Top 10 highlights from the Los Angeles auto show

Porsche’s first addition to its popular SUV line, the Macan crossover is the auto maker’s official “entry-level” product. It was surprising to learn that the Macan will be priced close to the larger Cayenne when it arrives in the spring in Canada, starting at $54,300, compared to $57,500 for the Cayenne. If the Macan follows the same strategy Porsche used for its Cayenne and Panamera, it will come in later with less expensive volume models. The Macan preview was all glitz and glam, featuring tennis star and Porsche ambassador Maria Sharapova, as well as actor Patrick Dempsey and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. And, of course, the question had to be put to Sharapova: As a Porsche ambassador, how much do you know about the new Macan? “Well ... I know I fit,” replied the 2012 Olympic tennis singles silver medalist and former U.S. Open champion who stands 6-foot-2. “I got a chance to experience it earlier, and I had at least a couple inches of headroom in it, which is a lot for me.”

The fastest man on Earth, Usain Bolt, helped to introduce the 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo, a 600-hp version of Godzilla that will land in Canada following its mid-2014 launch in the U.S. It will be possibly the quickest-accelerating vehicle in Canada, with Nissan quoting an incredible 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time of two seconds flat. Yes, flat.

With the Nismo name an acronym for Nissan Motorsports, perhaps the company was stung by (credible) suggestions that its Juke Nismo was little more than a sportier appearance package, and so introduced the Juke Nismo RS at LA. Available in December, the Juke Nismo RS bumps up the horsepower more noticeably, to 215 from the regular Juke’s 188, with low-end oomph bumped up to 217 lb-ft.

The third-generation 2015 Mini Coopers may not look much different from current models, though the circular LEDs give it away, but all are radically distinct inside and under the hood. The base 2015 model will offer the first three-cylinder engine ever in a Mini Cooper, a 1.5-litre turbocharged unit putting out 134 horsepower, and 162 lb-ft of torque. The more powerful S features a 2.0-litre turbocharged four, putting out 189 horses, and 207 lb-ft of torque. Both Minis are scheduled to hit the market in March.

Los Angeles saw the debut of the first Land Rover product to be priced at more than $200,000 – the Range Rover Autobiography LWB Black. With an MSRP of $203,990, it will supersede the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S ($166,600) as the priciest SUV in Canada when it arrives in March. Other Range Rovers will also offer long-wheelbase versions with more room in the back, with prices ranging from $120,000-$155,000.

Jaguar unleashed a welcome surprise at Los Angeles by showing not only the F-Type Coupe, but the F-Type-R, with its 550-hp supercharged V-8, and with a trunk that will actually fit a set or two of golf clubs. It will cost $99,895 in the United States when it arrives in the spring, with Canadian pricing still to be determined.

The Chevrolet Colorado, General Motors’ all-new mid-size pickup, takes its fuel efficiency seriously, with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder gas engine available at launch in the fall of next year, and a 2.8 diesel four arriving the following year.

It’s called the K900, and it’s a Kia like you’ve never seen before: a V-8-powered, luxurious, full-size, rear-wheel drive sedan, designed to show off its engineering chops, similar to what the Hyundai Equus has done for Hyundai.

Nissan unveiled its Sentra Nismo concept, which looks like a precursor to a hotted-up production Sentra to come. Its Nismo moniker suggests that, even on the Sentra, the Nismo name will take over from prior SE-R and Spec V performance editions. Unlike some current Nismo production cars, this concept offers a serious boost under the hood, with a turbocharged 1.8-litre four that puts out 240 horsepower, a six-speed manual, and limited slip differential, along with slick Alcantara appointments inside.

The Ford Edge Concept SUV is another attractive concept that looks ready for production, which should be a boon for the Oakville, Ont-produced crossover. Or will it be? The Edge, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKX, and Lincoln MKT made in Oakville are North America-only products. While Ford has confirmed that this concept is a preview of a new global line of utilities, and in September confirmed that global products were coming to the Oakville plant by the end of 2014, two Ford of Canada officials in Los Angeles would not confirm that those new products will be based on the Edge successor.

Hurray for simplicity! Lincoln has reintroduced real round knobs in its new MKC compact crossover, ridding itself of the glitchy touch not-so-sensitive bar used in the larger MKX and some other Lincoln products.