What Not to Miss at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show

If there is an obvious theme to the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show running through Dec. 9, it's that marketing departments still believe people want new adventures. So, the show promotes new vehicles by showing all the cool things you can do with them.

Related: 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show: What You Missed

From Subaru's seven-passenger Ascent SUV to Honda's five-passenger Passport SUV to the long-awaited debut of a Jeep pickup truck, the open-roof 2020 Gladiator, and the Rivian R1T pickup and R1S SUV (the newest electric vehicles to make an appearance), all were being promoted as if every car buyer wants to go hiking, biking or hang gliding.

To keep that theme going, almost every one of the big automakers have some dealer accessory displays at the show so buyers can know how to accessorize their new vehicle. Optional wheels, shifter boots, storage racks, headlight surrounds, gear bags, bed frames and more will all be available for purchase through local dealers.

Below are just some of the vehicles and displays you need to see if you happen to be near downtown Los Angeles in the next two weekends.

Cars.com photos by Mark Williams

Rivian R1T: This is a project more than 10 years in the making and has an almost uncountable number of problem-solving features. We like the four-wheel independent air-ride suspension; each tire has its own 200-horsepower electric motor.

Jeep Gladiator: We first saw the Wrangler-based prototype more than 13 years ago. Now it's here and given the media buzz, the Gladiator is likely to be another big seller for Jeep. How the pricing and trim ordering breaks down will be interesting to watch.

Ram 1500 Rebel: With the all-new 2019 Ram 1500, the truckmaker is doing well sales-wise. The 2019 Ram 1500 was named the 2019 MotorTrend Truck of the Year and is a finalist in the 2019 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards. This new Rebel looks pretty good in Blizzard White.

Ford Rangers on Parade: There are six all-new Rangers on display in the Ford booth that provide potential customers with plenty of accessory options and project-building ideas in terms of camping and exploration packages.

Chevrolet Trucks: The Chevy display has quite an assortment of cars, pickups, SUVs and crossovers, but the largest and most diverse lineup is the pickup trucks. Naturally, the Colorado ZR2 Bison is at the front of the lineup with a new medium-duty Silverado 5500 dump truck as the caboose.

Karlmann King: It's not really an LA Auto Show unless you see some interesting and custom muscle trucks trying to catch the eye of a wayward celebrity or top-tier athlete. This year it was this unique one-off sporting an F-550 frame and axles, as well as an upgraded 6.8-liter V-10. This stealth unit weighs about 8,500 pounds.

Toyota Stable: Toyota had quite a few pickup trucks on display for Southern California auto shoppers, including a (literal) stable of TRD Pro offerings, with the Tacoma, 4Runner, and Tundra dressed in their Lazer Blue outfits. And we offer a few more show-floor oddities and highlights below.

Cars.com photos by Mark Williams

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