
2003 Los Angeles Auto Show Ford banner with type

subscribe
TCC's Auto Show Index
by
TCC Team (2/23/2003)
Our coverage of the world's major auto shows, year to
year.
2003 Geneva Motor Show Index by TCC Team (3/3/2003)
All the best from the Swiss car event of
the year.
Audi Muscles In

2003 Audi Nuvolari concept
The Nuvolari Coupe is officially a
“study,” at least for the moment, but the concept vehicle drew some admiring
stares during the opening morning of press previews at the Geneva Motor Show.
Declaring it a blend of “power, elegance and emotional desire,” Audi CEO Martin
Winterkorn noted the aluminum-spaceframe Nuvolari delivers 600-hp through its
V-10 engine. There’s no question Audi is hoping to shift direction a bit under
the direction of Bernd Pischetsrieder, who took over as CEO of parent Volkswagen
AG last year. But the German executive cautioned that in current form, “we would
have to change things” on the show car before it could go into production. The
sleek and swoopy design doesn’t reflect changing market demand, Pischetsrieder
told TheCarConnection. A production version would have to offer room for four
adults, and that would require changing the design to permit a functional rear
seat.
VW Unwilling To Trade
Profits For Share

2004 Volkswagen Touran
“We’ve got to preserve profits,” Jens
Neumann, VW board member in charge of North America, told TCC during a break in
the Geneva action. So, while the German automaker has been forced to up its
incentives in recent weeks, Volkswagen has no interest in going head-to-head
with the American Big Three — even if that means losing sales and market share.
The price for short-term gains would hurt the brand’s image in the long-run
Neumann insisted, stressing VW’s interest in moving up-market. But he
acknowledged that means his company will almost certainly lose ground in North
America over the next year as it awaits a new line of products. That includes
the next-generation Golf, which made its debut in Geneva. The Touran hatchback
has been redesigned to go after the likes of the popular Renault Megane Scenic.
A more conventional version of the Golf will not reach U.S. shores for close to
another year. Neumann said VW expects to get a bit of a boost from the U.S.
launch of its new Touareg SUV later this year. Volkswagen’s first SUV will start
at around $40,000 with a V-8, and the automaker hopes that will draw customers
away from the much higher-priced BMW X5. Meanwhile, Neumann said VW is studying
options for the big price gap between the Passat sedan and the Touareg
sport-ute. A roadster is one distinct possibility. For now, there are “only
studies,” however, and new product probably wouldn’t reach market until at least
2007.
Lambo Gallardo Takes the
Red Cape

2004 Lamborghini Gallardo
The long-awaited “baby Lamborghini,”
the Gallardo, was finally and formally unveiled at a well-attended press
conference on Tuesday. Boasting a 5.0-liter V-10 putting out 500 horsepower, the
Giugiaro-designed two-seater will launch from 0-100 km/h (62.5 mph) in just 4.2
seconds, and pull a top speed of 309 km/h, or 193 miles an hour. The Italian
automaker, a subsidiary of Audi, is counting on the Gallardo to “open up new
dimensions for Lamborghini,” declared the automaker’s top executive, Dr. Werner
Mischke. If it meets expectations, Gallardo will boost the company’s annual
sales from 400 to at least 1000. Critical to the expanded appeal, Mischke
stressed, is that the $150,000 sports car will be designed “can also be used
every day,” unlike conventional Lambo models, such as the bigger
Murcielago.
What’s New For Subaru?
Style?

2003 Subaru B11S concept
If you have a hard time imagining what
“symmetrical all-wheel-drive looks like,” take a glance at the B11S, a concept
car that could define the new shape of Japanese automaker Subaru. The Grand
Utility Tourer is meant to “suggest a bird in flight, reflecting Subaru’s
aircraft heritage,” explained Kyoji Takenaka, president and COO of parent
company Fuji Heavy Industries. The turbocharged B11S is the most dramatic design
concept from Subaru since the automaker pulled its quirky, controversial SVX off
the market. No word whether the new vehicle will go into production in current
form, though elements of the design should show up in the next-generation Legacy
sedan.
Suzuki Readies Rally-Ready
Ignis Sport

2004 Suzuki Ignis Sport
Suzuki’s new minicar is designed to
invoke the fun-to-drive attributes of the company’s rally racing program, said
Hirotaka Ono, the Japanese automaker’s director of overseas operations. It even
borrows its name from the rally team, which has been a strong contender in the
World Rally Series this year. Suzuki’s aim, said Ono, “is to give drivers a
distinct feeling of motorsports,” packaged inside a car that’s “practical,
reliable and easy to drive.” The Ignis Sport’s 1.5-liter engine will launch it
from 0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds. Betting Europeans are becoming increasingly open
to Japanese products, Suzuki intends to launch ten new models, including the
Ignis, by 2007.
Yips For
Ypsilon

2004 Lancia Ypsilon
Lancia, meanwhile, is betting that
with fuel prices rising worldwide, there’ll be more demand for upscale minicars
like the new Ypsilon. With music from the classic Italian film playing in the
background, Lancia President Gianni Coda called the new four-door the “neo-Dolce
Vita,” or good life. When it hits the showroom in July, the car will boast a
wide range of color, wheel and interior packages, along with a variety of
normally high-line options. There’ll also be a massive “sky dome” sunroof on the
vehicle, which measures only 3.7 meters, or about 12 feet, from
bumper-to-bumper. Ypsilon is the Lancia version of the Fiat Stilo.
Slicing Costs at
Ford

2004 Ford C-max
Ford Motor Co. rolled out the
production version of its new C-Max, a Focus-sized five-door hatchback first
unveiled in concept form at last September’s Paris Motor Show. The C-Max is the
latest in a fast-growing lineup of vehicles sharing many key components.
Eventually, these will include the next-generation Focus, Volvo S40 and V40, and
Mazda Protégé, and perhaps another ten variants. The flexible platforms will
allow each brand the ability to make extensive modification, in order to
maintain brand character, Richard Parry-Jones, Ford’s global development chief
told TheCarConnection. Even then, this “Global Shared Technology” approach will
go a long way towards slashing development, production and marketing costs about
30 percent per vehicle, according to Ford Ford’s executive vice-president for
International Operations, David Thursfield.
Mazda Strides with
Sportif

2003 Mazda MX Sportif concept
Mazda lifted the curtains on two new
products in Geneva this year. The Mazda2 is the European version of the Japanese
Demio minicar. Sharing its platform with the Ford Fiesta, the 2 will be built at
the automaker’s plant in Spain. It will be hitting showrooms this week, just in
time for those cruising the annual auto show. MX Sportif, meanwhile, provides “a
strong hint,” said CEO Lewis Booth, of the next-generation Mazda Protégé which,
as noted above, will have a lot in common with the future Ford Focus. Due out
within a year, the MX Sportif will be the fourth new model for Mazda’s European
dealers in barely 18 months. Together, those vehicles will represent two-thirds
of the Japanese carmaker’s global volume, Booth noted.
Ford GT To Hit
Europe

Martin Leach Geneva 2003
Look for Ford to bring about 80 of its
hot GT sports cars to the continent, promised European CEO Martin Leach.
Available in mid-to-late 2004, they’ll have key attributes in common with the
American version of the GT. That means a largely hand-built aluminum body
wrapped around an aluminum spaceframe. In U.S. spec, the GT will boast a
supercharged aluminum block 5.4-liter V-8 pumping out more than 500 horsepower.
American buyers will pay around $100,000, though Leach declined to say what the
European version’s sticker will ask for.
Email This Page