Column: A few thankful thoughts

LOS ANGELES — Heading here for the auto show lets me know that it's almost time for Thanksgiving.

And while there are plenty of concerning matters in the auto industry, in the economy, in the world at large — there's also a lot to be grateful for.

Most immediately, I'm thankful for a surprisingly newsy and significant show.

I've written a lot in this space about my concerns over the demise of international auto shows, like we used to see in Detroit, Shanghai, Frankfurt and a few other cities. By the criteria of a show that attracts global automaker CEOs from North America, Europe and Asia, Los Angeles may never have quite reached that apex. But it's often been a show for significant reveals and important discussions centered around the state's leadership in clean mobility and the legendary car culture of Southern California. And it does often draw industry leaders as well as the occasional celebrity endorser.

With the fifth-generation Toyota Prius, a set of new designs from Hyundai Motor Group and the presence of executives including new Volkswagen of America chief Pablo Di Si, this is the meatiest auto show since COVID-19 started — at least until CES in January.

A worthwhile show, an important Automotive News Congress with the likes of Jose Muñoz from Hyundai and Peter Rawlinson of Lucid, and a meetup with nearby family — that's a trip to be thankful for.

I'm also grateful to see auto production continuing to progress toward normal. September took a bit of a step back from August's 1.42 million vehicles, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. While North American assembly in September was the second slowest since 2012, it was only barely so and basically in the ballpark of normal: Only three of the previous 16 Septembers topped 2022's by more than 100,000 vehicles.

While parts shortages, especially from still-tight semiconductor supplies, continue to pop up, the impact of the shortage is waning, which will allow suppliers at large to return to more steady production and normalize relations between parts companies and those that design and assemble vehicles.

At the same time, used-vehicle prices are rapidly approaching a more normal — and presumably stable and predictable — range. Not that this doesn't come with some pain, especially for the used-vehicle specialists large and small.

Perhaps the best and most important element of the return toward more normal routines will be the elimination of the most obscene dealership markups that give the industry a bad name.

And I don't want to get too political — we have a variety of views on this page and no one has all the answers — but I'm grateful for the relative normalcy of this most recent election cycle.

Certainly, the partisanship was intense. I saw coverage of a survey during the campaign season that described a plurality of each party's loyalists fearing that the other side would ruin the country if they got the chance.

And yet, there were votes. They were counted. As I'm writing, some are still being counted. It's happening peacefully. Routinely. Boringly.

Like it's supposed to be.

Certifying elections is a long process — it's more like tallying new-vehicle registrations than sales reports. And yet we don't have riots at the polls or pointless lawsuits flooding the courts.

It was a midterm with winners and losers, and the representative democracy continues. Free elections and a free press go hand in hand with free markets that reward the creative and industrious and distribute resources fairly.

These are things I don't take for granted. Thanks to all who helped keep them for another season, another cycle.