LOS ANGELES: It seems like every third car on the streets of Los Angeles is a Tesla, and it's hardly surprising since electric vehicles are coming thick and fast in California as makers wean drivers off petrol engines.
There are plenty of swanky super sports cars and pumped-up pick-ups running around here too, but regardless of their taste in four-wheeled transport, all Californians seem to be in love with the motor car.
Whether they get their power from the petrol pump or mains electricity, different car worlds co-exist here peacefully, as a visit to the Los Angeles Auto Show (Nov 19-28) makes clear.
California is the country's largest car market with more than 2 million vehicles sold annually, so it comes as no surprise that manufacturers of old-school and innovative models have pulled out all the stops.
Visitors need to don a mask and take a Covid test if they have not been vaccinated, but attending this show is well worth the effort. The usual big Stateside names are on site but there are many more manufacturers besides them.
Asian makers who stayed away from Germany's revamped IAA Mobility fair in Munich in September have turned out in force for the Los Angeles bash.
After all, Subaru sells more cars in North America than Volkswagen and Audi together, while Toyota, Nissan and Honda have legions of fans here too. South Korean makers like Hyundai have also racked up impressive sales.
Of the German manufacturers only Porsche has seen fit to attend, which leaves all the more limelight for US newcomers from Fisker, minivan-maker Canoo and Edison. Also grabbing attention is Vinfast, a manufacturer from Vietnam determined to make inroads internationally.
There is no shortage of new cars either. Most of them are electric, but some classic models shine out too.
"What climate crisis?" would seem to be the motto of Chevrolet's brutal new mid-engined Corvette, which boasts 670hp.
The much more affordable Nissan Z sportster is a fusion of retro-styling and modern design in the mould of the 1970 Datsun 240z.
Meanwhile, the monstrous 6-metre Lincoln Navigator SUV and Lexus LX600 continue to cosset their occupants with no sign of hybrid let alone electric propulsion in sight.
Ford, Jeep und Land Rover have given their rugged products the green touch. The Blue Oval's signature pick-up, the huge F-150, now comes with an electric motor and is badged as a Lightning.
Jeep's new Grand Cherokee can be ordered as a plug-in hybrid and even the new Range Rover, which is being unveiled to the public for the first time in LA, comes with hybrid and battery-electric power.
The new Pininfarina-styled Vinfast VFe35 und VFe3 crossovers are headed for Europe at the end of next year and the same applies to the pure-electric Fisker Ocean. Ex-Aston Martin engineer Henrik Fisker plans to have it produced at the Magna factory in Austria from 2022.
The Hyundai Seven and Kia EV9 are the only genuinely new concepts at the show and both are destined to morph into production SUVs with a range each of more than 600km. That will pitch them against the Audi E-Tron and BMW iX.
Europe can also watch out too for the Nissan Ariya, its largely identical cousin the Toyota BZ4X and the Subaru Solterra.
Seemingly contradictory automobile worlds are evident at the Porsche stand where the Swabians showcase cars from both ends of the spectrum.
The Taycan GTS is the first electric from the brand with a range of more than 500km and it shares space with the irrational Cayman 718 GT4 RS.
This wild, hardcore edition of the model with high-revving, six-cylinder engine and no turbocharger is a technical anachronism and one of the least green cars on the planet.
No one bats an eyelid in tolerant LA though, where diverse car worlds simply co-exist.
