2011 Kia Optima Enjoys Biggest Lift from LA Auto Show
By Michelle Krebs November 24, 2010
The 2011 Kia Optima got the most boost of any vehicle from the Los Angeles Auto Show, based on Edmunds.com's analysis of shopper consideration during the show's press days.
The Fiat 500, Nissan GT-R and BMW 6 Series also got a lift from the show.
But for all of the hoopla surrounding Chrysler's revamped line of vehicles, neither the Chrysler nor the Dodge brands enjoyed much, if any, increase in shopper consideration.
Edmunds.com's analysis examines the daily consideration data on the models highlighted at the Los Angeles Auto Show's press days Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 as consumers shopped for more than 400 models listed on the site. Consideration data indicates the effectiveness of marketing, including presence at auto shows, and may suggest future sales.
Optima Gains From LA Show
Leading up to the Los Angeles Auto Show's press days, consideration for the Kia Optima was edging higher; from 3.2 percent to 4.8 percent to 5.6 percent. The numbers represent the percentage of shoppers considering vehicles in a segment -- in this case, the midsize category -- who dug into the Optima's pages of information on Edmunds.com.
During press days when Kia unveiled the redesigned 2011 Optima, the model's consideration numbers soared to 12 percent and then 15 percent. Following the press event, consideration dipped to around 11 percent but still remained markedly higher than before the show.
The Kia Optima, which includes the brand's first hybrid offering and one aimed directly at Toyota's Camry hybrid, arrives in showrooms in early 2011. The non-hybrid Optima, described as a "stunner" by Edmunds' Inside Line, goes on sale by year-end.
Lust Lives
Despite the downturn in the economy that has prompted a minimalist movement, glamour and sexiness still sell at auto shows.
Perhaps it is lust more than intent to buy, but the freshened Nissan GT-R, BMW 6 Series, Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and the new Chevrolet Camaro convertible saw some increase in consideration on Edmunds.com during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.
Leading up to the show, consideration for the Nissan GT-R had been running in the 8 to 10 percent range. It rose to nearly 13 percent during the press days. While its consideration dipped slightly after that, it remained higher than it had been leading up to the show.
The GT-R, which has been freshened on the exterior front and back as well as the interior, features more horsepower (523 hp) and revised suspension and brakes. It goes on sale in February.
Likewise, the redesigned 2012 BMW 6 Series got more shoppers than it had earlier on Edmunds.com. Consideration within its segment was running in the 6 to 7 percent range pre-LA Auto Show. It jumped to 11 to 12 percent range during the press days and has mostly stayed there.
The new 6 Series Convertible, unveiled at the LA show, goes on sale in the spring. It gets an electrically powered softtop made of multiple layers of canvas with a flying buttress structure. It is powered by a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that makes 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. 
The Mercedes-Benz CL-Class got a one-day bump in consideration in its class on Edmunds.com. On the press day at which Mercedes unveiled the 2012 CLS63 AMG, consideration for the CL-Class in total rose to 8 percent; it had been running at 4 to 6 percent, a range it fell back to after the show.
The CLS63 AMG's 5.5 biturbo V8 makes 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. An optional AMG Performance package boosts output to 550 hp. The high-performance model goes on sale next year.
Similarly, the convertible version of the Chevrolet Camaro, unveiled in LA, gave the model a tiny one-day hike. Consideration for the Camaro generally runs in the 19 to 21 percent range of its class. During the show's press days, it bumped up to 22.5 percent, but immediately fell back to previous levels.
The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will be offered in similar model configurations as the Camaro coupe. The standard model will have a 312-horsepower 3.6-liter V6; the SS model will get the 6.2-liter V8 producing 426 hp. Its starting price is $30,000.
Nissan wasn't so lucky with its controversial Murano convertible. Consideration for the Murano in general held steady. In fact, its consideration numbers actually edged lower during and after the auto show.
The Murano CrossCabriolet is the top-of-the-line for the Murano lineup, priced at a lofty $47,190. The four-seater, available with all-wheel-drive and equipped with a power softtop, arrives at dealers in late February.
