The Japanese automaker’s top-line RL
model has never made much of an impact on the market. Acura is hoping to improve
its perception —and
sales —
with the introduction of its second-generation RL. The flagship sedan
features an all-new, 3.5-liter, VTEC V-6 making 300-horsepower, the most
powerful engine ever from Acura. That will be driven through the new Super
Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system that not only distributes power forward
and aft, but also shifts power left or right to help enhance high performance
maneuvering. SH-AWD will debut on the 2005 Acura RL this coming autumn. So will
a first-of-its-kind real-time traffic monitoring system introduced by XM
Satellite Radio. According to marketing director Dick Colliver, Acura hopes to
“feel our way” into the higher end of the luxury market. The automaker
definitely has some momentum going for it. The smaller TL has helped Acura boost
sales by about seven percent this year. “Sales have been going through the
roof," Colliver said inNew
York.
KIA SAYS, “WAGONS
HO
”
With the launch of
the Spectra5, the latest entry to Kia’s midsize line-up, “the only thing we didn’t
change was the name,” declared Fred Aikins, project leader for the new sport
wagon. “Think of it as the Spectra four-door’s sportier, more extroverted twin,”
he explained during Kia’s turn in the spotlight. The five-door features a mesh
blackout grille with integrated spoiler matched by the rear valance and spoiler.
The Spectra 5’s suspension has been tightened, and the car gets new 16-inch
alloy wheels. It’s powered by a 138-hp 2.0-liter in-line four. In typical fashion
for a Korean make, the automaker will include six airbags and four-wheel disc
brakes, as well as air conditioning, a tilt steering wheel, heated outside
mirrors, and a CD audio system as standard features in order to enhance the
2005 Kia Spectra 5
value equation. The new 5
is expected to account for almost a third of overall Spectra sales and help
Kia maintain its momentum. In March, the brand’s sales rose eleven percent in the
U.S., and so far this
year, volume has surpassed both Volkswagen and Mitsubishi. ARE WAGONS
BACK?
Are wagons cool again? Not everyone is ready to
agree. While wagons were the body style of choice during the ’50s and ’60s,
they’ve fallen out of favor in recent decades. The big behemoths, traditional
wagons like the old Buick Roadmaster, are not coming back, analysts like Dan
Gorrell warn. On the other hand, sporty, wagon-like crossovers are becoming
increasingly common. The new Cadillac SRX and Chrysler’s
Pacifica are just two examples.
European makes are finding models like the BMW “Touring” appeal to a small but
dedicated audience. And Japanese makes like Suzuki and Kia are predicting big
sales with new sport wagons. The word, “wagon” itself is “not cool,” admitted
Kia project manager Fred Aikins, but even that may be changing. Chrysler is
about to launch its new Magnum model, which will not try to find a euphemism
2005 Suzuki Forenza Wagon
to replace the wagon destination. Why the shift? People “are
realizing not everyone needs an SUV,” suggested Gorrell, though they’d like some
of the ute’s attributes, such as their bigger cargo compartments.
FORENZA FOLLOWS WITH
ITS OWN SPORT WAGON
“There’s
been a resurgence of interest in wagons,” echoed Suzuki’s marketing director,
Tom Carrey. The automaker attempted to prove its point with a new version of
its Forenza model. The Forenza sport wagon will feature a 2.0-liter, 126 hp four-cylinder
engine, four-wheel disc brakes, and speed-sensitive steering, along with an
assortment of normally up-market standard features, such as air conditioning and
power seats. The sport wagon will launch later this year and various packages
will range in price from $13,000 to $16,000.
STS TO GO
V
The world
premier of the Cadillac STS is an important event, especially now GM wants
Cadillac to conquer the European market. So one hears the phrase, “tested at the
Nürburgring,” quite frequently when speaking with Cadillac executives. For those
who haven’t logged much track time, the big surprise is that anyone can pay a
modest fee and take a lap of the long German track. And you may want to if you
get your hands on the high-performance version of the new STS now under
development, hints Kip Wasenko, Cadillac’s chief designer and the man who takes
credit or blame for the automaker’s edgy Art & Science design theme.
Wasenko acknowledged he is busy with the development of the STS-V, the
high
Mustang GT-R and Kid Rock
performance version of the new STS. “That one will be a bigger step than
the CTS-V was compared to the base model.” Expect the world premiere of the
Cadillac STS-V inDetroit in
January. (Henny
Hemmes)
MUSTANG GT-R ROCKS
... WITH KID ROCK
The pony
car legend was born in New York at the
1964 World’s Fair. That’s why Ford organized a special Mustang Celebration at
Manhattan Auto Group, its main New
York dealer
at 11th
Avenue, on the
evening of the start of the show. Ford CEO Nick Scheele and Jim Padilla were
there to meet the crowd who came to see new and old Mustangs that were scattered
through the showroom. When at the
front doors opened and all guests heard the sound of the Cammer V-8 echoing
between the Manhattan buildings, it
was becoming clear why the Mustang GT-R, that was unveiled earlier that day, had
left the show quite early that afternoon. The Valencia Orange car made its
entrance at the dealership in great style. Driven by a member of the GT-R team, who had a special passenger: Kid
Rock. The men admired the car, the women had a fainting-fit. The connection with the
Detroit-bred rocker is actually fitting. Kid’s father was a long-time Detroit car dealer, and in
those days when he was a struggling New York rock-star wannabe, he once worked as
a porter at Manhattan Ford. (Henny
Hemmes)
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