Last week Aston Martin introduced photos of the $149,995 2018 Vantage, a four-liter AMG twin-turbo V8 coupe that gets 503-horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque. Its a bold new Aston Martin, one pointed toward younger buyers, those who want flashy colors and more-aggressive angles along its two-door body.
Aston Martin typically doesn’t introduce cars at the Los Angeles Auto Show each November—but it will show the new Vantage on its stand Nov. 29 through Dec. 10 for the annual event.
In a time when major supercar makers—Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani, and McLaren, not to mention Bentley and Rolls-Royce—skip most auto shows altogether (their high-net-worth customers tend not to frequent auto shows to make actual purchasing decisions), the Vantage will be a rare bid to get mass attention for a car with elite-level performance and craftsmanship .
More than 60 global and North American debuts will happen during the show in L.A. this week. In the elite tier with Aston, Mercedes-Benz will bring its $2.5 million Project One supercar to the U.S. for the first time, and Corvette will introduce its fastest model to date, the new 2019 ZR1. The car has a supercharged, 755-horsepower V8 engine and a chevron-patterned carbon-fiber hood for extra lightweight performance, plus improved interior accents such as Alcantara trim throughout and heated seats. According to Chevrolet, it will reach 210 mph.
BMW will also show an 8 Series Concept, a cutting-edge performance car that will mark the return of its highest-end line and will hint at the look of the aggressive BMW 8 Series Coupe scheduled for launch in 2018. The dramatic-looking coupe has BMW’s kidney grille—oversize and made more angular—plus a long sloping roofline and wide, sporty stance that is lower and more aggressive in appearance than other recent BMW two-doors so far.
Porsche’s big introduction in Los Angeles this week will be the hybrid and hatchback version of its bestselling sedan, the Panamera Hybrid Sport Turismo. Fans have already seen the six-figure hatch since photos surfaced earlier this fall, but L.A. represents the first time it’ll be on view in real life.
That 460-plus horsepower car will be at the forefront of a wave of much-improved luxury sedans on view this year. Mercedes will provide the world debut of its compact CLS sedan, while Audi will show its all-new, fourth-generation A8 sedan, and BMW will offer a hard-core (more powerful, stiffer, specially badged) version of its famous M3 line, called the M3 CS.
From across the pond in England, Jaguar will bring the high-performance XJR575 long-wheelbase sedan for a U.S. debut as well. With more than 570 horsepower, that will be Jaguar’s most powerful production sedan ever.