Little Charge from LA for Electrified Cars
Winning an award did more for the Chevrolet Volt than did its presence at the Los Angeles auto show's press days.
Chevrolet Volt's Consideration jumped to 15 percent from the previous 9 to 12 percent range the day before the LA auto show press days. That was the day Motor Trend magazine announced the Volt was its Car of the Year.
The Volt's consideration numbers settled in at around 12 percent after the show, not as high as its one-day bump but higher than its lead up to LA show.
The Nissan Leaf held steady at 2 percent consideration on Edmunds.com before, during and after the LA show press days.
Little to No Lift for Chrysler
The Los Angeles auto show, where the much ballyhooed Fiat 500, helped the small car some with consumers. Sort of. Consideration for the tiny car that goes on sale in December was running at less than 1 percent of the segment before the LA show.
Consideration for Fiat's first U.S.-sold car in nearly three decades bumped up to 3.2 percent during the show. Its consideration numbers fell back to 2 percent, still higher than before the auto show.
Other small cars at the show - the Ford Focus, Honda Fit and Hyundai Elantra - similarly saw just tiny blips in consideration.
For all of the hype surrounding Chrysler's revamped product line, the automaker now controlled by Fiat got virtually nothing in the way of new shoppers from the Los Angeles auto show.
Edmunds.com data shows consideration for the Dodge and Chrysler brands did not budge during the auto show. Dodge held steady with about 4 percent of all Edmunds.com shoppers considering the brand; Chrysler stayed at its usual 1 percent.
Consideration for the freshened Dodge Charger showed a slight upward blip but then fell to below pre-auto show levels. The new Dodge Durango, based on the successful Jeep Grand Cherokee, enjoyed a small increase in consideration that later receded but still to higher levels than before the show.
The Rest of the Intros
The redesigned Nissan Quest and Mazda's Mazda5 people movers saw small rises that stuck in the days after the show.
Same for the Buick Regal GS. At last year's LA show, the Regal generated a tremendous amount of buzz.
The Range Rover Evoq concept got a lot of attention at its worldwide unveiling at the Paris show, but at least as far as Edmunds.com's consideration is concerned, the needle didn't move when the vehicle was shown in LA.
Photos by Manufacturers and Edmunds Inside Line
1 - 2011 Kia Optima (Photo by Kia)
2 - 2011 Kia Optima interior (Photo by Kia)
3 - 2012 Nissan GT-R (Photo by Nissan)
4 - 2012 BMW 6 Series Convertible (Photo by BMW)
5 - 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL63AMG (Photo by Mercedes-Benz)
6 - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible (Photo by GM)
7 - 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (Photo by Nissan)
8 - 2011 Chevrolet Volt and its first buyers (Photo by Edmunds Inside Line)
9 - 2011 Fiat 500 (Photo by Edmunds Inside Line)
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The Fiat patent fraud. About the Fiat hybrids: the technology double clutch with electric motor between has been stolen by a patent that Fiat Company has never wanted to purchase, but only shamelessly to copy. This hybrid solution will be the basic technology with Chrysler's electric and hybrid car program. Please give a look in my blog where the "vitality" and boldness of the Fiat planners it appears in all of evidence: http://dualsymbioticelectromechanicalengine.blogspot.com/
If the industries can afford unpunished to copy the ideas and defending it need very expensive trial, to which target need the patents? How to defend the rights of private inventors? How our young people can find intellectual courage if the economic potentates crush the rights of the single ones? Whoever is about to ask for a patent or wants to propose a proper patent to a great firm I suggest to give a look to my experience with the Fiat, to get able to operate with better adroitness. Thanks and good time to everybody. Ulisse Di Bartolomei
Kia is certainly moving up in the world...this new model is attractive, muscular and substantial - looking. Sort of a mix of Pontiac GTO lines, accord-ish in the face, and a very attractive Audi-esque rear. The interior also looks and, more importantly, feels substantial. In many ways, this car is better than the Sonata, especially if you're one who appreciates the way a car DRIVES likes to feel connected to the road. I really hope this car helps Kia move up a few notches...the stigma should start fading soon....
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