EVs are being pitched to demographics that once insisted on the finest in internal combustion.
Carly Schaffner
F1 World Champion Jenson Button debuted his bespoke Lotus Evija electric hypercar with a color scheme that pays tribute to his 2009 F1 World Championship-winning Brawn GP race car.
A parade of Aston Martins, Maseratis, McLarens and Porsches (lots of Porsches) weaved in and out of traffic on the roadways leading to the Monterey Peninsula on California’s central coast headed to Monterey Car Week, a four-day extravaganza where auto industry elite, enthusiasts and deep-pocketed collectors gather to celebrate the finest the industry has to offer.
More of an experience than a traditional auto show, this year’s event spanned Aug. 17-20, and despite the smell of petrol in the air, it gave an equally bright spotlight to electric vehicles.
The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, mixed mainstream electric crossovers and kid haulers with handcrafted supercars — some battery-powered, some not – and vintage collections from the post-World War era.
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, known for showcasing pristinely maintained drivable pre- and post-war autos vying for award recognition, offered a display of history against the backdrop of California’s craggy coastline.
The elegant affair also is home to the wild concept lawn, where automakers bring together cutting-edge creations representing their visions of the future.
Monterey Car Week is a longstanding tradition, but it is undergoing an evolution. With EVs moving more to the forefront of modern car culture, the storied celebration this year offered the ultimate juxtaposition of old and new.
Carly Schaffner
The Acrua ZDX was created in collaboration with General Motors and shares a platform with the Cadillac Lyriq.
Acura ZDX: The premium brand’s first EV is a 197-inch crossover with sporty styling, 22-inch wheels, a platinum rocker and illuminated front fascia. The ZDX was created in collaboration with General Motors and shares a platform with the Cadillac Lyriq, but its priority is performance over comfort. The ZDX will launch with a 500-hp Type S variant, the most powerful Acura crossover ever.
Automobili Pininfarina Pura Vision: The luxury EV manufacturer and maker of the 1,900-hp Battista hypercar showcased the Pura Vision design concept. Its cab-rear proportions and muscular stance are topped with a narrow greenhouse and tri-opening pillarless doors that pull back to reveal an expansive and contemporary interior space.
Carly Schaffner
Automobili Pininfarina Pura Vision
Kia EV6 NACTOY Limited Edition: The automaker is paying homage to the EV6 compact electric crossover’s Utility Vehicle of the Year ranking in the 2023 North American Car of the Year competition. Only 1,000 of the special EV6s will be made, draped in a model-exclusive Deep Forest Green paint with a Desert beige interior, as well as a signature badge on the console that uses the silhouette of the award.
Kia EV9: Kia’s three-row electric crossover will launch this fall, jumpstarting the segment among mainstream brands with four trims — Light, Wind, Land and GT-Line — with rear-drive and all-wheel setups as well as a standard or long-range battery pack. A more powerful GT will debut in the future. It’s expected the boxy crossover could offer up to 300 miles in range and could have a starting price around $55,000.
Lamborghini Lanzador: The luxury sports carmaker previewed an EV concept that sets the stage for its fourth production vehicle of that name, going on sale in 2028. Lamborghini’s high-riding electric crossover coupe looks rally-ready with giant wheels and carries two electric motors as well as a high-performance battery that can deliver up to 1,341 hp.
Carly Schaffner
Lamborghini Lanzador
Lotus Evija: F1 World Champion Jenson Button debuted his bespoke Lotus Evija electric hypercar with a color scheme that pays tribute to his 2009 F1 World Championship-winning Brawn GP race car. The customized Lotus carries a 93 kilowatt-hour battery with output of 2,011 hp and can go from 0 to 100 mph in under 3 seconds.
NWTN Rabdan Muse: Green technology company NWTN of the United Arab Emirates showcased its vision mobility centered on passengers’ need for all forms of travel experiences in the form of the Rabdan Muse luxury smart passenger vehicle. It offers modern design, IoT connectivity, autonomous driving tech and artificial intelligence ability.
Volkswagen ID Buzz: Old and new school merge to form the highly anticipated electric revival of the classic VW Microbus for convenient hauling of people and cargo. The ID Buzz — with throwback two-tone paint in bright colors, vent-like details on the D-Pillar and giant front and rear VW badging — will offer single and dual-motor configurations and 10 more inches in wheelbase length compared with the European spec ID Buzz.
