Industry executives at the Los Angeles Show in December believe the US market will return to its 16 million high within the next three years and be up by 1.3 million in 2013 compared with 14.5 million last year.

The average age of cars on US roads has risen to an all-time high of 11 years and people are now looking for a change, we are told. Finance is cheaper than it has been for some time and younger people are richer than before.

Diesel sales are also on the increase with the German premium brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes leading the way, making even the US companies sit up and take notice.

Diesel fuel for cars and SUVs is now available at pretty much every gas station and not stuck away in a dark corner for use only by truckers.

At the show Audi showed four new diesels, while Mazda introduced its SKYACTIV-D 2.2-litre diesel.

Volkswagen is also weighing in with the recent addition of the Passat TDI diesel and Beetle TDI while Porsche has a diesel variant of its Cayenne SUV.

Jaguar Land Rover did its best to steal the show with what it called its ”British Invasion” – US debuts for the Ranger Rover and Jag F-Type and a global debut for the XFR-S.

Volkswagen

The convertible bug is back! Volkswagen unveiled the new version of its open top Beetle at the LA Show.

The latest convertible comes more than 60 years after the original was first seen in 1949 and which ran until 1980. Over 330,000 were made in that time.

The new Beetle Cabriolet came out in 2002 selling 230,000 in eight years. The new model comes with an automatically folding hood and the European engine range will feature three petrol units ranging from 1.2 to 2-litre and a pair of diesels, 1.6 and 2.0-litre.

Chevrolet

The fully electric 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV, unveiled at the LA Show, is rumoured to have a range of over 80 miles (129km), with the SAE Combo DC fast-charging capability for charging to 80% of capacity in 20 minutes. It will be powered by an advanced US-built 130hp/110kW motor and drive unit, delivering claimed best-in-class acceleration. The capacity of the lithium-ion battery is claimed to be over 20kWh. It carries an eight-year/100,000 mile (160,934km) warranty and weighs 254kg.

Sales are due to begin in California and Oregon in the US, with other markets to include Canada and South Korea. Chevrolet says that US prices will start from under

$US 25,000 with tax incentives.

Two re-configurable seven-inch colour LCD screens inside the car provide information for the driver. The MyLink radio will be standard equipment and like the Opel/Vauxhall Adam, will provide connectivity with a smart phone, which will drive the system with a range of apps, including navigation and radio.

2025 Highway Patrol Vehicles

The LA Auto Show was the place to come for car designers as it hosted a creative competition – to create the ultimate 2025 highway patrol vehicle.

Design studios from BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Subaru took on the challenge.

The criteria for a futuristic patrol car included the future needs for advanced technology; speed and agility on future freeway systems while meeting a specific region’s emission standards and environmental sensibility – including maintenance and recyclability.

Laurenz Schaffer, president of BMW’s DesignworksUSA, said: “We wanted to present a visionary impulse to the theme of highway patrol. The competition gives us the opportunity to do something a little different so our concept has no links to BMW’s future design strategy.

“We took the liberty to think out of the box. Our design is independent from BMW design elements and known visual cues, but looks at new product typologies and fresh ideas on shapes.”

The result is the ePatrol and the DesignworksUSA team began the challenge by selecting Los Angeles as the region to create a 2025 scenario.

Schaffer added: “Being aware that there will be more traffic, faster vehicles, and vehicles with alternative drive trains the design team explored how a patrol team functioned today and in the future and determined that teamwork and accessibility were the two key elements to a successful patrol effort.”

General Motors’ Advanced Design California created a new electric vehicle, the Volt Squad, a three vehicle fleet, designed around the concept of observe, pursue and engage.

Each vehicle has a clearly defined role and, as the name implies, uses the Chevrolet Volt as a base.

Honda’s advanced design studio in California created the CHP Drone Squad, a two-vehicle system. The Auto-Drone operates as a manned or un-manned mission control vehicle, which deploys Moto-Drones and can do so on the move. Moto-Drones are un-manned motorcycles capable of being rigged for multiple response or rescue missions.

The company’s Tokyo-based designers came up with the 2025 Traffic Crawler designed to operate at a time when we may see more automated driving and traffic control.

However, they think the Californian car nuts will still want to tear around the highways, hence a need for strict traffic enforcement. Honda’s cop car offers sporty mobility with the toughness to respond in severe traffic situations.

Mercedes-Benz designers believe officers will need to adapt to even more crowded roads with electronically monitored and controlled traffic, a much larger population, and changes in human behaviour – whatever that may mean.

The Ener-G-Force they reckon will help police around the world and is based on the G-Class off-roader.

Subaru showed off the SHARC (Subaru Highway Automated Response Concept), which the company said is innovative, affordable, and environmentally conscious, reflecting a trend for reduced highway patrol budgets worldwide.

The zero-emission SHARC vehicles are powered by renewable energy and operate autonomously, eliminating the need for a large, full-time police presence.

BMW

The i3 Concept Coupe builds on the i3 Concept shown around the world since the Frankfurt show in 2011. This latest i variant has two less doors than its conceptual predecessor, but shares the 170hp electric motor powering the rear wheels and a range of between 80–100 miles (129–161km) on a full charge, which takes six hours. The i3 is due on sale in 2013.

