I copy you, and you copy me.

Ford and Kia are at it again. Here is the Optima GDI and the Fusion hybrid.

I copy you, and you copy me.

Here's the Ford Panther that is the template for the others. It doesn't look that great, but it has been flattered in the form of imitation at least twice.

I copy you, and you copy me.

The similarly bodied Kia Amanti and Ford 500. Both look like later Ford Panthers.

Cars of the American West: The Stillborn Series

We went on a road trip across the west.  Unlike the recent past, I had my camera with me.  Unfortunately, I forgot the chip and was too cheap to buy another one.  No matter.  There weren't any prototypes until we were driving south into Las Vegas.  There was a caravan of them.  It was also the first caravan I have seen with more than one brand.  It could have been an auto magazine, but who knows.  Would they have been worth photographing?  Probably not.

Dodge Dart:  America's fat Alfa puts on weight.

Dodge Charger:  Old school sedans come back, but not as long, low or wide as they were in the past.  It's easier to park, but just as dull.

Chrysler Minivan:  If you need sleep, count these.  Lack of reliability makes Chrysler products interesting.

Ford Taurus:  The great white brick.

There rest of the caravan, one or two other cars, was Chrysler products.  I don't remember them beyond that.

The 2012 Los Angeles International Auto Show 5

Toys are the only things at an auto show that capture the excitement of wanting a car.  You couldn't play with the Volkswagens, but you could take a turn on Ford's giant slot car set.

Real cars are just furniture with car doors.  You don't even think about driving.  After all, nobody drives indoors.  Some cars are locked shut.  They are just boring sculptures.

It is worth pointing out that Volkswagen used their toys to show off their colors.  At least part of the team opted for something besides white cars on a white background.

The 2012 Los Angeles International Auto Show 1

The best day to go to an auto show is the last.  While it's all about the facade, it's fun to see it come down.  The spokesmodels talk about their feet hurting. Some booths are out of brochures.  No one is as eager to sign you up for a test drive.

I had a good time as it opened, but they had to turn on the displays.  The net effect is one of exhaustion.   As I left the show, I had the presence of mind to take the above picture, but I lacked the awareness to buy something. I had cash with me, and I was hungry.  Although I haven't heard about it before, it certainly looks worth trying.  Watch for it when you're in Los Angeles.

The worst display was put on by Ford.  Blue is normally a cool, calming color.  At Ford, you get neon until you vomit.  There was a great wall of blue around everything.  The music made it worse.  It was loud and annoying, with no explanation of who it was or when it was made. Knowing what you're hearing makes it more tolerable. Ford's car display is in a rut.  Their cars look like an answer to the question, "What if Hyundai licensed their front end design from Aston-Martin?"  It's hard to believe someone asked.

The best display was put on by Chevrolet.  They have embraced their international destiny. Their spokesmodels looked like people at the finish line of a European bicycle or motorcycle race. "We're sponsoring Manchester United!" one man exclaimed.  I thought it was great.

The worst part of Chevy's display was the whiteboards behind the Sparks.  "Keep it clean and positive!" the sign said.  It looked festive, and I took a pen.  As I made my way to the whiteboard, the atmosphere became terribly judgmental.  They were just lurking.  Because I would love to visit Brazil, I wrote, "Sua terra tem palmeiras."  When I went back a few minutes later, it was gone.

The marketing teams at Mazda and Volkswagen have thrown in the towel. Most of their cars were white.  VW went further to make sure that their cars were overlooked.  The display was predominantly white.  Also, VW has a delusion of being German.  The word comes up over and over again.  Why their collection of global products should have any connection to Germany is a mystery.  I overheard someone say that one of their middle managers ate half of an apple strudel in 2005.

Volvo had the most subtle display.  Wooden flooring evoked old Sweden.  Round, uneven 4 person stools made from 1 cm strips of thick latticed sheet metal looked familiar.  After a while, it was obvious:  It was a nod to modern China, put in place for the parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. It was Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing.

Write up of cars I have seen recently, but didn't photograph.

Orange County in February: This was a thin car in metallic blue with an old diamond Mazda badge. It looked like a Prius with a longer hood. The back was jacked up a bit. I wonder if it was someone's poorly thought out take on the 2CV.

Malibu in December: It was a white truck. It looked like the top half of an arrow. The cab was a right isosceles triangle, and the bed was a right scalene triangle.

Camarillo in December: I saw a caravan of black BMWs. Their studio is nearby. Their future looks like one of ugly, dull cars.

Orange County in August: I saw a swanky Ford sedan, one of the best I've ever seen. Audi has been on a run lately, but this looked even better. All of the lines were perfect.