2006 New York Show, Part II

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Ghosn Says He’s Not Goin’ to GM

Carlos Ghosn

Lutz Touts E85 Hybrid

While surrounded by a crush of reporters after the Saturn Sky introduction at the New York International Auto Show today, Bob Lutz said that while hybrid vehicles are nice, an E85 hybrid could exceed 100 mpg. He qualified it by reminding media types that since E85 is 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline, the figure is kind of skewed, but he said it was still better than the average gasoline hybrid, which averages about 45 mpg depending upon the vehicle type. Of course, Lutz' company makes more E85 vehicles than any company in North America. He was also attempting to avoid more public spats with oil companies. "They (GM's public relations staff) prepped me for this one: big surprise, eh?" —Mike Strong

Ford's Fields Flaunts Firepower

Ford Executive Vice President Mark Fields said his company plans to offer one high-performance Mustang and one high-performance truck every year going forward. After introducing the new Shelby-inspired Mustang GT350-H, which can be rented at selected Hertz locations, Fields told a horde of reporters that he felt that high-performance vehicles were an important part of establishing a car company's brand image.

Fields said he expects to sell between 5000 and 10,000 of each vehicle annually. The company's Mustang GT500 is expected to be in showrooms shortly. Fields said the new Ford F-150 FX2, a street-friendly version of the F-150, will arrive in dealer lots sometime this fall. He didn't give a suggested price for the new truck, but anticipates it will be five percent of F-150 sales. —Mike Strong

Tops Away at Bentley

2007 Bentley Continental GT Convertible

The GTC has a soft fabric roof and heated glass rear screen and fully automatic operation. When stored below its “hide-covered tonneau, efficient packaging ensures excellent space for both rear passengers and their luggage.” Deliveries of the GTC start in late 2006. The MSRP in the U.S. is $189,990 or roughly $201,000 out the door with taxes and gas-guzzler charges. U.S. customers have already bought 1500, or about a year’s worth of deliveries here, equal to the 2005 U.S. sales of the GT coupe.

According to Bentley, the U.S. is the largest market in the world for luxury convertibles. Last year nearly twice as many luxury convertibles as coupes were sold in the U.S., and nearly a third of those sales were in two cities alone: Los Angeles and New York. —Ken Zino