Smart Car for the USA Debuts at NAIAS
Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Economy, Smart
For the very first time on US soil: the new smart fortwo, celebrating its USA premiere at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit (January 7 to 21, 2007). The new smart fortwo will be available in the USA beginning in the first quarter of 2008. The car shown in Detroit is an European version of the new smart fortwo. Model lines to be available in the United States will be announced at later date.
smart, like Mercedes-Benz and Maybach, is part of the Mercedes Car Group. The exhibition stand is directly opposite Chrysler and Dodge in Oakland Hall (inside Cobo Center). Written in large letters on the stand are the words “Coming to the USA in 2008″. And right in front of it, a smart fortwo with red bodypanels and a silver tridion safety cell.
The new smart fortwo can do everything that the current model can do - but better. This means that the new smart fortwo is even more comfortable, even more agile, even safer and even more environmentally friendly than its predecessor. And from the first draft it is designed to meet USA customer needs and registration standards.
It is time for the smart fortwo to make an appearance in the USA; fuel prices are rising, and city traffic is increasing by the day. In short, the smart fortwo is the right car at the right time.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the two-seater quickly became a popular vehicle following its launch in October 1998. The same is sure to hold true in the USA.
More than 770,000 customers have chosen the first generation of the smart fortwo – often to replace a larger car with the lively two-seater. Because the smart fortwo is something special and stands out from the crowd, and because it is simply fun to drive.
Apart from this, the vehicle concept is also highly practical – especially for people who live in cities or urban areas. On most journeys a car carries just a single occupant, and because people make faster progress through the city in a smart fortwo. And because with a smart fortwo, people can make faster progress through city streets and they do not even need to search for a parking space – the smart fortwo can easily fit between in very limited space – they can find one right away.
As early as 2002, the smart fortwo was included in the permanent collection in New York’s Museum of Modern Art – the only vehicle there that is still produced today. The five other models to attain this honor were the Cisitalia, Jaguar E-Type, Willy’s Jeep, Ferrari Formula 1 and Volkswagen Beetle.
With Roger Penske and UnitedAuto Group, smart has the right distribution partner to bring the smart fortwo to the US market in 2008. smart USA is currently reviewing market data to determine dealership locations – no specific locations have been identified to date. Dealer organizations will be announced during the second half of 2007.
UnitedAuto Group, Inc., headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, operates 319 dealers with 41 different brands and 27 repair workshops. UAG specializes in the sale of new and pre-owned cars, financing, insurance and supplying spare parts and also offers a maintenance and repair service for all the brands it offers.
GM Takes the First North American Truck and Car of the Year Awards
Filed under: Chevrolet, Detroit Auto Show, Economy, Saturn, Sedans/Saloons, Trucks/Pickups
General Motors started off the 2007 North American International Auto Show with a bang when its new full-size pickup, the Chevrolet Silverado, and its new midsize sedan, the Saturn Aura, won the North American Truck and Car of the Year awards.
“I just want to go, ‘YES!’,” said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn vice president for sales, service and marketing, while she pumped her fist in the air. “Sometimes you have to speak from the heart. This is a great day for General Motors, for Chevrolet and for Saturn.”
Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper was a little more restrained but also pleased as he accepted Chevrolet’s award. “Inside, we have always felt we had the best truck, but this award validates those feelings,” he said.
The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are voted by 49 independent journalists from the United States and Canada.
2008 Ford Focus and Focus Coupe Unveiled at NAIAS
Filed under: Coupes, Detroit Auto Show, Economy, Ford
The 2008 Ford Focus is redesigned inside and out with a bold new exterior, a modern interior and a long list of new safety and technology features, including Ford Sync-Ford’s exclusive fully-integrated, voice activated in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital media players
Also new is a sporty two-door Focus coupe, which is designed to attract new and younger buyers in the growing small car market. Small cars make up the largest vehicle segment in the U.S. today, and growth is expected to continue.
