2004 Los Angeles Auto Show

 

Cowger: 18 Million Units, New Saturns Coming

With just two days left in the selling year, GM’s Gary Cowger is betting the industry will sell about 16.8 million vehicles in 2003, not an annual record but strong enough that Cowger is seeing even better results for next year. In 2004, Cowger said to Los Angeles auto show media, the industry could hit 17 million units. And by the latter part of the decade — perhaps as soon as 2007 — the American market could expand to 18 million units sold, which would set a new annual sales record. In other comments to the media convening at the L.A. Convention Center, Cowger confirmed that Saturn will double its model lineup by 2007 as has been reported by TheCarConnection previously — but Cowger clarified that two of the new models on tap for Saturn would be a small sportscar and a bigger SUV to complement the current VUE, which gets a 250-hp Honda-sourced engine option for 2004.

Chevy Cobalt Aiming Upmarket

The 2005 Cobalt is Chevy’s latest salvo in the compact-car wars — but unlike the outgoing Cavalier, the Cobalt won’t be competing at the lean end of the pricing spectrum. Though no prices were announced for the new four-door sedan and jazzy two-door coupe, Chevrolet is intent on letting its new Korean-sourced Aveo compete against the cheapest Kias and Hyundais, leaving the upper reaches of the economy class to the new Delta-architecture compacts, which share some components with the Saturn ION. The Cobalt four-door will come in base, LT and LS editions, all with a 2.2-liter Ecotec four with about 140 hp and all sporting a rich-looking interior (from photos shown at the press conference) and upmarket options like heated leather seats and a power sunroof.

The two-door coupe, on the other hand, will offer more sporting tuning, circular taillamps, and a different model range that tops out with a Cobalt SS model with a new 2.4-liter Ecotec worth 170 hp and a 200-plus-horsepower SS Supercharged edition with 18-inch wheels.

BMW 6 Coupe Priced From $69,995

The 645Ci Coupe made its first U.S. appearance in the U.S. in Los Angeles, with a price tag reaching to the stratosphere. The new two-door, based on 5-Series running gear, will retail for $69,995 including destination and handling. Its 4.4-liter V-8 engine churns out 325 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque through one of three six-speed gearboxes: a manual, a Steptronic automatic, or a Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG). The 645Ci hits a top speed of 149 mph and could run and gun to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. BMW also priced its revised X5 4.8is sport-ute from $70,495, including destination charges, a six-speed Steptronic automatic and xDrive.

Acura TL A-Spec Concept: Type-S in Disguise

If the new Acura TL spawns a Type-S performance edition soon, it might carry some of the fancy features displayed on the TL A-Spec concept shown in L.A. The concept rides on a track two inches wider than the stock TL, and is shod with 21-inch wheels and a high-flow exhaust system that boosts its 3.2-liter V-6 to more than 300 hp. A panoramic glass sunroof opens the red-leather interior to the sun, and the new rear end gets restyled taillamps and a spoiler. Brembo brakes with eight-piston calipers and Adaptive Cruise Control round out the package.

Ford GT Starts from $139,995
Will it be a beach condo or a new two-seat supercar? It’s time to decide, now that Ford has priced its retro-cool GT supercar from $139,995, not including destination charges or gas-guzzler taxes. The 500-hp GT, inspired by the Sixties racing GT40 supercar, goes on sale in the summer of 2004. Ford says it already has received about 700 special requests to line up for the GT, independent of the folks who have plunked down deposits with dealers. About 3500 GTs are expected to be built over the course of two model years.

Benz CLS 500 Coming in '05

At the L.A. Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz announced that the Vision CLS four door coupe that was unveiled in September as a design study at the Frankfurt Auto Show will go into production. The new coupe will fill the gap between the CLK and the CL. The CLS is based on the C-class and the CL on the S-class. The CLS is technically based on the E-Class.

The production version will be launched in March at the Geneva Auto Show and a month later in New York. The CLS is expected to arrive in European dealerships by the end of 2004. It is expected in the U.S. in the first half of 2005.

The CLS will have to compete with BMW’s new 6-Series coupe, but has two doors more than its fellow countryman. Mercedes uses 85 percent of the components of the E-Class, such as Airmatic air suspension, SBC electronic braking and bi-xenon projector beam lights with active-curve technology. The body is 193.3 inches long, 72.8 inches wide and 54.7 inches high. The wheelbase is the same as of the E-Class, 112.4 inches. The luggage compartment has 16.6 cubic feet more space than any other coupe in the class. The Vision CLS is equipped with 19-inch wheels with 235/35 tires in the front and 285/30 in the rear.

The CLS 500 will be powered by a 5.0-liter V-8 with 304 hp that is teamed to the new G7-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission that was especially developed for the Mercedes V-8 engines. The G7-Tronic helps reduce gas consumption and emissions and provides improved acceleration from 0-60 mph. Even more improvement is reached in the acceleration from 40-80 mph. A 5.5-liter AMG V-8 with 476 hp will be available in a later stage. —Henny Hemmes

Elise to Arrive in U.S. in May 2004

Lotus has confirmed its plan to export the Elise to the American market in May 2005. The Elise is the first new Lotus for North America since the debut of the 1990 Elan. The Esprit V-8 debuted in 1996 and the last batch of less than 100 cars will still be available next year.

With the Elise the British marque hopes to attract longtime Lotus enthusiasts. This model went on sale in Europe in 1996 as the twin brother of the Speedster, from GM’s European Opel division. More than 17,000 units have been sold since.

The Elise uses a Toyota 1.8-liter in-line four engine with 190 hp and accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. It reaches a top of 150 mph. The engine works together with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The car will be priced at $39,985. U.S. buyers have the possibility to customize the Elise with a Touring pack for $1350, which includes among others leather seats, power windows, an upgraded audiosystem, a double insulated soft top and additional sound damping. Also available is a Sports Pack ($2480) with larger aluminium wheels, a track-tuned suspension and specific Yokohama tires. A hard top will be available for $1475.

Lotus Cars USA hopes to sell 2400 Elises on an annual basis through its 38 dealers in 29 major U.S. markets. —Henny Hemmes

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata Gets 178 HP

Today Mazda unveiled the Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It is the tenth new model for Mazda in twelve months. The Mazdaspeed Miata has 1500 different parts compared to the base version. Under the hood is the well-known 1.8-liter engine that got revised heads and the assistance of a turbocharger to generate 178 hp at 6000 rpm, up 25 percent from the normally aspirated Miata. New is the use of ball bearings instead of floating bearings for the turbo.

The turbo engine generates 166 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm (up 33 percent) and is teamed to a six-speed stick shift transmission. Furthermore this Miata has a different differential and a tuned suspension. The car has been lowered 7 mm and uses 17-inch wheels and high-performance Toyo tires.

A new front fascia, rear lid spoiler and a new diffuser mark the exterior. The two-tone cloth interior, a new instrument cluster and center stack are the most significant interior changes.
The Mazdaspeed Miata will go on sale in the spring and is priced at $25,500 with cloth interior and $26,200 with a leather interior. —Henny Hemmes