LA Auto Show 2025 Thrills with EVs, Roller Coasters
By Romen Basu Borsellino | 24 Nov, 2025

The nation's top auto event provided ample fuel for Asian America's long-burning love affair with electric vehicles.

On Thursday I drove my VW Jetta to downtown LA where I would spend the day looking at cars that are nicer than mine by every conceivable metric.

It was Media Day at LA Automobility 2025, more colloquially known as the LA Auto Show, or as I call it, COCHElla which I can assure you non-Spanish speakers is a very clever joke indeed.

LA Automobility 2025 is more commonly known as The LA Auto Show

It was my first trip to the LA Auto show. And while I was concerned that my knowledge of gaskets and cylinders isn't exactly on par with my knowledge of, say, fantasy football, I was enthralled from the moment I walked in.

The event had a little something for everyone.  Even the less car-savvy could revel in displays that rivaled an amusement park.

Jeep, for example, took guests on a literal roller coaster, showing the versatility of their Wranglers by plummeting riders down a 40-degree slope.

Chevrolet showed off their 2026 Silverado EV

Ford, leaning until the bucking Bronco motif, had a similar setup that felt like it was air-dropped from a Texas rodeo. 

Subaru transformed their corner of the convention center into a National Park, complete with shelter dogs to play with.

And then there were the competing spreads, ranging from donuts to a full-on open bar… at 1pm.  As a co-worker of mine pointed out, there’s sometimes an inverse correlation between the generosity of the freebies and the quality of the product being sold.  The top dogs typically have nothing to prove.

But while every booth had its own unique flair, one thing was ubiquitous: 

Electric vehicles.

Cadillac's wide range of popular offerings included their Escalade IQ, LYRIQ, OPTIQ, and VISTIQ. [Photo courtesy of LA Auto Show]

Some might have been inclined to think that EVs were headed in the opposite direction. After all, the economy isn’t exactly the strongest it’s ever been. And, of course, the expiration of the $7,500 EV tax incentive at the end of this past September.

But that simply wasn’t the case.  Most new models or revamps debuted on Media Day were EVs or hybrids.  Auto shows do tend to look to the inevitable future, not today's speed bumps.

To name just a few: Jeep was proudly displaying their Recon, Lucid boasted the Gravity, and Hyundai debuted their Ionic 6 N high performance EV. 

Ford's setup resembled a Texas rodeo

Even the companies that weren’t debuting EVs were still devoting what seemed like at least 50% of their floor space to them. The Chevy Corvette CX, which was announced in August, was given prime real estate on a turning display. 

Volvo’s fully electric EX 30, which began taking pre-orders nearly two years ago, was out in full force.

Other companies like Lincoln, which was eager to bill itself as a direct competitor to Cadillac, may not have gone quite as hard into the EV space just yet, but were eager to talk about the potential for future offerings.

The Price

Volvo offered test drives of their XC90, XC60, EX30 and EX90 [Photo courtesy of LA Auto Show]

EVs are, unsurprisingly, a bit more expensive than their internal combustion engine counterparts.  It’s typically around a 15% difference, or about $8,000 - $10,000.

While that’s not an insignificant amount of money, it also doesn’t seem to be an impediment to GoldSea’s prime demographic: Asians Americans.

AAPIs, after all, earn an average of 45% more than the general US population. Per 2024 census data our median income is $121,000 compared to $83,000 for the rest of the country.

And rather than simply hoarding that wealth, we like to spend it on new technology like EVs.

Jeep debuted their all-electric Recon

As CarScoops noted this summer “Through the first quarter of this year, Asian households accounted for approximately 7.2% of total new car registrations, but for Tesla, this figure rises to a remarkable 27.2%.” 

And it’s not just Tesla. That number is 28.3% percent for the Mercedes EQS SUV and 25.5% of the BMW iX sales.

As of 2024 AAPI's over-index a staggering 400% or so when it comes to buying EVs and about 200% for buying hybrids, according to S&P global.

Obviously the LA Auto Show does not cater solely to the AAPI community… as much as I like to believe that the world revolves around us.  They truly do have something for everyone. And for the general population, that includes more affordable vehicles.

But it also isn’t lost on me that we aren’t simply talking about Asian brands appealing to the AAPI demographic.

Ford, for example, is well-aware of the fact that we’re just as interested in owning an all-American Bronco.  We are, after all, the fastest growing demographic in the state of Texas, where Ford feels as deeply ingrained in the culture as cowboy boots and high school football.

An old school LA Police Patrol vehicle on display at the LA Auto Show

Overall, the LA Auto Show, which runs until November 30 at the Los Angeles convention center in downtown LA, was a damn good time and a fascinating look at where the auto industry’s priorities currently sit.

And it’s got me thinking that my Jetta may be due for an upgrade.