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2002 Holden Monaro
LUTZ: MONARO WILL BE NEW GTO
One of the most memorable musclecar nameplates will soon
be back spinning its tires. The Pontiac GTO will return to the market in time
for the 2004 – with a concept version likely debuting at the next Detroit auto
show – revealed General Motors product chief Bob Lutz, but the next-generation
of this classic tire smoker will be coming from “down under.” Confirming earlier
reports in TheCarConnection, Lutz announced that GM would do a GTO version of
the Holden Monaro, a rear-drive coupe being sold in Australia. The decision to
turn to Holden, he added, “gets a high-performance rear-wheel-drive vehicle back
into our system far faster than if we started from scratch,” designing an
all-new GTO in the U.S. Few details are being offered other than the fact that
the next GTO will be V-8-powered.
Lutz says he also has his eye on several other Holden products, including one that could serve as a 21st-century Chevrolet El Camino. But there are two difficult problems to overcome. For one thing, demand is so strong, Holden has little excess capacity, and with so much excess capacity in the U.S., Lutz admitted, it would cause political problems with the United Autoworkers Union to begin bringing in serious numbers of products from overseas.
BIG THREE BEATING UP EACH OTHER?
It’s a war out there, or so says Jim Schroer, head
of marketing for DaimlerChrysler’s Chrysler Group. The Big Three domestic
automakers are lobbing high-cost incentives, rather than hand grenades, with GM
most recently firing another shot by re-launching zero-interest financing. “None
of the Big Three wants to blink,” says industry Joe Phillippi. The problem is
that the battle is seriously draining balance sheets, especially at Ford and
DaimlerChrysler, which are struggling to make their turnaround plans work. GM
has so far been the only domestic maker to gain market share as a result of the
stepped-up incentives. But import carmakers are quietly rooting for the war to
continue. “They stirred up the pot” and got the public interested in buying cars
again, despite the recession, noted Toyota marketing chief Don Esmund. And
that’s helped the entire industry, including European and Asian marques that
have generally avoided offering big-buck incentives of their own. As a result
Schroer fears that the incentive wars have made Big Three products look like a
fire sale, “and that’s only telling the consumer that the Japanese make better
cars.”
2003 Honda Element
HONDA SUV IS ELEMENTAL
In New York Honda took the wraps off the production
version of its boxy Model X, which will be renamed the Element when it hits
dealer showrooms late in the year. The production car “is amazingly similar” to
the show truck, says designer Eric Schumaker. “We got 98 percent of what we
wanted on the product,” just about everything but Model X’s big electric
sunroof. Instead, the Element will get a removable glass panel. The box on
wheels is being aimed at emerging Gen-Y consumers, who are expected to become
the largest-ever buying group by the end of the decade. What these buyers are
looking for, declared Honda EVP Tom Elliott, is a vehicle “that can serve as a
mobile dorm room or base camp.” The Element will feature a flexible interior
that, with the rear seats folded down, can hold a pair of mountain bikes with
wheels still attached. It will be powered by a 160-hp 2.4-liter in-line
four (though a larger engine is under consideration). It will be offered
with stick or manual and in front- or all-wheel-drive configurations. The
Element will be built in Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio, plant and export options
are under study. Look for prices to range between $16,000 and $21,000
2002 Toyota CCX concept
2002 Scion bbX concept
PRODIGAL SCION
Honda isn’t the only one taking aim at Gen-Y. Admitting
it has a lot to learn about this new group, Toyota finally and formally
announced its new Scion “brand-within-a-brand” on Wednesday. The division is
aimed at repeating the success Toyota had 30 years ago appealing to the
then-youthful Baby Boomers. The first vehicles won’t hit showrooms for more than
a year, but company officials offered a hint of what’s in the offing. They
brought back the CCX concept, first seen in Detroit, as well as the boxy BBX
which, perhaps not so coincidentally, bears a strong resemblance to Honda’s new
Element. A production version of the BBX is likely to be among the first two
vehicles to hit Scion showrooms, which will actually be carved out of existing
Toyota dealerships. (At least half of the automaker’s current dealers are
expected to participate.) Expect base prices to start at around $18,000, noted
Scion’s new boss, Jim Lentz. The automaker said Scion products would be
“mono-spec,” meaning they will be built in Japan with only minimal variations in
color and transmissions. But that’s actually a bit misleading. Scion customers
will actually be able to order a wide range of accessories, which will be
retrofitted once vehicles are shipped to the U.S. Expect Scion to debut in
California, then spread to the rest of the country within a year, adding a third
model along the way. Toyota hopes the division will reach 100,000 sales annually
by 2005.
