For a number of years, the combination of a January time slot, official “International Auto Show” status, and good economic times made Detroit one of the “must see” auto shows. Automakers both domestic and foreign came to Detroit’s aging Cobo Center to hawk their latest wares. That was especially true when the Los Angeles Auto Show was held in late December, just before Detroit. Automakers couldn’t support both events, and chose Detroit over L.A., in part because of Detroit’s standing as one of the few International Auto Shows.
Then Los Angeles moved its date to late November/early December and drew a number of introductions and new concept reveals its way. Or before Chicago—in early February in the very snowy and cold Windy City—moved into its plush new two-million-square-foot digs. And well before the world economy pulled a hamstring. All these events drew prestige and money away from Detroit, money that couldn’t be replaced by homegrown companies of which two are wards of the Treasury Department. Fold in a bitter battle between the previous Detroit city council and suburban leaders over management of Cobo Center, its dilapidated condition and the natural reticence of an industry in the midst of a recession, and you have a recipe for decline.
The 2010 North American Auto Show in Detroit (to use its full and official name) has not been so low-key or quiet since the early 1990s. Though some of the excesses of the past—cars crashing through windows, dropping from ceilings or being introduced by executives in lame skits—with luck will never be repeated, the “show” this week was a shell of its former glory. Adding insult to injury, members of Congress, led by “Barbie Botox” herself, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, came by to “look in on their investments” (Chrysler and GM) and try to shore up the Democrat party’s chances in Michigan. Their appearances didn’t go over well. Even union members working the floor to get displays ready had little time for the politicians. Maybe they are smart enough to know they’re being screwed.
This transparent pandering was about as successful as a display dubbed “Electric Avenue,” which bisected one corner of the hall and placed everything from narrow tandem-seat electric “cars” and neighborhood electric vehicles on the main floor. It was quite a shock (so to speak) for a show that two years ago was straining at the seams to provide premium space to an increasing number of automakers. One 40-year show veteran was overheard saying: “I never thought I’d live long enough to see glorified golf carts on the main floor of Cobo, and not in the basement.” But the basement had been turned into a green “park” where you could drive electric vehicles and hybrids around a small course lined by tall pines and fragrant lavender. Or look at the various charging options for your future electric vehicle while every time she opened her mouth to speak Michigan’s governor, Jennifer Granholm, kept touting Michigan as the epicenter of the “green revolution” in transportation due to the fact that the domestic automakers and their suppliers are increasing their investment in electric vehicles. Then again, they have to. Fuel economy and CO2 legislation (one and the same thing, actually) effectively mandates electric vehicles be built at volumes the market and existing infrastructure are unwilling to accept.
Just one week before the show opened to the press, analysts from the Boston Consulting Group had been in town to discuss the state of the electric vehicle. They claimed it was unlikely that automakers would reach their frequently quoted target of batteries that cost $250/kWh by 2020 without a major cost-neutral breakthrough in battery chemistry that brought with it increased energy densities. Further, western governments would have to continue their 2009 tax incentives in perpetuity for EVs to break even compared with cars powered by internal combustion engines in terms of total cost of ownership. This while consumers expect a full payback within three years or less for a vehicle to be considered a safe purchase.
All of which explained the drumbeat for higher oil and gas prices by automakers and politicians alike. EV’s will die without significantly higher gasoline and diesel prices: the Boston Consulting Group claimed that, with no other intervention like a continuation of tax breaks, gasoline and diesel taxes would have to rise 210% to raise the cost of ownership of internal combustion powered vehicles to equal that of electrics. With the large investment taking place in the power generation and automobile industries to design, develop and support electric vehicles, costs will have to rise to protect their investments in technologies the broader market cares little about—and all based on questionable CO2 “science.”
And to think that the vast majority of electric power in the U.S. comes from coal-fired plants, and the only true viable large-scale “green” replacement is nuclear. That said, it’s time to lay off the politics and gloom and take a look at a few of the vehicles that made their debut in Detroit.
