LA Auto Show: latest news 07.30hrs Pacific Standard Time and the LA Show is sleepily opening its doors. There's a smell of toasted bagel as awnings are unfurled and cones laid out, while interview schedules are hurriedly re-written for the 55th time. The European car maker's annual late-autumn holiday has begun and while the West Coast US Show has certainly improved in recent years, it still has an eve-of-thanksgiving informality; think open-neck shirts and chinos. First up is Audi, unveiling a new design direction with its Prologue concept car. Big news, this, because Audi's burgeoning sales, high transaction prices and high profits make it a key earner for the VW Group. So the big guns are in attendance: Ulrich Hackenberg, board member for technical development, Wolfgang Hatz, head of Porsche R&D, and Rupert Stadler, Audi chairman, who has started to turn into Eddie Jordan. He introduces the car and Marc Lichte the new head of design. The Prologue is a big car that looks like it just came out of the mould. Strong creases, with a low waist line and Quattro wheelarches give it a sculpted, high tech feel, which as Lichte explains, is exactly what they wanted. The interior uses touchscreens instead of buttons and, according to Lichte it "redefines luxury." He continues: "This is more than just a show car. It's a teaser for the next S8 and S6. We understand work is still in progress, but it could well influence the next generation of Audis. At the same time, Hackenberg unveils what he describes as a the first fuel cell sports car - hum. At first sight the Audi A7 h-tron Quattro looks impressive, with a system output of 230bhp and 400lb ft of torque, 0-62mph in 7.8sec, a top speed of 130mph, and all from a 96-cell fuel-cell stack fuelled and an 8.8kW lithium ion battery. Refuelling takes three minutes for the 130-litre hydrogen tanks and two hours for the battery. On second thoughts, it doesn't appear that well thought out at all. Why would you want to plug in a battery when you are carrying a gas battery (the fuel cell) in the first place. All a fuel cell car needs is a tiny battery to gather up deceleration energy and smooth the power delivery. The A7 h-tron is just a concept, but I don't think it'll be going much further after it's garnered a few headlines in LA.