New vehicles rock stage at L.A. auto show

Honda’s new Civic Si, Ford’s compact SUV and Porsche new Experience Center are part of the remarkable innovations that thrilled most automotive lover as the 2016 edition of the Los Angeles auto take centre stage.

When it comes to performance, the Honda Civic Si introduced this week ahead of the auto show finds itself somewhere in a middle zone.

It’s hotter than a standard Civic, but not as hot, or as pricey, as the new Type R. Arriving next year as either a coupe or sedan, the new Si will have more horsepower than the standard Civic using the same engine — a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant.

Ford is going to import the EcoSport from India. It will be the brand’s smallest SUV vehicle and DJ Khaled was on hand to unveil the vehicle in advance of the auto show.

Land Rover’s Discovery is full of the kind of surprises that could put the “sport” back into sport-utility-vehicle. The seven-passenger SUV is a tech wonder aimed at upscale people who live fairly active outdoor lifestyles. For instance, it has a wrist device to let drivers play in the surf, sand or other rugged, dirty places and still be able to unlock the vehicle to get the keys they deliberately left inside

Drivers can learn their vehicle’s limits at Porsche’s new Experience Center, opening this week in Carson, Calif. It’s not meant for racing, but rather for drivers who want to improve their skills.

Hyundai vehicle owners who subscribe to the Blue Link connectivity service will be able to sign up to use it in conjunction with Amazon Echo. You can call your car hands-free from inside the house on a cold morning, start it and have it all warmed up by the time you go outside.

Owners can also lock or unlock their cars, flash the lights and perform other functions by voice.