Tech your ride: Electric vehicles, improved safety features and AI at 2019 LA Auto Show

LOS ANGELES – Expect auto technology to be among the driving forces at the annual Los Angeles Auto Show, which runs Friday through Dec. 1 here at the LA Convention Center.

That's the message driven home at a tech-centric press and trade event called AutoMobility LA, begun Monday and taking place through Nov. 21 and leading up to the LA Auto Show. Spotlighted at AutoMobility LA: emerging innovations such as new connectivity options, artificial intelligence, electrification, ridesharing platforms and semi- and fully-autonomous vehicles.

Here's a preview of some of the more buzzworthy announcements teased by car makers in advance of the LA Auto Show.

Black Friday: Shop smarter with these smartphone apps and websites

LA Auto Show is here: Here are some highlights, takeaways and what you can expect

LA Auto Show: Electric cars

Ford is expanding its Mustang lineup for the first time in 55 years, with an all-electric model called the Mach-E. The four-door SUV has similar hallmarks of the company’s iconic muscle car – in its design and performance – and can go from 0 to 60 in about 3 and a half seconds for the GT Performance Edition package.

But aside from a ton of horsepower and impressive torque, this electric vehicle (EV) crossover has an estimated range of at least 300 miles, with the available extended-range battery and rear-wheel drive. It can route customers to nearby public charging stations and will provide access to more than 12,500 public charge stations in the FordPass charging network.

Available for preorder now – at under $44,000 for the select mode and about $60,000 for the enhanced GT edition – the Mach-E will be available in spring 2021.

Toyota will debut its second-generation Mirai, as a follow-up to the first-ever hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle in North America. That is, it’s an EV that generates its own electricity onboard from hydrogen and oxygen, with water as the only tailpipe emission. A fill-up takes just three to five minutes at an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)-conforming hydrogen fueling station in California or Hawaii, with stations also planned for the other states in the Northeast.

Lower, longer, wider and more aerodynamic than the previous generation, this premium sedan is said to boast a target range of 400 miles – 30% higher than its predecessor – thanks to an improvement in fuel cell system performance and increased hydrogen storage capacity.

Toyota’s 2021 Mirai (which means “future” in Japanese) will be available in late 2020.

Other EVs and hybrids we could see in the near future (and not all on display at LA Auto Show) include the Tesla CyberTruck pickup, the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, BMW i4, Audi’s e-tron, Lincoln’s Corsair Plug-in Hybrid and the Karma Automotive (formerly Fisker) Revero plug-in hybrid.

Expanded vehicle safety features

Tech is a top priority in the 2020 Nissan Sentra – the eighth generation of the company’s best-selling U.S. model of all time. Available in late January (price is TBD), this compact sedan includes Nissan Safety Shield 360, a suite of six driver-assist safety technologies – that first debuted on the 2019 Altima and 2019 Rogue – including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, high beam assist and rear automatic braking.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), cross traffic alert reduces crashes by 22%. The combination of rearview cameras and sensors reduces crashes by 42%, while adding rear emergency braking reduces backing crashes by about 78% – compared with vehicles with none of these features.

Nissan says this is part of its “Intelligent Mobility” approach. In some vehicles – like the LEAF, Rogue, Altima and Qashqai – this also includes ProPILOT Assist to aid in driver acceleration, steering and braking on highway driving.

On a related note, Mazda will show off its 2020 CX-30 compact crossover, which will sit between the subcompact CX-3 and the more midsize CX-5 and offers the company’s optional i-Activsense safety suite of technologies, which includes radar cruise control with stop and go, automatic braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and automatic high beams. The CX-30 isn't expected to go on sale in the U.S. until sometime in 2020.

Car connectivity and AI

Slated for December 2019, the 2020 Genesis G90 is the first Genesis vehicle to offer over-the-air wireless updates for maps and software. Its 12.3-inch display navigation system now incorporates touchscreen controls and a sleek graphical user interface with split screens, highlighted with signature copper accents.

Other standard features include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirror Link. There’s also Active Noise Cancellation, which reduces noise, and several high-tech safety features – including many assists.

Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) – which was first introduced on the 2019 A-class – is now a standard feature on all new Mercedes-Benz models. Similar to other personal digital assistants, you simply say, “Hey, Mercedes,” before giving a command. But MBUX also leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to predict what the driver would like. For instance, someone who typically calls a colleague on Monday mornings may see a contact name pop up on the display at this time. Or if you like going to the same coffee shop after work, it may show traffic along the route for you when you climb behind the wheel at 5 p.m.

Finally, the 2021 Aston Martin DBX, the company’s first luxury SUV, offers a ton of tech, including an infotainment system developed with technical partner Daimler AG. Along with Apple CarPlay support and twin displays (a 12.3-inch instrument cluster display and 10.25-inch central infotainment screen), this vehicle system includes a 360-degree surround camera, 64-color dual-zone ambient lighting system and several ways to connected devices like smartphones.

The base 800-watt sound system has 14 speakers and is powered by a new system of amplifiers developed in conjunction with Harman and Samsung.

Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. Email him or subscribe to his Tech It Out podcast at www.marcsaltzman.com.

Mustang Mach-E: Is fast, nimble and smooth SUV the electric vehicle America has been waiting for?

Toyota's speedy SUV: From zero to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, 2021 RAV4 Prime plug-in SUV puts pedal to metal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ford Mustang Mach-E among LA Auto Show display of vehicle technology