Officially debuting today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Land Rover revealed its new 5-door version of the Evoque crossover. Priced at $45,000 it’s far cheaper than most anything else in the range and is sure to outsell every other Land Rover product combined. Evidence of this was present by the interest shown by the local media in LA, with the crowd around the Jaguar Land Rover booth far larger than at most other autoshows.

Significantly smaller than one might expect, this crossover has the same general exterior dimensions as the coupe model, which debuted at the Paris Auto Show a few weeks back. One major change, however, is a less sloping roofline, to make the rear quarters more livable for passengers.

Despite the relative bargain price, the interior is pure luxury. The Evoque should also make for quite a dynamic package with a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine donated from Ford. Equipped with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, the Evoque is billed as a capable off-roader, while optional MagneRide shocks allow for maximum road-holding and comfort.

Deliveries of the new Evoque in both 3-door and 5-door trim will begin in the Fall of 2011.

GALLERY: Range Rover Evoque 5-Door

Official release after the jump:

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After viewing the new Camaro Convertible at a private event yesterday, Chevrolet has today officially revealed the car at the LA Auto Show with Chevy’s marketing boss Chris Perry confirming the Camaros dominance over the Mustang.

Rolling out the newest American muscle drop-top Perry commented that Chevy is poised to close out the year with Camaro sales ahead of the Mustang. He was also eager to point out that so far the Camaro has been able to make such impressive sales with just the coupe model, beating out the Mustang coupe, convertible and GT500.

Sporting a rag-top, rather than a hard-top, the convertible model gains just 200 lbs over its coupe counterpart. Added bracing has been added to the chassis, as well as under the hood, where a massive strut tower bar is a very obvious addition. Both the V6 and V8 engines will be offered with either a manual or automatic transmission. The V6 engine having been upgraded recently now makes 312-hp, while the V8-powered SS will make as much as 426-hp with the 6-speed stick.

Unfortunately many of the cheap plastics from the coupe carry over and they even stand out more thanks to some bright paintwork. Higher grade models get some impressive leather seats, while base models still have a Cobalt-esque look and feel.

Exact pricing hasn’t been set, but Chevy says the car will start at around $30,000 and base V6 models will come better equipped than the entry-level Coupe trim.

GALLERY: Chevy Camaro Convertible

See a short video of the Camaro Convertible after the jump:

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Rather than being polished up like a Pebble Beach show car, Chevrolet Marketing VP Joel Ewanick drove a filthy Volt onto the stage at the Los Angeles Auto Show today for the car’s official world premiere. Ewanick and a group of engineers drove the Volt 2,400 miles across America from GM’s headquarters in Detroit to the LA Auto Show to drive home the message that the Volt is a daily driver and that it can be a family’s only car.

Ewanick described the Volt as more than a game-changer, but as “Epic” and said it’s “the most advanced car ever made.” He backed this up by sating that compared to the new F35 fighter jet, which uses 8 million lines of code to control its high-tech systems, the Volt required 10 million lines of code to keep it running accurately.

With retail sales set to begin the next few weeks, Ewanick gave an update on how interest in the car has grown, stating that last year’s 45,000 hand-raisers for the car has no risen to over 220,000. He then pointed out that marketing for the car has only just begun.

On that note, Chevy then played two new Volt commercials which claim the Volt takes just $1.50 a day in electricity to run. Stating that “it’s more car than electric” one ad even took a shot at its main competitor, the Nissan Leaf, claiming that the Volt is far more than just a “leaf blower.”

GALLERY: Chevy Volt World Premiere

Lamborghini‘s newest, badass Gallardo continues the proud tradition of giving Italian supercars incredibly banal names, with the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante, which literally means “Convertible Performance”.

The rest of the car is anything but staid, with enough performante to give you a third eye socket.  Weighing just under 3300 pounds, the droptop Lambo packs a 570 horsepower V10 and hits 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 201 mph. Weight has been reduced by 143 lbs, coincidentally the upper weight limit of any potential owner’s female companion.

Expect to see this car parked outside a fancy restaurant sometime in 2011, most likely with the optional massive spoiler installed.

[Source:  Lamborghini]

Hit the jump to read the official press release

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The Hyundai Azera has been lost amid the deafening praise for the company’s mid-size Sonata and luxurious Genesis and Equus large cars. While the Azera was briefly Hyundai’s top dog, but now occupies a strange spot as Hyundai’s premium sedan for people who don’t like rear-wheel drive.

But with the Sonata now moving to a strictly 4-cylinder engine lineup, the Azera can now occupy the 6-cylinder front-drive sedan slot. No details have been released regarding powertrains, but the corporate 3.8L Lambda V6 is the most obvious candidate. Styling is in the same vein as Hyundai’s new Elantra and Sonata, which will likely pave the way for a new “corporate look” for the automaker’s lineup.

Gallery: New Hyundai Azera

[Source: Hyundai]

Hit the jump for the official press release

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Debuting alongside a new Focus EV and the high-performance Focus ST at the LA Auto Show is Ford‘s new global Race Car Concept. Based on the Focus ST model and sporting the same 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost 4-cylinder, Ford has designed the car to meet regulations on several continents, with its debut set for the 2011 British Touring Car Championship.

