Hey, folks -
The North American International Auto Show is only a week away! This is one of the biggest auto shows in the world, with the most new vehicle introductions and concept car introductions of any show in the country. The domestics use it as a PR tool to introduce their new iron, but so do the Asians and Europeans. In fact, as import makes gain prominence in the Detroit area (nearly all of them have R&D centers here, and Toyota is building a vast Proving Grounds in Howell, MI), more of their introductions occur in Detroit. Especially in market segments dominated by Detroit iron. Such as pickups. This year, Honda is expected to unveil its Ridgeline pickup truck in Detroit. But this is only 1 of (i heard) 50 unveilings. Check out the following for more details:
http://www.detnews.com/autosinsider/index.htm
There will be unveilings all next week, during the press days, so check the link several times if it interests you. The general public will be admitted the following week, beginning on Satuday morning. I am going to the show. I advise any of you living close to Michigan to come visit. It is a blast.

 

HEADED THERE THIS SUNDAY, TAKE OFF AT 6 am

 

Have fun, man. I think the show opens at 10:00. It is best to arrive early, as it gets REALLY crowded in the afternoons.

 

r u going to the toronto auto show next month, i'm planning to. it probably is easy for you to go through windsor i would suppose, compared to my drive through buffalo NY.

 

I hope nissan reveils a Skyline concept for the U.S!!!

 

They did... it is called the Infiniti G35, and you can buy one now. My friend has one, it is a killer car. This is the latest Skyline in Japan.

 

I go every year! I'll be there at the show next Saturday. Can't wait.

 

Overall, the show was pretty fun this year. Here are some impressions that I was left with:
1) More of the same from General Motors - We keep hearing that the newest round of GM cars are "world class", and every bit as good as the foriegn competition. This is a twenty year old broken record. Guess what? The interior of the brand new Cobalt (the first all new Chevrolet in two decades, as the last Cavalier traced its platform back to the Reagan era) is overly plasticky, and seems cheaply constructed. Looks great in the magazines, but up close, loses its luster. Maybe next time, they will get it right?
2) Hope it's as good as it looks - The new Pontiac Solstice is beautiful to look at, and impressive on paper. Plenty of power, and RWD to boot. GM routinely hits home runs when it comes to its sports cars (Corvette, specifically), so I have high hopes for this one.
3) Subaru doesn't seem to know who its customers are - This floored me. There were no WRX sedans, wagons, or hot STIs upstairs. They were at the show, but alas, downstairs in the "basement". Their new 7 passenger SUV was everywhere to be seen, along with Outback offerings of every car line. Thankfully, the new Legacy 2.5 turbo sedan was available. I sat in it for a while, thinking how I would drive this one back to back with a new TSX if I was in the market for a midsize, near luxury sports sedan.
4) Kia is getting better - their construction, features, and overall quality appears as good as many of the Japanese makes at the show. Strangely, the one Kia I wanted to see (the new Spectra5) was no where to be seen.
5) Nobody wants a Forenza - The Suzuki display was a ghost town. The only people walking around the Verona, Forenza, and Reno were walking through the display, to get to Mitsubishi on the other side.
6) That new Eclipse... it's a big car, no where near the old, curvaceous beauty from the nineties that the tuning community fell in love with. Think Japanese Monte Carlo and you'll get the idea.
7) That new Mustang - It is going to be a huge hit. Couldn't even get close to one at the show. It appears to be a world beater. If I was shopping for a 350Z, I would test drive one of these too. No kidding. Tons of personality, and a thoroughly modern platform for the first time in over two decades.
8) Toyota - I started to feel very tired around the Toyota display, and desperately wanted coffee. Coincidence, or is their lineup really that dull?
9) Maybach - Proof that not everyone who has money, has taste. These are huge cars, and ugly beyond belief. It almost looks like a Rolls that melted in the oven, with its droopy proportions. No thanks, even if I win the lottery.
10) BMW 3-series - I sat in this one for a long time. It has to be one of the world's most perfect cars, but you don't know that unless you are actually driving it. I want one. Badly. Maybe someday, or maybe the next car will be a used 3-series.
11) (Bonus observation) - Scion showed off all the accessories available for their cars. Matter of fact, so did Dodge, for their SRT-4. Now, why wouldn't Mazda make a more sincere effort at marketing Mazdaspeed as not only a special edition of their vehicles, but also as a line of performance accessories?

 

#1... I meant to say the first all-new Chevrolet small car. There have been other all new Chevrolets in the past few years!

 

Haha, sounds like you had a good time, I liked number 9. My brother went last year, his girlfriends mom owns 3 BMW dealers in the detroit area. He said they got to have champaigne and crap...Lucky. New 3-series that nice? I know a lot of poeple question BMW's new designs. I don't, I think the new M-6 is one of the nicest cars ever. Guess I'll have to wait till the NY show rolls around. I'm going to the motorcycle show in NY this upcoming week! Later.

 

It's not the new 3-series... the old/current one is still on sale (thankfully). I am not so sure that I like all of Chris Bangle's designs, either. The 5 series that he recently did looks a lot like a Pontiac to me.

I'm a sucker for good design, and even better engineering. Case in point, I am not convinced that the spy photos of the next Miata look as good as the current one. And the current one is such a blast to drive....

If I could advise car makers on redesigning their cars, I would have to say "do not confuse motion with progress". Anyone who has driven a first gen Neon R/T, and also the second gen R/T, knows this well!