Poor safety ratings
Lousy gas mileage
I like the Wrangler 4xe, the plug-in hybrid version that offers an estimated 21 miles of electric driving range. But that’s unimpressive. Also, it doesn’t resolve the price and safety problems.
So, when Autoblog reported this week that the new United Auto Workers (UAW) agreement with Stellantis outlined product plans for several brands, including Jeep, I was pretty excited about the electric Wrangler slated to arrive in 2028. More intriguing, however, is the Wrangler equipped with the same range-extending drivetrain debuting in the 2025 Ram Ramcharger pickup truck.
Now, if Jeep could just solve that safety issue, I might be willing to pay a premium for one of these electric Wranglers.
What’s new on Driving American?
This week, I’ve been driving the 2024 Honda Civic hatchback in Sport Touring trim (made in Greensburg, Indiana). Its painted Boost Blue, has a black leather interior, and sits on appealing dark-finish 18-inch wheels that aren’t too black or shiny. As equipped, the sticker price is $33,000, including the $1,095 destination charge.
I love this car. Yes, it’s homely and, from some angles, too nose-heavy regarding dimensions. It’s also loud inside on the highway, suffers from transmission drone when accelerating hard, and lacks rear air conditioning vents. There’s nowhere to put my big-ass Hydro Flask except inside the center console storage bin, where it fits underneath the armrest. Also, the infotainment system can take its sweet time to load data.
But otherwise, it is a great choice for any driver on a budget. That’s especially true if you love the journey as much as the destination because the Civic Sport Touring hatchback is plenty of fun to fling around. The driver’s seat is comfortable, the Bose stereo sounds decent, it has a 24.5 cubic-foot trunk, safety ratings impress, and it averaged 30.2 mpg on my evaluation loop. Plus, it exudes quality, craftsmanship, and engineering attention to detail.
The Honda Civic hatchback, Hyundai Elantra (not the Hybrid, N-Line, or N), and Toyota Corolla sedan are the last three compact cars still made in the U.S.A. Of them, the Civic hatch is easily my favorite.
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Hey, we are taking some time off this week, so Driving American will be on hiatus until December 4, 2023. See you then!