On sale in the fall of 2007, the new Focus will offer fuel economy rivaling smaller vehicles. With its fuel-efficient 2.0-litre engine and approximately 60 pounds less weight, the new 2008 Focus is expected to deliver real-world fuel economy similar to today’s model, despite added content and a stiffer body. Currently, Focus is among the segments best with a U.S. EPA rating of 37 miles per gallon on the highway.
Overall, the interior is modern and quieter. The 2008 Focus features a new acoustic windshield, thicker side glass in the front doors and additional sound-deadening materials through the cabin. Customers can order a new ambient lighting package that places tiny LEDs inside the front and rear cupholders sand in the footwells. The LEDs can highlight the cabin in any of seven different colors through a dash-mounted switch.
The 2008 Focus, in addition to Ford’s Personal Safety System, comes standard with side air bags and side air curtains. The advanced side air curtains-Ford’s Safety Canopy-feature “roll-fold” technology. If occupants are resting their heads against a window, the curtain is designed to slide between the glass and occupants as it inflates. In the event of a rollover, the curtains remain inflated for several seconds to enhance protection during an extended crash event.
2007 Hyundai Elantra
Filed under: Economy, Hyundai, New York International Auto Show
At the 2006 New York Auto Show, Hyundai, the Korean automaker that’s become the industry poster-child for the term ’successful turnaround’ introduced an all-new iteration of the car that, 20-plus year ago, originally brought the brand to the States — The Hyundai Elantra.
That original Hyundai Elantra was plagued with build quality and reliability problems, but by the time the most recent generation was introduced a few years back, Hyundai had shed that perception completely, thanks in part to a competition-beating warranty. In fact, the current Elantra was one of our favorite choices in the compact segment, especially in five-door GT guise. Some reviewers claimed it lacked in refinement, but we found it to be more fun, better-equipped, and in many cases a lot better-looking than the average Corolla, Civic or (eep) Cavalier. And the price, plus the 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, made it easy for us to recommend it.
From what we’ve seen, there will be a lot to recommend the all-new 2007 Elantra, too. The exterior design has certainly grown up; the Elantra now evinces a rounder, softer, more contemporary look. The interior has gone a bit upscale, too, with softer shapes and nicer-looking materials. Passenger space is now up to 98 cubic feet, in the four-door sedan, which is the only body style yet released.
Carried over is the 138-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which seemed plenty peppy in the old Elantra (which was admittedly smaller and probably lighter). We’d again recommend the five-speed manual transmission here, which, along with the optional four-speed automatic, too returns for duty in the new model. The new chassis is said to be significantly stiffer, and the suspension now features anti-roll bars at both ends.
Six airbags and antilock brakes now come standard and yet Hyundai says pricing should remain similar to the outgoing Elantras, at $14,000 or so to start.
2007 Suzuki SX4
Filed under: Economy, New York International Auto Show, Suzuki
Suzuki also showed yet another all-new vehicle in New York. The SX4 is a small sport crossover, with clean styling and a motorcycle-inspired feel. Power is provided by a 2-liter four-banger, and all-wheel-drive is standard.
2007 Kia Sorrento
Filed under: Economy, Kia, New York International Auto Show, SUVs
As usual, Korean brand Kia put on one of the best shows at the New York Auto Show. Although their charismatic President is gone, the PR flaks still livened the event up by bringing out that wacky “power to the people” spokesperson from the Kia commercials. This is a guy who’s seemingly able to get excited about almost anything, and his introduction of the all-new 2007 Sorento SUV was no exception.
As befits a bargain-priced midsize SUV, the Sorento is cleanly if blandly styled. Fortunately, there’s nothing ugly about it. The real news, however, is under the hood, where a new V6 resides. Kia has upped the motor’s power output by 36 percent over the last model, for a total of 262 horsepower-more than a V8 4Runner. The Sorento can now tow 5,000 pounds, and is sad to return better fuel economy than before, too. Safety equipment is loaded onto this truck as well; for 2007 Kia has added stability control, traction control, knee airbags, active headrests ad a tire-pressure monitoring system. Projector-beam headlamps and available 17-inch rims round out the additions. Kia now has the youngest model lineup in the industry, and this new, more powerful Sorento should help the brand continue its growth.
