Fiat 500E Debuts, Toyota EVs, & More (LA Auto Show Inside Look)

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Susanna Schick of sister site Gas2 is at the LA Auto Show pumping out several posts on EVs and such. Here are four of those:

LA Auto Show: Fiat 500E Debuts To Combat Global Warming, Start Global…Hotness?

Fiat 500e, so cute you just want to pinch her cheeks. Photo courtesy Katherine Tessier

Once again bringing overpowering sex appeal to the LA Auto Show as only Italians can, Fiat delivered some very steamy videos to promote their latest offerings. The 500c Cabriolet video was especially thrilling and tastefully done. The 500E video was charming, but between the woman being in the passenger seat, and the overdose of analogies to Viagra by the announcer, it could’ve been better. Yes, you want to make a sexy electric car. We get that. But Tesla and Fisker have already been doing so for years now.

On the other hand, the Fiat 500E is a sexy affordable electric car (granted, pricing hasn’t been announced yet). If you ask me, the 500E  is cute, well dressed, and rides like a real champ, but I’d hardly call any Fiat 500 “sexy”. Even having had the most fun I’ve had on 4 wheels in the one I rented in England….

LA Auto Show: We Talk The Toyota RAV4, V6 Engines, And EVs With Toyota (Video)

Toyota Rav4 EV Photo courtesy of Toyota

I managed to catch Toyota’s Environmental Communications Manager, Jana Hartline, while her Rav4 EV was out being tested, and we had a lovely chat about Toyota’s plans for the future. As the full range vehicle manufacturer with the highest fleet MPG, they know a thing or two about building efficient vehicles….

LA Auto Show: Smart Goes Electric and Grows Wings

In the future, your car and your shoes will have wings. Photo Courtesy of Smart

Today at the L.A. Auto Show, Smart had two new cars to show off- theirfully electric Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, and their electric Smart ForJeremy concept, which was launched last night at a fabulous party we weren’t invited to. But that’s ok, because these cars are still pretty cool.

The Fiat 500 has become the classic fashionista car overnight, popping up in every parking lot in the garment district here in LA. Their ad campaign for the Abarth proved sex does indeed sell. So what’s the smaller, more efficient, and thoroughly practical  Smart supposed to do to compete? Smart has launched a concept car designed byJeremy Scott, an American fashion designer known for his outrageous, fun, colorful designs, targeted to appeal to a more fashion-forward, individualist customer than Fiat’s Gucci partnership….

LA Auto Show: Fisker Karma Phones It In Via Google

Photo courtesy Katherine Tessier http://ktessier.com

I’m not sure what it takes to get a time slot in the jam-packed schedule at the LA Auto Show media days, but I think having something new to announce is pretty much a requirement. So it’s no surprise that Fisker chose to have a Q&A on Google Hangout livestreamed via YouTube instead of the usual fanfare. This actually makes more sense for a company still experiencing severe growing pains.


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

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