Fiat

Fiat has struggled to get a foothold in the US market with the tiny 500 that it launched at the Los Angeles show two years ago, but things are definitely looking up according to global marketing chief, Olivier Francois.

A slow start, which saw just 20,000 sales in its first year, was attributed to an under developed dealer network but things have shaken out.

Francois said: “In the first six months of this year we passed the 20,000 figure and we are already past 30,000 for 2012. We wondered when we launched whether the US was ready for such a small car and we are now discovering that America is more than ready.

“Our sales are running 130% ahead of last year and we have created new monthly records in six separate months.”

Sales have been boosted by the introduction of Abarth models and at this year’s show Francois introduced the Abarth Cabrio, the electric 500e and the longer wheelbase 500L.

There have also been other sales boosters, he added. Beefing up the sound system in the cars being one and a series of highly imaginative and amusing television ads.

Francois added: “When we introduced Abarth earlier this year it sold out within a couple of months and the ad we did for the car went viral. I am sure the new models, and the new ads will be equally appealing.

“We are well on the way to establishing Fiat in the US market.”

Ford

A people carrier designed to shed the ‘soccer mom’ image of such vehicles was showcased by Ford at the LA Show.

It's based on the Transit Connect small van, features sliding doors and will be built in Spain at Ford’s Valencia factory.

The company said that the design is aimed at under 30s who traditionally do not buy MPVs in the US because of what it describes as the ‘soccer mom stigma’.

Ford’s head of global engineering, Hau Thai-Tang said: “Many youngsters grew up in the back of a minivan and historically they tend to reject what they're familiar with.”

Ford has been selling the Transit Connect in the US as a commercial vehicle and the people-mover version will go on sale by the end of next year.

So-called minivan sales in the US have halved from a peak in 2000 at around 1.3m.

Analysts say this is due to a social view that it signals the driver has lost his or her individuality after becoming a parent, known among the younger generation here as the Millennial.

Ford expects the Transit Connect wagon will get 30mpg on the highway. It has more than 2,832 litres of cargo space and will be offered in five and seven-person configurations with the option of a rear lift-gate or side-hinged cargo doors.

Volkswagen

Also on the VW stand making a debut appearance was the Jetta Hybrid. This model is powered by a 1.4-litre, 150hp turbocharged petrol engine and a 20kW electric motor together with a seven-speed DSG gearbox.

Like the Touareg, the Jetta is a parallel hybrid which uses a decoupling clutch that can disengage the petrol engine for pure electric drive, or disengage the electric unit for higher speeds – or when the charge runs low. It also combines the two for maximum power.

Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover launched a British Invasion at the Los Angeles Motor Show with two North American and one global debut.

With 550hp on tap and a 0-60 acceleration time of 4.4 seconds, the XFR-S is the fastest, most powerful Jaguar saloon ever and it goes on sale in late spring or early summer.

Brand director, Adrian Hallmark, said: “California is the largest sports car market in the world and the F-Type and XFR-S put Jaguar back where it belongs at the heart of the sports car market. Jaguar without a sports car isn't Jaguar.”

Hallmark also revealed that Jaguar has just hit its highest ever position in the US J D Power customer satisfaction ratings in second place behind Lexus.

He added: “We are already top of the ranking in the UK and this is further evidence of how we have moved in terms of the quality of our cars.”

Andy Goss, president of JLR in the US, said: “Our British Invasion is aimed at giving us an enormous impact in the US which is still our largest target market. We have a great story to tell with excellent products, strong financial performance and global growth up 35%.”

Toyota

You don’t have to be big to be beautiful on the roads of California, or anywhere else in North America come to that.

Toyota chose the Los Angeles Auto Show to unveil its all-saw RAV4, the fourth generation of the model which debuted in 1996 as what that Japanese carmaker describes as the world's first crossover.

Toyota Group vice president, Bill Fay, said that the company has sold 1.7m RAV4s in the US since launch and is built at the carmaker’s factory in Canada.

He added: “We have a really loyal following for this car in North America. Many of those 1.7m cars are still on the road.”

The new model goes on sale in the US in January and comes to the UK in February. It has a much more dynamic look and a more aggressive stance. Gone is the rear mounted spare wheel, which moves underneath the car to make access to the rear easier and also allows an electronically controlled tailgate.

It will be available in two and four-wheel-drive and in the US comes with a 2.5-litre petrol engine.

There will be different engines for Europe, but no hybrid version although insiders say there are plans for a hybrid model off the RAV4 platform.

Acura

Acura RLX replaces RL in 2014, with a 310hp 3.5-litre V6 engine and a ‘Sport Hybrid’ to come, featuring Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system (SH-AWD). This uses an electric motor to drive the rear axle and four-wheel steering that enhances lane-changing stability and vehicle rotation while cornering.

Kia

Arriving in the US in early 2013, the Kia Forte actually made its world debut at the 2012 Santiago Motor Show as the Cerato. New styling brings it in line with the Optima.