LA Auto Show -- Live Blog (Monday 11/15/10)

8 PM PST

Wrapped up the day with interviews at two competing web sites, edmunds.com and truecar.com. Information will be used in future pieces.

Tomorrow there should be a lot more to blog about...as we see the public debut of the Chevy Camaro Convertible, and visit a local racetrack and a local car dealership, as car companies try to get a jump on the official press days of the LA show.

1:25 PM PST

First chance to blog after several meetings.

Had a chance to take a ride in the Chevy Volt with a member of the Volt's Consumer Advisory Board. His reactions are very positive, would make a great salesman for the vehicle.

This is a former EV1 owner who was dissapointed when GM ended that program. He once drove the EV1 cross country just to prove it could be done. It took him two weeks.

He has ordered his Volt.

After that, it was on to Toyota, where I had a chance to get an update on their fuel cell program, and drive the latest version of their fuel cell powered vehicle.

You could tell a big difference between this and earlier versions, as the newer fuel cell vehicle feels like a real car.

We'll add more details and some photos later, and will have a video on our first days experience on our special LA Auto Show page tomorrow.

6 AM PST

Always up bright and early on the West Coast. Weather says it's going to be a wonderful day.

Looking forward to a 9 AM visit with Kris Trexler, a member of the Consumer Advisory Board for the Chevy Volt. They are the people who will be trying out the vehicle, just before it goes into production.

That's followed by a visit to Toyota to view fuel cell technology...and a visit to Edmunds.com to speak with some of their analysts.

There's so much automotive going on here in California, I wanted to get out a day earlier than I needed to, to make some of these important visits.

Press previews for the LA Auto Show actually begin Wednesday...but Ford, GM and Chrysler have preview events tomorrow.

I'll have limited updates today...but they'll come "hot and heavy" on Thursday. So keep an eye on our special LA Auto Show web page for the latest.

One other note. I awoke to news of a controversy surrounding those full body scanners. I had my first full body scan at Metro Airport as I was heading here. It took a lot longer than previous scans...everything out of the pockets, then a wait at the finish before you were done.

It wasn't a problem on a Sunday morning. But, I can see how it could back things up at peak times.

The TSA officers were polite and very professional.
Follow Jeff Gilbert on twitter @jefferygilbert

LA Auto Show coverage sponsored by Faurecia.