Ford Focus
Shown as both a four-door hatchback and sedan, the 2012 Focus was among the shining stars of the show. Focus replaces its ancient namesake with a fully modern design that proves compact family cars don’t have to be boring or austere. The interior is a bit busy, but features Ford’s latest riff on Sync connectivity technology, and is available with a premium Sony sound system. A new 2.0-liter four-cylinder with dual variable camshaft timing is standard—an EcoBoost turbocharged version is in the works—joined to your choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Just don’t expect the new Focus to be priced like the old one. Though pricing won’t be set until production starts this fall, you can expect Focus pricing to rise. With a loaded Ford Fiesta able to crack the $20,000 barrier, a loaded 2012 Focus undoubtedly will be knocking on the door of its larger Fusion brother. It appears Ford is rapidly adopting the pattern of its Japanese rivals, moving established nameplates upwards and slotting a new nameplate below.
Cadillac XTS Platinum
Cadillac personnel were careful to point out that the Escalade is the division’s flagship, and the XTS is merely a concept. A sad state of affairs, if true. The XTS’s transverse 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 is mated to an electric motor and this powertrain drives all four wheels. Yes, it’s a hybrid, and therefore somewhat in line with the hybridized offerings planned by BMW and Mercedes for their range toppers. In the estimation of Cars In Context, the transverse engine layout and all-wheel-drive make the XTS a Buick, not a Cadillac. Why? Even though most Americans don’t know which wheels are driven and prefer all-wheel-drive to two-wheel-drive simply because four is greater than two, consumer studies consistently show that a true premium vehicle is built on a rear-drive platform. Apparently, some within GM agreed as more than one suggested that the original concept for the XTS was based around a rear-drive platform with styling that owed more to Cadillac’s Sixteen concept of a few years ago than the current Audi A8 or BMW 7 Series. Then again, tighter fuel economy regulations (domestic automakers have to reach a 35 mpg corporate average by 2016 while German and Japanese automakers are judged on their global sales, not just what they manage to sell in North America) make it tough to hit this target with a large rear-drive platform. Having said that, at the other end of the hall BMW introduced the 740 in both standard and long-wheelbase forms. It reintroduces BMW’s inline six-cylinder engine to its flagship, cutting both cost and fuel consumption.
If the drivetrain disappointed, at least the XTS interior was up to snuff, mixing creamy laser-etched leathers with handsome wood accents and an instrument panel that made use of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) gauge cluster. Plus, the rear-seat passengers get video screens that rise out of the backs of the front seats. Unfortunately, the designers just couldn’t help but festoon the XTS with reminders that this is a Cadillac. Really, if you have to put the Cadillac script on the inside of the headlight trim to remind buyers of the brand, you’ve probably not done your job very well.
Honda CR-Z
At the risk of never being invited to a Honda event again, let me say that the CR-Z is definitive proof that Honda is having a difficult time deciding what it wants to be. This is a cut-down Insight, thus it is powered by a 1.5-liter VTEC inline four with an Integrated Motor Assist electric motor. Combined, the gas engine and electric motor pump out 122 hp, 128 lb-ft of torque and anticipated fuel economy of 36 mpg city/38 mpg highway when fitted with a CVT transmission. (Manual-equipped models return 31 city/37 highway.) MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam axle in the back, CR-Z is comparable to the original CR-X, which also was not the most powerful car on the block. The CR-X, however, was extremely light and flingable, making it the automotive equivalent of a lightweight running shoe for young drivers. Unfortunately, the bulbous nose and fat rear bumper—the latter makes it look like it has a full diaper and perhaps elephantitis—suck the life out of the CR-Z’s shape.
Take a look inside, and you are confronted with a Tokyo By Night instrument panel. In fact, the CR-Z can best be described as the successor to the original two-seat Honda Insight, which Editor Ewing says reminds him of George Jetson’s Speedster. That car also aped the CR-X’s shape and replaced sporty fun with frugal sobriety. Honda would have been better off ditching the CR-X overtones altogether and selling this as “Insight Lite” or pursuing a clean-sheet approach aimed at recapturing all those buyers it has lost to Scion.
GMC Granite, Chevy Aveo RS
Speaking of Scion, who’d have thought that GMC would take an Opel Meriva MPV and reskin it in bodywork aimed at Gen Y? The tough stance, suicide rear doors, and large cockpit hit the nail on the head for an American Scion xB, but the overwrought grille, fussy detailing and GMC badge had me scratching my head. GMC has never, ever been a youth brand, even if the youth were, to use the division’s slogan, “Professional Grade.” GMC was always a brand for construction professionals, from foremen up to hands-on architects and civil engineers.
