Chrysler via Fiat gets a Lancia and model.
DETROIT, MICH. — The Detroit International Auto Show might well have simply renamed its first media day as the Ford Motor Company Spectacular. Ford opened the show with a sweep of the North American Car of the Year award, won by the Ford Fusion Hybrid, and Truck of the Year, with the Ford Transit Connect.
As if that wasn’t enough reward for Ford’s successful negotiating of these troubled automotive times, Ford next held the first scheduled press conference at Cobo Hall, and, having earlier announced the reintroduction of the Ford Fiesta, a smaller compact car that has been available in Europe since being taken out of the U.S. market a couple of decades ago, as a 2011 model, Ford unveiled the first production prototype of the new and global Focus, which will come in as a 2012 vehicle. Coordinating the European Focus with the less-sophisticated U.S. car, the new car will be made of 55 percent high-strength steel with a platform growing out of Volvo’s S40 safety characteristics, and a potent 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that began life at Mazda.
Commercial Transit Connect as kayak-mobile.
With the 2011 Fiesta and the 2012 Focus aimed at establishing new gasoline-engine standards for the larger compact segment, Ford added that it would also bring out a plug-in all-electric hybrid version of the Focus with its future hybrid elements to be developed in Michigan.
William Ford, executive chairman, said tht economy, energy and environment will be the three primary targets of the recovering auto industry and that the company that best combines those three virtues will be the winner. Without a doubt, Ford intends to see that Ford is that winner. “For 30 years, I’ve been advocating fuel-efficiency and lower emissions,” Ford said. “Now I’m preaching to the choir.”
Ford's all-new and global Focus for 2011.
While Ford didn’t need to file bankruptcy or to accept government bailout loans to stay afloat in the past year, Ford’s giant rival, General Motors, followed Ford in scheduled press conferences. GM had introduced a glistening Regal GS model, boasting of 355 horsepower and flashy 0-60 times.
To be fair, GM had introduced the 2011 Buick Regal at the Los Angeles Auto Show a month earlier, so it wanted to roll out a special model of the car for its hometown backers. But in overview, when GM has been filling the television airwaves with promotions and advertising for its still-struggling vehicles, here was GM following Ford’s highly economical Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and Fiesta plus the Focus — all aimed at lofty fuel economy — and General Motors showed off a high-performance car with raves of high horsepower and snappy acceleration. It was quite a contrast.
Chevy Aveo gets sporty upgrade.
Other impressive displays also featured high mileage and alternative energy. Chevrolet did show off its coming Cruze, which will replace the Cobalt, and a revised Aveo with an sporty RS model was shown
Chrysler had an interesting display, with the return of models with its models. The hired-in women from a modeling agency was like a throwback to earlier days, but with Fiat, the new owner of Chrysler, being Italian, it all made sense. A highlight was a statuesque woman in a skirt that could best be described as mini from both top and bottom, made of a metal-panel material. Oh, yes, she was standing next to a very stylish new car that was called a Chrysler Lancia, with a Lancia from Fiat’s European stable being rebadged as a new Chrysler model.
Toyota's plug-in Prius hybrid coupe.
Chrysler also will get the Fiat 500 subcompact, and if that wasn’t enough, or if new Fiat valve-timing technology that can be applied to existing Chrysler engines wasn’t satisfactory, there also was a sleek new Ferrari parked amid the Chryslers. Fiat, you see, also owns Ferrari.
Toyota unveiled a concept 2-door hybrid coupe version of the Prius, amid several new Prius models, and will offer the FT-CH as a new coupe for its upscale Lexus brand. Honda followed up its previous show of a CR-Z concept car with the production prototype of the car, which is a hybrid that appears to be a sleek coupe version of the Insight.
Volkswagen also showed off a future car called, imaginatively, the NCC — for New Car Concept. It is an impressively styled 2-door with sweeping creases and contours, which reportedly resembles what the redesigned 2011 Jetta will look like.
VW's NCC concept coupe foreshadows Jetta.
Audi rolled out a low, slippery coupe based on the R8 sports car, and said it will have electric power, living up to the e-tron ev name. Audi also was named the winner of the EyeOn Design award for the new 2011 A8 luxury sedan.
BMW showed a pure electric sports coupe with spectacular looks and a 165-mile cruising range, and claimed that media test drives of its hybrid will be conducted in the first half of this year. Mercedes, which has a neat coupe version of its newly released E-Class sedan, unveiled a convertible version of the same car.
Korean leader Hyundai showed the new Sonata that drew raves at the LA show, and it looked even better in person. It will be powered by only 4-cylinder engines, one with a turbocharger. It also showed a Blue Will version, which will be powered by a 1.6-liter direct-injection 4 and a hybrid electrical system. Hyundai also unveiled its facelifted Santa Fe and an all-new Tucson.
Ford officials had good reason to spend the media days celebrating their achievements at the show. In winning the Car of the Year title, Ford had to beat what I thought was the most competitive list of candidates ever. The Fusion Hybrid, which was isolated from the other revised Fusion models as a separate candidate, ran away with the car award, amassing 282 points on a voting system where the 50 jury members distribute a total of 25 points to the field of candidates, with a maximum of 10 to any one car.
Honda's sporty CR-Z hybrid 2-seater.
The Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI placed second with 163 points, and the Buick Lacrosse was third with 134, creating those three on the finalist list for a final revote, which had 10 points to be cast in any order. In that process, the Fusion Hybrid had 241, with the Golf 146 and the Lacrosse 103.
Not to be overlooked is that the larger Ford Taurus, all-new for 2010, finished fourth with 79, followed by the Camaro 74, Porsche Panamera 67, Mazda3 at 64, Suzuki Kizashi 57, Toyota Prius 56, Kia Soul 55, Subaru Legacy 47, BMW 335d44, the remaining Fusion lineup 33, Cadillac CTS Wagon 25, Mercedes E-Class 23, and Honda Insight 22.
In Truck of the Year, the Transit Connect may have benefitted by being a legitimate truck, albeit a compact delivery vehicle, compared to the array of crossover SUVs and grown up station wagons. The Transit Connect scored 237 points to lead the three finalists, where it was joined by the Chevrolet Equinox at 217, and the Subaru Outback at 145.
The remainder show the Audi Q5 at 125, the Land Rover LR4 116, the Volvo XC60 110, Lincoln MKT 96, Cadillac SRX 92, followed by a late-released pair — the Acura ZDX 45 and the Honda Accord Crosstour 42.
In the final revote of the three finalists, the Transit Connect had 213, the Equinox 183, and the Outback 94.
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