The U.S. auto show season kicks off with this week's Los Angeles International Auto Show. As usual, several automakers have plans to present important new products at the show.
While we don't know everything about what's coming at the show, we do know this: Some important new crossover SUVs are coming from Ford (F 1.99%), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (FCAU) Jeep brand, Toyota (TM -0.04%), and Subaru, among others.
Here's what we know.
Ford's EcoSport is finally coming to the U.S.
The Blue Oval's smallest crossover SUV has been a staple of its lineup in Europe, South America, and Asia for a few years now. Now the EcoSport, which shares some of its underpinnings with the subcompact Fiesta, will make its U.S. debut in L.A.
The U.S. version of the EcoSport may get a new face, but it's otherwise expected to be similar to the European version, shown. Image source: Ford Motor Company.
A new global Jeep to replace two current models
FCA gave us a preview of the all-new 2017 Jeep Compass in September, including the photos you see below (and not much else). FCA hasn't shared a lot of details yet, but we know that the Compass will replace both the current Compass and its brawnier (but similarly sized) sibling, the Jeep Patriot, when it arrives in the U.S. early next year. It's expected that FCA will build the all-new Compass in Mexico.
The all-new 2017 Jeep Compass will replace Jeep's current Compass and Patriot models. Image source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The all-new 2017 Jeep Compass will arrive at U.S. dealers in the first quarter of 2017. Image source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Toyota gears up to take on Honda's HR-V
Toyota is jumping into the small-crossover fray with its all-new C-HR, a model that was originally planned for the discontinued Scion brand. The C-HR is built on the highly flexible Toyota New Global Architecture that also underpins the new-for-2016 Prius.
In U.S. trim, the C-HR is expected to come with Toyota's mainstay 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
Toyota showed off the all-new C-HR crossover at the Paris Motor Show in October. The U.S. version is expected to be similar. Image source: Toyota.
Something brand-new: A big Subaru
Fuji Heavy Industries' (FUJHY 0.44%) quirky-but-beloved Subaru brand is expected to launch a "three-row" 7-passenger crossover SUV in L.A. This new Subaru will replace the Tribeca, a model that never quite caught on with brand loyalists. Being a Subaru, standard all-wheel drive is a safe bet, as is a choice between the brand's mainstay 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and its larger 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine.
Will Volkswagen bring a new electric car to Los Angeles?
Volkswagen (VWAGY 3.37%) took the wraps off its overhauled Golf lineup in Germany earlier this month. But it didn't show an expected battery-electric version of the compact hatchback, leading your humble Fool (among others) to speculate that VW was saving its electric Golf for the L.A. show.
Along with (maybe!) the battery-operated Golf, VW will surely show off its new 2018 Atlas crossover. The Atlas was designed specifically for the U.S. market as a direct competitor to rivals like Toyota's Highlander and Ford's Explorer.
The all-new 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Image source: Volkswagen.
The Atlas will be built at VW's factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, starting next spring.
