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VWVortex.com Events Coverage Not the largest or most significant of the North American auto shows, one would be mistaken to count New York out. As one of the largest car markets in the USA as well as home to more journalists per square mile than just about anywhere else, automakers place significant emphasis on ending the North American show season with a bang.
Acura Critics of the Acura brand over the years might describe it as an also-ran. Though benefiting from bullet-proof Honda technology, Acuras have never had lust-inspiring design or class-leading get-up-and-go performance. Lately though, Acura has shown they want to excel in the luxury car arena, and they’re proving it through very attractive new offerings. First came the redesigned TSX, and at New York the new RL took a bow. Not only is the car good looking and not Mercedes-inspired, it will also be available with all-wheel drive. Go Acura.
Audi Releasing the new A6 in the “Big Apple” makes sense. According to Axel Mees, Audi’s new North American chief, the New York region accounts for one quarter of all US A6 sales. Cars on display were market-specific, so you’ll note the amber US sidemarkers located in the front bumpers, and also note a new roof antenna that, with luck, will replace the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes “sharkfin” found on recent Audis. The Audi A8 range widens from the previous A8L-only selection offered thus far. The new 6.0 will bow before year’s end, though new standard wheelbase A8 4.2s should be arriving in dealerships as you read this. New Audi Exclusive interiors will also come as optional equipment as provided by Audi’s German vehicle customization subsidiary Quattro GmbH. Less traditional, but technically still a concept, Audi also showed the 2035 Audi RSQ. In actuality, the Sci-Fi-inspired car is due to star in this summer’s “I-Robot” major motion picture alongside Will Smith. An interpretation of a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov, the movie “I, Robot” is due out this summer. We’re told the car is the first of its kind to be designed for a futuristic movie wholly in-house by the manufacturer.
Bentley The new quad-lamp Arnage design made its first stateside showing, fittingly in a city where Bentleys are one of the preferred marques of rap-moguls, many of which call the Big Apple home. Also on the stand was a stunning graphite gray metallic Continental GT coupe with gray leather interior.
BMW As with the Mercedes gullwing, it can be a vintage car that steals the show within a manufacturer’s display. That surely must have been the case at BMW, where a 1975 CSL Race Car sat alongside coupe and convertible versions of the new 6-series. Another older car, a Z3 roadster advertised the BMW certified pre-owned program, while a heavily accessorized X3 showed off the wide accessory offering for BMW’s entry-level ‘ute.
Cadillac The new racecar version of the CTS-V Series sedan, that made its debut in Sebring just weeks ago, caused plenty of controversy in its working over the field of competitors at the Florida endurance event. On hand at New York, it was the production STS, a replacement for the Seville, that caught more attention. Much more attractive a package than the old car, the STS’s generous use of Cadillac trademark Art & Science design theme results in a bit too much family resemblance to the CTS. Though handsome, it’s tough to tell the difference between the two Caddy sedans upon first glance.
Chevrolet In case you haven’t noticed the six or seven pages of advertising per car magazine lately, Chevrolet is amidst a blitz of new products that they’re calling an “American Revolution”. Alongside the Geneva-introduced Corvette convertible, Chevrolet chose New York to launch its Equinox sport-ute, a slightly longer wheelbase SUV based on the same architecture as the Saturn VUE. Other Saturn-inspired hardware could also be found in the form of Chevy’s Cobalt SS. This attractive Cavaliar replacement is a much more serious entrant for the compact class, while the sporting hardware from the ION Redline will catch more than a few 16-year old’s attention. Downstairs in the Chevy Truck stand, an SS version of the short-wheelbase Trailblazer shows the extent with which the “SS” sport brand could go within Chevy. We wonder if GMC will follow up with a modern Typhoon?
Chrysler The fruits of the Daimler Chrysler merger are finally ripening in the stands of the multi-national corporation’s American nameplates. Prime amongst them must surely be Chrysler where the Al Capone-inspired 300C Hemi was displayed along the newest version of the SLK-based Crossfire. The new SRT-6, shown in convertible form, uses the outgoing supercharged 6-cylinder from the Merc, though at slightly lower power levels we hear through differing exhaust tuning.
Ford In the ‘90s it was trucks. In this decade one might coin Ford’s direction as based on sportscars. The new GT and Mustang models must certainly show that, and the Detroit-introduced Shelby Cobra also solidifies the idea. Ponycar aficionados must have been the most happy though, when a new GT-R Mustang painted in arrest-me-yellow paint scheme debuted at New York. We’re sure Camaro owners are probably green with envy.
Jaguar Most casual observers might not notice the difference between the current XJ and the model it replaced last year. That’s too bad, as this new aluminum cat is a much more fierce competitor to its primarily German competitors. Stepping into the game even further is a new long-wheelbase version of the car that adds only 53 lbs. to the weight of the vehicle. A sporty, glass-roofed version of the new XJ long-wheelbase was also shown alongside the new Jag. This design study made use of very aggressive wheels, large polished Range Rover inspired gills, and more. Though certainly aggressive and sporty, it almost seems a bit too much for the conservative XJ design. Nevertheless, you have to hand it to Jag. They’re successfully growing in one of the most competitive markets within the auto industry.
Jeep Replacing the Grand Cherokee is always a tough proposition for Jeep. The first version put Jeep back on the map, and made it one of the best selling mid-sized SUVs on the planet. It could be argued that the most recent Grand Cherokee, slightly more bulbous and minivan-inspired, sort of lost the Jeep edge. Daimler Chrysler chose a more controversial design for the third generation Grand Cherokee, which was unveiled at Detroit. Sharing the round-light design cues that were so successful with the Liberty, the jury remains out on the new Grand Cherokee. We want to like it, but as of yet it hasn’t grown on us.