Ford says the car will meet regulations in the U.S. and it intends to offer the car to teams in the U.S. (likely to race in Grand AM and World Challenge), however, there are no existing plans for a factory backed team.

The Focus race car gets an adjustable coilover suspension, Ford Racing sway bars, massive 320-millimeter front brakes with race pads and some ultra-sexy 18-inch wheels. Inside there are the usual goodies like a roll cage and Recaro racing seats.

“There has been tremendous interest from the racing world in the new Focus, and it’s the perfect fit for a global touring car,” said Jost Capito, director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. “Even more, by working with professional private race teams, we’re ensuring Focus has the support it needs to compete and win around the world.”

Look for more photos live from the LA Auto Show today and visit out LA Auto Show hub for full coverage.

GALLERY: Ford Focus Race Car Concept

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Official release after the jump:

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Toyota‘s venerable Corolla gets a mild refresh for 2011, and the updated compact will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Toyota claims it enlisted the help of stylists in Turin, Italy, and the result is still somehow Toyota-like in the front, with the back end looking pretty good for a Corolla.

Engine choices remain the same, but new features like stability control and traction control are standard. Toyota is also sticking with a Pleistocene-era 4-speed automatic, but a 5-speed manual will still be available.

Gallery: 2011 Toyota Corolla

Hit the jump for the official press release

[Source: Toyota]

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Scion may just have established itself as the only automaker on the planet with more special edition models than Bentley. Debuting today at the LA Auto Show, Scion has announced its eighth Release Series xB model.

The Scion xB RS 8.0 comes with a four-piece bodykit designed by Kenstyle that adds some more aggression to the boxy shape. Also included in the package is a sunroof (with tilt and slide function not available on the current xB), as well as a a black fabric with blue highlights to match the exterior Voodoo Blue paint.

Just 2,000 xB Release Series 8.0 models will be built and priced from $18,405 with a stick shift or $19,355 with an auto-box. The rear spoiler can be had for an additional $320.

Look for live photos of the car soon, and click here for complete 2010 LA Auto Show Coverage.

GALLERY: Scion xB Release Series 8.0

Official release after the jump:

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Porsche has revealed its new “mid-engined sports car” ahead of its debut today at the LA Auto Show, with the new Cayman R now the highest performance version of the sports car available. Early reports of a Cayman that would get the Boxster Spyder treatment proved true, with the Cayman R gaining 10-hp, while cutting loose 121 lbs of weight.

Porsche says the R stands for responsive and refined, but mostly it stands for “racy.”

Under the hood, the Cayman R gets just a 10-hp bump to 330-hp which comes mated to either a six-speed manual or a Porsche 7-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic. With the stick shift Porsche claims a 0-62 mph time of 5.0 seconds, which drops to 4.9 seconds with the PDK. Those numbers drop further with the Sport Chrono package that delivers a 4.7 second time.

To achieve an ultra-light 2,855 lb dry weight (no curb weight numbers have been released), Porsche cut out much of the typical convenience items and used lightweight materials throughout. Notable are the light weight racing-style seats, 19-inch forged wheels and door pulls instead of handles. Those who want to take their Cayman R even further can opt for a smaller and lighter lithium-ion battery.

Handling for the Cayman R has also been improved thanks to a 20mm lower suspension, while outside the car is recognizable thanks to a special rear spoiler, front lip, black details and the PORSCHE lettering along the side which can be ordered in black or silver depending on the color choice.

No U.S. pricing has been released, but the Cayman R is set to go on sale in Europe starting in February.

GALLERY: Porsche Cayman R

Official release and video from the car’s LA Auto Show debut after the jump:

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On the eve of the LA Auto Show, General Motors opened up its North Hollywood Advanced Design Center to the media and so we thought we’d take you behind the scenes of this impressive facility, where creative minds are allowed to explore the limits of their talents before the accountants get involved.

The official reason for the event was the launch of the new Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept (ULC), which was designed to explore Cadillac’s first look into the sub-compact segment. Numerous other past concepts were also on hand, including one other previously unreleased model: the GMC Granite Compact Pick Up (CPU).

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, we didn’t get far before we stumbled upon a wall of concept models in a dark very dark corner of the building. All but one model was barren of a plaque, with that lone model being the now-defunct DTS replacement. Some of the other concepts share design traits with the CTS sedan and Coupe while some of the larger sedans definitely resemble the new XTS Concept. Across the top of each row can be spotted several versions of the same convertible model (a now-shelved second generation XLR perhaps?) with some seriously art-deco flare. Also of note is a Pontiac concept that looks half way between the Volt and an Ascari, while another stylish coupe features a massive Buick badge on the front.

If the LA Auto Show wasn’t tomorrow we might have stayed up all night examining these works of art – almost all of which we desperately wish would have seen production.

GALLERY: GM North Hollywood Advanced Design Center

GALLERY: Concept Car Models at GM’s North Hollywood Advanced Design Center

GALLERY: Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

See after the jump for video of the new Cadillac ULC and a look inside GM’s design center:

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