2004 Chrysler Pacifica
PACIFICA READY FOR PRODUCTION
Looking very close to the prototype that debuted in
Detroit last January, Chrysler took the wraps off the production version of its
upcoming Pacifica model. Though most observers have taken to calling the tall
and roomy vehicle a station wagon, Chrysler continues to opt for the more
innovative designation of “segment-buster.” Whatever it’s called, the vehicle
will be built at Chrysler’s Windsor facility and sport a five-speed automatic
transmission and V-6 engine as well as seating for six.
2003 Lincoln McLaren LS
MCLAREN REVIVES HOT ROD LINCOLN
The Lincoln LS is getting a high-performance tune-up
thanks to McLaren Performance Technologies, the Detroit-based engineering
operations that has created a variety of niche muscle cars over the years. Niche
products like this are “where the market is heading,” declared McLaren president
Steve Rossi. And his firm hopes to hitch its fate to Lincoln’s, a match that may
serve both well since the Ford luxury division is desperately seeking to upgrade
its image. “We’re trying to take the Lincoln brand and move it a bit more into
the left lane,” said Rossi, adding that other performance packages are in
development for such Lincoln models as the new Aviator sport-ute. The McLaren LS
will be offered in three versions. A base appearance package, priced at
approximately $43,000, will come in roughly $6000 over a comparable factory LS.
Level two will performance-tune the suspension and bolt a twin-intercooled
supercharger onto the basic Lincoln 3.9-liter V-8. Pumping 350 hp through its
automatic transmission – 100 more than stock – it will go for $49,750. The
top-level model will add a high-torque six-speed manual transmission and add
another $6000 to the price tag. Look for the McLaren LS to appear at roughly 100
Lincoln dealerships later this year. Sales are forecast at 500 units
annually.
2003 Nissan Murano
NISSAN TACKLES URBAN SUV WITH MURANO
Without a crossover in its lineup, Nissan says
it will fill the void in the ’03 model year with the Murano, an “urban SUV” that
blends a tall package, a V-6 engine and passenger-car ride comfort. The
ever-present 3.5-liter V-6 will produce more than 240 hp in this application.
Base Muranos will be front-drive; an electromagnetic all-wheel-drive system is
the choice for all-weather models. The standard transmission for all Muranos
will be a continuously variable transmission; upmarket versions will offer a
seven-speed stepped-gear mode. Stability control, adjustable pedals, active head
restraints and 18-inch wheels will also be available when the Murano goes on
sale toward the end of the year.
2002 Volkswagen GTI 337
337: GTI’S LUCKY NUMBER
The latest GTI, the limited-edition 337, will be
duplicated only 1500 times, Volkswagen told the New York show press on
Wednesday. Based on a European anniversary edition of the hallowed GTI model,
the U.S. version sports a 180-hp version of VW’s 1.8-liter turbo four and a
six-speed manual gearbox. Also on the long list of mods: 18-inch wheels with
Z-rated tires, a deeper chin spoilers, red brake calipers, and a polished
exhaust cap, red-accented leather trim inside, and a Monsoon audio system. The
silver-only GTI 337 stickers at $22,225.
2003 Saturn ION Coupe
2003 Saturn ION sedan
SATURN ENERGIZED BY ION
The new ION compact four-doors will “re-energize the
small-car arena,” says Jill Lajdziak, VP of Saturn sales, marketing and service.
A four-door ION sedan is joined by a “quad coupe” with a pair of full-sized
doors and two smaller rear-access doors. The first of GM’s Delta-platform
compacts, the IONs are two inches taller and wider than the outgoing S-Series
vehicles, six inches longer, and offer a higher seating position to boot. The
Ecotec 2.2-liter four spins out 137 hp and comes mated to either a five-speed
manual, five-speed automatic or a CVT. Electronic power steering is standard,
while curtain airbags and an in-dash CD changer are available. With changeable
roof rails and interior trim, GM hopes the ION will be a springboard for young
buyers into mild customization — somewhere less speedy and certainly cuter than
a tank of nitrous oxide.
2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
MITSU GETS OUTLANDISH
Needless volume and overzealous dancers at the
Mitsubishi press conference took a back seat to the introductions of two
sport-utes. To go with the revised ’03 Montero — with a 3.8-liter V-6 and
styling mods — Mitsu unveiled the Outlander, an Americanized version of the
Japanese-market Airtrek. The Outlander is a five-door SUV cut out for
less-than-Dakar duty: either front- or all-wheel-drive gets paired with a
140-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a four-speed Sportronic automatic gearbox.
The cockpit has rally-style gauges, dual front airbags, air conditioning, a
100-watt CD audio system, cruise control, and power amenities. Side airbags and
a mongo sound system are options. The Outlander will sport a price tag of less
than $20,000 when it goes on sale later this summer.
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