Land Rover Don’t ask us why Land Rover is renaming the Discovery in the United States. For some reason, LR3 is more appealing to the land of SUV buyers and we just don’t know why. Etiher way, this handsome and all-new vehicle bears more than a passing resemblance to its big brother the Range Rover. All-new architecture from Ford Motor Company and a tuned Jaguar-sourced V8 both assure the new SUV will be no poseur. We’ll still miss the Discovery nameplate though, as well as the outgoing truck’s “Safari” windows.
Lexus Toyota’s Lexus division chose New York to show off the new GS430. A handsome replacement to the outgoing car, the new GS shows an evolution of the Lexus brand into much more original design territory.
Lincoln Recent Lincoln showcars have not only shown a more dynamic design language for the American luxury brand, they’ve also coyly shown upcoming models. In Detroit, a replacement to the Explorer-based Aviator showed a more car-based interpretation that would compete more with cars like the Lexus RX330, while the Mark X with folding top showed how Ford might transition the Thunderbird production line when the Ford reaches the end of its production run. Both made use of existing platforms, as does Lincoln’s newest Zephyr show car. Lincoln claims an “on sale” date of late 2005 as a 2006 model for this attractive fwd and awd sedan. Like the Aviator replacement, the Zephyr uses what Ford calls their CD3 architecture. Practically speaking, CD3 finds its origins in the Mazda6, though the larger Zephyr really shows the variance in overall size that Ford engineers are able to produce with the Mazda-derived platform.
Maserati Things are good for the brand with the Trident logo. Rescued from near extinction by Ferrari several years ago, the brand has reshaped itself as a very attractive alternative to the German and British players in the market niches with which it plays. All current Maserati models were shown from the Quattroporte sedan, Cambiocorsa Spyder and GranSport Coupe to the new MC12 Enzo-based sports car. During the charity gala held each year following the first press day at the show, local Maserati owners were organized in a display of cars in front of the convention center, including beautiful old Ghiblis, Quattroportes and more.
Mazda Mazda’s Geneva concept, the MX Flexa, came stateside for the New York Auto Show and was displayed alongside the RX-8 Hydrogen RE on stage.
Mercedes-Benz Sports cars or sport-minded cars were the name of the game at Mercedes. The new SLK had it’s North American debut for the folks from Stuttgart. This more masculine replacement to the Mercedes roadster was displayed alongside the new CLK 55 AMG, SLR and an original gullwing coupe.
MINI Fresh from its Geneva introduction, the new drop-top MINI drew crowds of city-dwellers looking for some open-air excitement and remain fairly easy to park in the tight confines found in major metropolitan areas like New York. Various Coopers, Cooper S models and a Works Cooper S were also on hand in the MINI stand.
Nissan Two of the most critical models to Nissan’s recent resurgence in the USA faced a redesign that bowed in New York. One might call the freshened Altima a bit more conservative than the car it replaces, though a hotter SE-R model assures Nissanphiles won’t be let down. While the Altima reestablished Nissan amongst sedan buyers, it was the X-Terra that breathed new life into Nissan’s slowing SUV sales. Going back to off-road orientation while many SUVs were getting softer, the new X-Terra continues on in that mould, though in a much more visually attractive shell.
Saab GM makes no secret of its expansion of the Saab brand. Greater sales numbers are quintessential to the survival of the lagging Swedish brand, and no matter how good the new 9-3 is, more offerings are needed to make up those numbers. As a short-term fix, GM grabbed platforms from the corporate partsbin to quickly add to the lineup. The 9-2X, basically a redesigned Subaru Impreza WRX, debuted in Detroit, while a Chevy Trailblazer-based 9-7x SUV broke cover in New York. Sure, it’s body on frame, and yes, it’s pushrod, though the new model will probably help turn the tide at Saab. We can criticize all we want, but if it keeps Saab afloat, then at the end of the day, we’re all for the new models. We do find it telling though that the 9-7x and 9-2x will not be sold in Europe.
Spyker Introducing a new car in the United States is not an easy proposal. So you have to give Dutch manufacturer Spyker credit. At the NYAS was one of their beautiful Spyder models, though they’ll also be selling the Laviolette coupe and long-wheelbase Double 12. The company has been setting up distribution through exotic car dealers throughout the United States, focusing on Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi dealerships as Spyker’s use of an Audi S8 motor makes it a natural in those stores.
Subaru New Legacies and Outbacks have been the name of the game for Subaru at auto shows as of late. Though neither are yet on the market, both also showed at New York. The big news though, was that Subaru’s successful L.L. Bean Edition package was being extended to the Forester. This higher-content Forester will surely attract buyers to the Subaru car-ute, though a turbocharged XT version of the L.L. Bean will not be offered.
Volkswagen Timing of the New York Auto Show meant no totally new models to be shown, though things weren’t entirely quiet at Volkswagen. The newest release, a blue New Beetle featuring XM Satellite Radio and blue clothe interior, sat alongside the new Jetta GLI and the Paris to Dakar Touareg competition vehicle. A V8 Touareg also on the stand also was equipped with OnStar. We found Touaregs so equipped share the stubby antenna also found on Phaetons, though mounted at the front of the car.
Volvo Volvo almost always has something different to show journalists in New York. Two years ago they displayed some of their classic car collection alongside modern equivalents, while last year they shared design models that displayed the flexibility of the new P1/C1 platform architecture on which the S40 and V50 are based. This year, Volvo chose not only to show off the Geneva-introduced YCC concept coupe, but also to show a Britto-designed V50 art car as well as an XC90 made of LEGO bricks in order to promote their tie-in with Swedish toy manufacturer LEGO and their LEGOLAND park in Florida. Most humorously, it was the LEGO XC90 that drew some of the best crowd reaction all day. Who’d have thought?
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