Then again, the Chevy Aveo RS concept made me wonder as well. Though the Aveo concept looks like it could be a credible hot hatch, especially with a 1.4-liter turbocharged sourced from the Chevy Cruze sedan, the Aveo name has been associated with a tinny, tiny, built-to-a-price subcompact until now. Would it not have been better to call this car the Cruze Hatchback, or sell it under a different name entirely rather than hinder it with the Aveo badge?
VW New Compact Coupe
Usually, you don’t give out the dimensions (178.5-in. long, 70.1-in. wide, 55.6-in tall) and detailed information about its powertrain (a 1.4-liter turbocharged and intercooled direct-injection gasoline engine with an electric motor integrated between it and the 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox) and performance (45 mpg, 141 mph top speed, 0-60 mph in 8.1 seconds) if a concept car is just a concept. The hybrid system is similar to that used by Porsche on its Cayenne Hybrid prototype, except for the use of lithium-ion batteries in place of the nickel-metal hydride units in the Porsche. The interior—despite, I kid you not, having seats covered in light “Berry White” leather—is production-ready, and the exterior is the new shape of VW.
Many surmised the car, if stretched and given two more doors, would approximate the new sedan to come out of VW’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, assembly plant. Others said the NCC, as the concept is called, is a harbinger of the next Jetta sedan and Coupe. Apparently, both are right. The Tennessee sedan will borrow the NCC’s shoulder line, grille/headlight arrangement and rounded rear, though each will be toned down a bit. The Jetta, on the other hand, will follow the NCC’s design more closely as it is repositioned in Europe where it will take on less of a small family sedan role, much as the American car will. The addition of the coupe model will drive home this change, and target buyers for whom BMW’s 1 Series is too heavy, too expensive and too close to the 3 Series.
Chrysler Delta Concept
Take one new-style Lancia Delta, add a Chrysler grille and badges, place it next to a stunning blonde model wearing a dress made from individual metal squares sewn together with black thread. What you have is a dress that matches the car and a car not as beautiful as the model, though the vehicle’s interior is both sumptuous and stunning. Fiat is going to have to do more than badge-engineer its current GM-derived lineup and sell it under the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands. That much is apparent.
Though many complained that Chrysler’s stand—a large and quite handsome raised platform with hefty white open frames that divided the Fiat family by brand—made no sense, actually it was a branding masterstroke. Fiat, Maserati and Ferrari were grouped in the center, surrounded by Chrysler and Dodge on one end, and Jeep and Ram on the other. The display was at once modern, clean, and stylish, and unequivocally told where the center of gravity of this union lies. Now if only Fiat and Chrysler had something interesting to put on it, other than the new Dodge Ram and Fiat’s diminutive 500, skeptics might start to believe that Chrysler and Fiat had a future.
Toyota FT-CH
Another Toyota concept with a weird name, but one that should strike fear into the hearts of rival automakers as they ramp up to compete with what will become a family of Prius-branded hybrids from Toyota. The “CH” part of the name stands for “Compact Hybrid” and is an indication that Toyota is readying a smaller hybrid for folks for whom the mid-size Prius is too big, too conservative, too expensive and too bland. The exterior shape retains the overall flow found on the second-and third-generation Prius, but couples it with a flair they can’t match. That’s because it was designed in Toyota’s European Design and Development center in Nice, France. Twenty-two inches shorter and one inch narrower than the Prius, the FT-CH was designed to be cozy yet comfortable for four. A line of Prius vehicles makes more sense than having a Prius, plus hybrid version of gas-powered vehicles (Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid).
Despite the expected over-the-top interior treatment, the FT-CH carries over many of the basic shapes and control layouts of its larger brother. The mesh seats and some of the other more adventurous design elements won’t make it to production, but you can expect the instrument panel shape and gauge layout, individualized seating arrangement, connectivity options and minimalist interior architecture to make the leap. The hood-mounted headlights probably won’t follow, however, as they would make powertrain installation and access difficult.
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