Last week, the AutoPacific team was on the ground for the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show. While the schedule of on-site press conferences may have been relatively lighter compared to prior years, there was still an eclectic mix of new and updated products under the lights on the show floor. Here's the download on some of our highlights.
Expectedly, the Koreans appear to have swept the L.A. Auto Show once again, with a handful of new debuts from Hyundai, Kia, and of course, Genesis. Hyundai kicked things off with the reveal of its facelifted IONIQ 6, specifically, an introduction of the hotter IONIQ 6 N that arrives as the second N-badged e-GMP product in the lineup next year for our 2026 MY. Draped in the N division's familiar sky blue paint, the even sleeker (thanks to new sheetmetal at both ends) sedan's dual-motor AWD footprint was retuned to make an astonishing max 641 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of instant torque. Like the IONIQ 5 N, the IONIQ 6 N hits the gym with a full suite of various software tricks and gizmos to transform its driver into a drift king or track slayer with a few button taps. There are wider fenders, massive brakes at the pointier nose, and a unique swan neck rear wing. Down below, the IONIQ 6 N's chassis is beefed up and fortified for swift precision, and a set of integrated stroke sensors rewards a greater real-time adjustment of suspension dampening. Range numbers from its 84 kWh battery pack and pricing are still a mystery, but we'd expect it to start in the high $60,000 or low $70,000 area.
Hyundai also used its spotlight to reveal a new concept called the "Crater". Despite being shown in fictitious concept format, the Crater's brute and rugged, almost apocalyptic styling and clever features (like side mirror housings that, when removed, double as flashlights or action cameras), we predict, given rumblings we've heard about Hyundai Motor Group wanting to elevate its XRT-badged products into more rugged off-roaders, this concept foreshadows what's ahead for more hardcore versions of the Tucson crossover and even Santa Cruz pickup truck. Inside, the Crater's cabin was a playful mix of tactile switchgear, utilitarian design, and 8-bit influences.
After a generously profitable first generation, Kia debuts its all-new second-gen 2027 Telluride. Kia has a lot of successes learned from the first generation of its popular family hauler, and the new model makes some big changes. Under the hood and a contrast to the also-just-shown new 2026 Palisade, gone is the Telluride's 3.8L V6, replaced by either a turbocharged four-cylinder that the automaker pegs as being more powerful and efficient, or, in a first for the nameplate: hybridization. The new hybrid system, Hyundai Motor Group's TMED-II, sandwiches a pair of electric motors in the transmission itself to help return in the right configuration as high as 35 mpg and upwards of 600 miles of travel allowance on a single tank of gas. The bigger-than-before redesigned Telluride sports even more sharp, expensive-looking exterior styling, cloning it closer and closer to that of a Range Rover, swapping rounder fascias and actual door handles for stubbier bumpers and flush-mounted extenders that power deploy upon approaching. The cabin ditches physical switchgear for a more elegant appearance and space rich in higher-rent but more sustainable materials. And, with a more capable, upgraded X-Pro trim, the most rugged trim of the second-gen Telluride boasts 9.1 inches of ground clearance, revised bumpers, a tuned AWD system with locking differential, and proper knobby all-terrain tires.
Keeping within the Hyundai Motor Group wheelhouse, over at Genesis, the luxury marque is having a hell of an exciting month. On the other side of the globe, Genesis officially, after a year or so of tease, revealed its Magma motorsports arm in Paris via a showing of the Magma GT Concept (as the brand reportedly aims to homologate its upcoming GT4 racer for Le Mans) and a gorgeous wagon variant reportedly built as a one-off for a wealthy customer in the Middle East. On our shores, we got to see the first salable Magma product: the 2026 GV60 Magma. Beyond bright orange and muscular styling enhancements, the GV60 Magma engages drivers with a dual-motor footprint whose output is cranked to make no less than 650 horsepower in "Boost" mode. All that power is supported by an intense suspension and chassis overhaul (it sits 20 mm lower on wider tires), has a limited-slip differential, heavy-duty bushings at both ends, and, like the nearby IONIQ 6 N: a myriad of more intimate driving modes for spirited driving. Pricing and range are also unknown at time of press.
The other major reveal that took place around the time of the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show was Jeep's electric Recon, which we got our first glimpse at an off-site event before its showfloor presence. With Rivian in its cross-hairs, Jeep is banking on the 2026 Recon to reap a crop of fun-minded, off-road-intrigued buyers with Wrangler-esque capability, cool features (like rear window panels that come out), and an evident appeal to those with active lifestyles within and beyond the realms of pavement. There's a lot to like about the Recon, which sits atop the same STLA Large roots as the softer, road-prioritized Wagoneer S. The youthful nameplate, which goes on sale next year, aims to bring pure-BEV 4x4 prowess and happenings to the masses, but there obstacles ahead that cannot be ignored amidst today's rocky EV market, including a range below 300 miles, price tag north of $65,000, and, Stellantis's problematic track record when launching new EVs. If the Recon can navigate these potential roadblocks, it has the potential to be a smash hit (albeit a niche hit) for not just Jeep but Stellantis as a whole.
Apart from these showstoppers, we were able to briefly meet-n-greet Nissan's new Rogue Plug-In Hybrid, facelifts of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee (as well as the new all-hybrid Cherokee), Chevrolet's revived budget-friendly 2027 Bolt, to name a few. Rivian's upcoming R2 also welcomed crowds, as did the Honda Prelude. Lucid also proudly had the latest new Touring trim for its 2026 Gravity on display, lowering the price of entry into the three-row crossover to a now more approachable MSRP below $80,000 without any major range or performance penalties.
Before and after the show's media day, AutoPacific also attended private off-site events marking the grand opening of a new Beverly Hills showroom for Sony Honda Mobility's Afeela brand, as well as a celebratory update for newcomer Slate, where we got to crawl around and peek inside the small DIY-friendly electric truck. We look forward to sharing those insights soon.