What's Hot, What's Not at the Auto Show
Toyota seems unstoppable. General Motors is on a roll. Ford has hit the skids. Here's the buzz on new models, automaker fortunes, and hot trends from the floor of the 2007 Detroit auto show:
Hits
— Anything besides gasoline. Now that Toyota and Honda have proved their popularity, most automakers are trotting out gas-electric hybrids. And the race is on to find the next powertrain breakthrough. GM has unveiled a prototype hybrid–the Chevy Volt–that, theoretically, could be recharged at home and get 150 mpg. But the scheme depends on battery technology that doesn't quite exist yet, and GM hasn't said when, exactly, the car will get built. So maybe it's a one-day headline. Audi, Mercedes, and other European automakers are touting diesels and diesel hybrids. Toyota is touting plug-in hybrids and refining plans for ethanol vehicles. And all the big automakers hope they're the first to mass-produce a hydrogen-powered car. But nobody is ready to predict when.
— Crossovers. The fastest-growing segment of the market is getting some of the coolest new products. Two winners that will go on sale in '07: the Nissan Rogue, a slick mini-Murano that will land in the low $20s, and the Hyundai Veracruz, a luxurious seven-passenger hauler that will come in under $30,000.
— General Motors. The Saturn Aura and Chevy Silverado were voted best car and truck of the year in a prestigious poll of auto writers. The Saturn award was a sympathy vote; the Toyota Camry, one of three finalists, is a better car. But it's vindication for GM, which has been promising more exciting products for several years. GM also unveiled some snazzy new cars. The Chevy Malibu could be GM's first serious competitor to the Camry and the Honda Accord in over a decade. A reborn–and beautiful–Chevy Camaro will thrill car buffs who can't afford a Corvette when it goes on sale in 2009. And the new Cadillac CTS sedan is bold and gaudy and will find fans simply because it is not a BMW. Not even close.
— Chrysler's minivans. They're inherently boring, but Chrysler has found yet another way to enliven the minivan. Its new "Swivel N Go" second-row seats can be spun around to face backward, so second- and third-row passengers can enjoy dinner-table intimacy on a road trip. Now I'm thinking what you're thinking: The more distant my kids are in the car, the better. But pop the small table into place between the seats, and you can play cards or eat lunch as if you're in an RV. Better yet: Imagine a mobile office, comfortable enough for closing a sales deal. You can even plug your laptop into a standard 115-volt electrical outlet.
Duds
— Fender vents. These affectations simulate a feature of high-performance cars that need extra air intakes on the side of the chassis. But on the freshened Ford 500 and brand-new Cadillac CTS–where they're simply ornamental–they look cheesy.
— Ford Focus. Want to see the damage caused by billions of dollars in losses? It's on display in the Focus. Ford desperately needs a competitive entry-level car. Yet in revamping the Focus, it cut corners on design and R&D and produced a bland afterthought of a car that looks like the Honda Civic–the last Honda Civic, which went out of production in 2005. The dull factor reflects Ford's broader problems.
Too close to call
— Toyota Tundra. It's handsome–and huge, with a hood height that reaches my chest—but don't take for granted that Toyota's new Texas-built pickup will trample the domestics the way Toyota's passenger cars have. GM and Ford will defend this turf with everything they've got.
— Smart fortwo. Just because the Mini Cooper has been a huge hit doesn't mean this truncated carlet, with room for two passengers and a duffel, will find America as welcoming as Europe, where it is already sold. The pug-nosed fortwo looks like a glorified golf cart, which makes it novel but not necessarily cute.
Best car with a terrible name
— Volkswagen Tiguan. VW, foolishly, held a contest to name this crossover. The winning entry is a mix of "tiger" and "iguana." Get it? Neither do I. The shame of it is that this will be one sweet ride when introduced to the United States in 2008. The Tiguan is based on the Jetta platform, and it's as cute as the Rabbit and as luxurious as an upscale Passat. The plan is to undercut the BMW X3 with a crossover that's almost as fun. I bet it works.
Affordable car I'd love to own
— Volvo C30. This two-door hatchback is sportier than the way-cool Mazda3, with the quirky, user-friendly dash found in the Volvo S40. Oh ... and it's powered by a 218-horsepower turbocharged engine that I can't wait to try out. And its low profile promises great handling. Plus it's got fresh features in the right places, like fat, flared rear fenders and a huge amount of glass in the rear hatch. Sweden rocks.
Cure for Camryitis
Midlevel sedans like the Camry and Accord are usually practical, but boring. The new Dodge Avenger will enliven this sedate crowd in 2007 with bulging haunches and muscle-car cred derived from its big brother, the Charger. Even Honda is glamming up. An early version of the new Accord coming later this year is as swept as a bullet, a walk on the wild side for this staid carmaker.
Comic relief
— Changfeng Motor Co. This Chinese company wants to sell cars in the United States within a few years, and it came to Detroit to show off a few of its wares. They're not bad. But the marketing brochures are a priceless antidote to the usual auto-industry machismo. An SUV called the CFA6400 "never makes you disappointed," according to one glossy pamphlet, and "it carries forward the pure notable blood relationship." No, I haven't left out any words or committed any typos. In another SUV, the CHA2030, "you will feel full of momentum and great dignity." Now that's what American drivers really crave. Dignity.