This month’s Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center included buzz cars already in dealerships or coming soon, including the much talked about Chevy Volt hybrid and the electric Nissan Leaf.
The Newport Beach-based Orange County Auto Dealers Association owns the show with the Cerritos-based Southland Motor Car Dealers Association. Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc. produces the event, which ran from Thursday to Sunday.
Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America Inc. showed off its Equus, a luxury car that’s due out next year and is expected to compete with Mercedes-Benz and others. Sister company Kia Motors America Inc. of Irvine had a custom version of its Soul on hand.
Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus showed a small luxury car, the CT200 hybrid, rotating on a pedestal. The CT200 has upscale touches as well as synthetic “vegan leather.”
One of the niftiest entries was a concept car—the Granite, a small-concept vehicle from General Motors Co.’s GMC. Granite could become the first small-concept vehicle to go into production under the GMC marquee and would compete with Toyota’s Scion. GMC, typically known as a sport utility and truck brand, dubs the Granite an “urban utility vehicle.”
A vehicle carrying the name of Seal Beach-based apparel maker Affliction Holdings LLC claimed a spot in a section of the show dedicated to Dub magazine, a specialty publication for custom-car buffs.
Roland Trudell’s Monarchy Motors, which customizes luxury cars at the former Orange County Lamborghini location in Santa Ana, brought along a silver Bentley that sat on a set of wheels worth $8,000.
—Sherri Cruz
