Porsche Panamera PHEV, Hyundai IONIQ, & Volkswagen I.D. Lineup — More Electrics At 2017 LA Auto Show

December 1st, 2017 by Nicolas Zart

In this last sneak peek of the 2017 LA Auto Show, we take a quick look at the Porsche Panamera plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the Hyundai IONIQ, and Volkswagen’s distant electric van.

Porsche, Steady as She Goes

Porsche is steadily continuing its electrification wave, mainly around its Panamera E-Hybrid platform. $99,600 to $104,000 buys you Porsche’s answer to a large, fast highway cruiser with a PHEV platform. With an all-wheel-drive setup and 462 of total HP, the electric motor puts out 136 HP.

[Editor’s note: I reviewed the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid in 2015 and also compared it to the BMW i8, Tesla Model S, Cadillac ELR, and BMW i3 at that time.]

The interior is where everything happens with Porsche. [Editor’s note: Totally.] Everything is Teutonic by design (i.e., electric adjustments to almost any angle you want the seats to allow you to rest). What was surprising is that you can actually almost lower the seat to the floor pan, which is something that doesn’t happen often with cars, not even German cars. And for the smaller body types, the front seats raise enough to give you an SUV seating feel.

Hyundai IONIQ Ready For North America

The Hyundai IONIQ brand is almost on its own, but, for now at least, it will remain part of Hyundai. The IONIQ is Hyundai’s answer to Ford’s Power of Choice — one platform comes in hybrid, PHEV, and pure electric options.

The interior feels good, with nice design cues and a good fit and finish, as you would expect from Hyundai. The interior space feels similar to a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight.

I will get to my test drive soon enough to let you know how the IONIQ EV is to drive. In the meantime, though, you can read Kyle Field’s review of the IONIQ Electric and Derek Markham’s review of the IONIQ Hybrid.

VW & the Near Distant Future

Finally, we’ll end this sneak peek of the 2017 LA Auto Show with VW and its I.D. EV concepts. The company says it will spend $24 billion for its EVs by 2030. The EV van won’t hit the street until 2023, but they will get there a year earlier by 2022. We like the look. But 2023 seems like a long ways off….

Also at the show were the I.D. Crozz and the simple, compact I.D. — all three of which I spotted on a beach in Long Beach while out for an electric bike ride.

2017 LA Auto Show Opens Its Doors To The Public

We hope you enjoyed these brief sneak peeks into the 2017 LA Auto Show and that, if you were on the fence, you will enjoy no less than 10 EVs with another 10 PHEVs (not counting hybrids and electric bikes) at the show.

The 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show has brought back electric cars, something we had missed the past few years. Stay tuned for test drive review of Volvo’s S90 and XC60 PHEVs, the IONIQ EV, the KIA Niro PHEV, the new Nissan LEAF, the fun electric bike Propella, Sondor’s EV, as well as a few more.

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Tags: Hyundai, Hyundai IONIQ, Hyundai IONIQ EV, la auto show, Porsche, Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, Volkswagen I.D., Volkswagen I.D. Buzz

About the Author

Nicolas Zart Born and raised around classic cars of the 1920s, it wasn't until Nicolas drove one of the first Tesla Roadsters that the light went on. Eager to spread the news of that full torque he started writing in 2007. Since then, his passion led to cover renewable energy, test drives, podcasts, shoot pictures and film everything that is new and efficient. Nicolas offers an in-depth look at the e-mobility world through interviews and the many contacts he has forged in those industries. There are more solutions than obstacles.