2002 Detroit Auto
Show by TCC Team
(1/7/2002)
Toyota show sponsor
sponsored by
Toyota
DETROIT SHOW IN TOP
GEAR
Turnout for this year's North American
International Auto Show was down a bit, reflecting the decision by many foreign
journalists not to come to the States right now. Despite that, most observers
give the event high marks for the flood of new product on display. "You walk
around the show and see the unrelenting focus of (carmakers) on bringing out new
and better vehicles," said GM CEO Rick Wagoner. "It shows just how competitive
the environment is."
2002 Detroit Auto
Show by TCC Team (1/7/2002)
PAYING THE PRICE FOR
NOTHING
GM's zero-interest loan programs created plenty of added business
before the deals expired at the beginning of the year, but "more than 50 percent
and less than 75 percent" came from pull-forward sales. In other words,
consumers who purchased or leased vehicles ahead of their original plans in
order to take advantage of the savings. "The rest are plus sales," Wagoner
added. Pull-ahead sales need be subtracted from the volume the automaker might
have originally expected in the first and second quarter of 2002, meaning sales
will slip more than anticipated in the coming months. But there could be a
counter-balancing trend, Wagoner and other industry observers suggest. The
so-called zero-zero programs at GM and other carmakers may have stimulated the
economy enough to draw more new buyers into the market. Wagoner told
TheCarConnection that in recent years, industry forecasters have repeatedly
underestimated U.S. demand, suggesting, "the traditional (forecasting) models
don't work" anymore.
JEEP EXPLORES THE RAZOR'S
EDGE
With a team of young acrobats in the background performing on bikes
and scooters, Chrysler took the wraps off four new concept vehicles Tuesday at
Detroit's Cobo Center. And according to product development chief Richard
Schaum, "three have real production possibilities. Indeed, several sources tell
TheCarConnection at least one is already in the Chrysler production
schedule.

2002 Dodge M80 Concept

2002 Jeep Compass concept

2002 Dodge Razor concept

Jeep Willys II concept 2001 Tokyo

2003 Volvo XC90
VOLVO “REWRITES SUV
RULES…”
Even if it doesn't "rewrite the rules of the sport-utility
segment," as Volvo CEO Hans-Olov Olsson, suggested Monday, the new XC90 is
certainly going to rewrite the rulebook for the Swedish automaker. The XC90 is
Volvo's first SUV, though it is car-based, and designed primarily as a safe,
on-road vehicle, rather than a serious off-roader. It will offer a variety of
engines, including a 272-hp bi-turbo V-6, as well as all-wheel-drive. The XC90
will have room for seven in three rows of seats that can be moved into a variety
of configurations. As one might expect, the automaker put an emphasis on safety
in the new ute's design. There are a variety of crash protection systems,
including rollover airbags. And a second, lower bumper is designed to reduce the
XC90's "aggressiveness," should it ram a smaller, lower passenger car. With
conventional SUVs, the odds are that the other vehicle's occupants would be more
seriously injured. The goal for Volvo was to reduce risk to those in both
vehicles. Sharing its chassis with the S80 and S60 sedans and the V80 wagon,
sales of the 2003 XC90 will begin in the final months of the year.
…BUT TRIMS
ESTIMATES
Separately, Volvo officials have
pushed back to 2005 their goal of reaching sales of 200,000 units a year in the
United States. Originally, they'd intended to reach that mark by 2004. But
Olsson acknowledged current economic events would likely result in a delay in
Volvo's growth plans. How will Volvo increase its production by 43 percent to
meet its 600,000-unit worldwide goal by 2005? By going from three assembly
plants to two, while at the same time increasing from two shifts to three, Volvo
Sr. VP Carl Germundsson told TCC at the Detroit show. He also is counting on
some productivity gains, weekend production if necessary, and also more output
from some existing Volvo assembly plants outside Europe — but not in North
America, as some have speculated.— Mike
Davis
2002 Acura RD-X concept
HONDA'S ACURA DIVISION REDEFINES THE
HYBRID
Though it's a relatively new concept to the market, the
hybrid-electric vehicle has been billed as a way to sharply reduce fuel
consumption. Vehicles like the Honda Insight and upcoming Civic HEV mate an
electric motor to a downsized gasoline engine. Energy is recaptured during
braking and coasting, and then re-used, much like an electric supercharger, when
a burst of speed is needed. The Acura RD-X prototype shows a different approach.
The new concept SUV from Honda's luxury division also recaptures lost energy.
But it uses that power to run two 25-hp motors attached to the rear wheels. As a
result, the angular RD-X gets plenty of performance and the equivalent of
all-wheel-drive. Envisioned as an "urban" vehicle, the SUV has a total of 250 hp
when adding in the 2.4-liter, 16-valve in-line four engine, which is mated to a
clutchless manual transmission. It's operated by a console-mounted paddle
shifter. Inside, RD-X boasts an array of high-tech gear, including a heads-up
display, which projects important information onto the windshield. Instead of
rear-view mirrors, the SUV uses cameras, their pictures displayed on monitors
attached to the steering wheel. There's little likelihood RD-X will be built in
current form, but the performance-oriented hybrid may show up in Acura showrooms
in the not-too-distant future, according to Honda chief Tom Elliott. The
performance hybrid system would probably cost about $3000 more than Insight's
fuel-saving version.

2002 Mitsubishi Space Liner concept

2002 Mitsubishi SUP concept

2002 Mitsubushi SUP Cabriolet
MITSU LIGHTS UP CONCEPT
TRIO
Amid pulsing lights and dancers more suited to a bacchanal,
Mitsubishi revealed a trio of concepts, one seen previously in Tokyo. The Space
Liner is a four-seat, all-wheel-drive fuel-cell vehicle with a movable cockpit —
the steering wheel can be used from either side, or hidden entirely in lieu of a
dash-mounted PC — and a drive-by-wire system. The SUP, or Sports Utility Pack,
shown at Tokyo last fall is an urban vehicle with all-wheel drive and some truly
odd and refreshing equipment, like a built-in shower and seat-mounted backpacks.
A direct-injection hybrid powertrain is teamed with an automated manual
transmission. Thirdly, the SUP Cabriolet takes the SUP and adds a power-operated
cabriolet top and even more wacky add-ons, like waterproof upholstery and
reversible, see-through storage bins that ride on the outside of the doors.
SUBARU AND GM COULD TEAM UP ON SOLSTICE
General
Motors is receiving rave reviews for its two Pontiac Solstice concept cars, and
senior company officials admit they're seriously considering putting the coupe
and roadster into production. To do so, they may need some assistance from
Japanese affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries, of which GM holds a 20 percent
share. Fuji's Subaru division supplied the all-wheel-drive and suspension
for the subcompact Solstice concepts. And if the cars get the go-ahead, GM
would like to use those Subaru parts in production, according to Rudy Schlais,
who oversees the General's Asian operations. But he admits that will take
some negotiation. Fuji/Subaru remains skeptical about giving GM the
components that have helped it carve out a strong niche identity, according to a
Subaru official who asked not to be named. But insiders say a deal could
be in the works.
FORD GT40: CODENAME “PETUNIA?”
Car nuts,
especially automotive writers, always have been fascinated by the code names for
forthcoming new products. Sometimes those code names even become the name of the
production vehicle, like Ford's cancelled Cardinal of 1962. That seems unlikely
for Ford's newest show vehicle, the retro GT40 fashioned after the Le Mans
racers of a generation ago. Its code name: Petunia.
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