Detroit auto show notebook: Hummer goes off-road, more
— -- The North American International Auto Show, held each year in Detroit, is a chance for automakers to show off their goods. It opens to the public Jan. 19; the media get an early look starting Sunday, but many automakers could not wait for the show and released their models early. Here are a few:
Hummer HX concept: When it comes to rumbling off road, this smaller Hummer could challenge Jeep if it were ever built as a production vehicle.
The HX concept has two removable doors and roof panels. Fender flares can be taken off easily to maneuver through a tight spot along a rocky trail. The beefy vehicle is smaller than a Hummer H3.
The concept has a 3.6-liter V-6 capable of running on E85 fuel, as well as a six-speed transmission. The four-seat HX has full-time four-wheel drive.
Audi TTS: Luxury carmaker Audi is marking 10 years since its TT sports car hit the road with the top-of-the-line TTS model, which makes its debut Sunday at the show.
The TTS, available as a four-seat coupe and two-seat roadster convertible, features a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that boasts 272 horsepower and a governor-limited top speed of about 155 mph.
The engine produces nearly as much power as a 3.2-liter, six-cylinder engine, but with better fuel efficiency.
Audi, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, says the TTS is scheduled to be in U.S. dealer showrooms in late November.
Pricing will be released later.
BMW X6:This five-door hatchback is making its American debut in Detroit.
Dubbed a "sports activity coupe," the X6 is designed to be roomy and offer good performance.
The space in back is big enough to store four full golf bags.
The performance is provided by either a 300-horsepower 3-liter inline six-cylinder engine or a 400-horsepower 4.4-liter V-8. All-wheel-drive comes standard.
The V-8 has twin turbos and direct gasoline injection, features that help boost its power.
Toyota A-BAT concept: If Toyota's Prius were ever made into a pickup, this would be it.
The A-BAT, which would be positioned below a Toyota Tacoma pickup if it is eventually built, is given a gas-electric hybrid powerplant and translucent solar panels on the instrument panel.
Though envisioned as a compact pickup, a segment that's fallen out of favor from its heyday among college-age boomers in the 1970s, the A-BAT rides on a car-like unibody platform.
A-BAT is envisioned as "a vehicle capable of maneuvering the suburbs as well as dirt roads," says Kevin Hunter, president of Toyota's California-based design group.
The design was derived from studying the side silhouette of Prius and applying it to a truck. The passenger compartment, seating four, was moved forward, based on the look of a European military transport truck.
The truck was also given fun touches like tailgate lighting for illuminating the four-foot bed, retractable portable navigation unit and a Prius-like info display.
As for the name, A-BAT jokes are sure to include that it will be bought by A-BATman or that it drives like A-BAT out of hell. Officially, it stands for Advance Breakthrough Aero Truck
Mitsubishi Concept-RA: It may look like a sports car but underneath the hood beats the heart of a tractor-trailer truck.
Mitsubishi's Concept-RA has a low-emission, 2.2-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. Yes, a diesel. But it's one designed to meet U.S. environmental standards using a newfangled catalytic converter system.
The idea is to deliver big performance with great fuel economy.
To further soup it up, the concept uses the same steering and suspension systems used on Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution.
Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Freeside concept: One of the most important concept vehicles in the show, the Vision GLK Freeside is a thinly disguised version of the luxury brand's new compact SUV.
The production version will debut later this year.
The concept is given Mercedes' 170-horsepower four-cylinder Bluetec diesel engine with a seven-speed transmission. It's a clean diesel that could go on sale in every state, even those with stricter emission standards, such as California.
The all-wheel-drive vehicle has a "downhill speed regulation" feature that keeps speed steady even when descending a steep hill.
Vision GLK has all of Mercedes' latest creature comforts, such as a rear-seat entertainment center with two screens and a three-zone automatic climate control.
The current GL is Mercedes' seven-passenger unibody SUV. The K stands for kompaktheit, German for compact.
Cadillac Provoq concept: General Motors takes a step closer to its goal of producing a fuel-cell powered vehicle with Cadillac Provoq crossover. It's the first time that GM has lent its premium name to one of its top advanced fuel projects, even though its only a concept car.
Provoq uses a hydrogen fuel cell with its E-Flex propulsion system to be able to travel up to 300 miles between fill-ups without any pollution.
The fifth generation fuel cell is half the size of its predecessor. Yet it's powerful. Provoq is capable of zero to 60 in 8.5 seconds, a 30% improvement over the previous generation, and a top speed of 100 mph, GM says.
Even though its hydrogen powerplant allows vast differences in design over today's cars, GM stylists tried to keep Cadillac's distinctive looks. "It picks up the cues, refinement and attention to detail of the new CTS and takes them to the next level," says interior lead designer Matt Erdey.
Subaru Forester: Subaru's crossover SUV gets a longer wheelbase, more ground clearance and an available navigation system in a complete redesign.
The all-new chassis allows the wheelbase to be stretched 3.6 inches over the previous model for a more comfortable ride, the company says. And it has about another inch of ground clearance.
At 8.9 inches of total clearance, "that's pretty big when you consider this is being built on a car chassis," says spokeswoman Jessica Tullman. Up to five passengers can take advantage of a high seating position, too.
The all-wheel-drive Forester is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer engine, same as before. But there will be new features like Start Assist, which keeps the vehicle from rolling backward when starting on a hill using the manual transmission.
On safety, vehicle dynamics control and traction control become standard equipment for the first time.
The new Forester goes on sale in the spring. No price yet.
Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid: Some automakers are starting to boast of dramatic fuel-efficiency increases with gas-electric hybrids.
The two-mode hybrid version of the 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line will deliver a 50% improvement over the conventional six-cylinder version, General Motors says. And it has a driving range of 500 miles.
GM isn't announcing the specific miles-per-gallon figures yet, but it would appear to get at least 24 mpg in the city — it might even do better in stop-and-go driving — and 30 mpg on the highway based on comparisons with the current six-cylinder model.
No compromises on performance: It's designed to go from zero to 60 in 7.3 seconds and tow 3,500 pounds.
GM started offering the compact SUV with a more rudimentary hybrid system based off a four-cylinder engine for the 2007 model year. About 11% of the Vues sold since then have been these so-called "mild hybrids," which deliver 27% better gas mileage than the conventional version. They will still be offered.
Pricing isn't being announced yet for the two-mode, although GM's Mike Morrissey says it will cost more than the mild hybrid, which is about $24,000. It hits showrooms late this year.
Ford Explorer America concept: For a peek into the future of the SUV, look no farther than this concept.
Far from being dead despite the move to crossovers and lots of bad press about gas mileage, SUVs get an eco-friendly update in this version.
Ford says the Explorer America concept has a 275-horsepower four-cylinder engine or a 340-horsepower V-6 that will be up to 30% more efficient than today's V-6 Explorer. The engine is 150 pounds lighter, has fuel-saving electric-actuated power steering and a six-speed transmission.
The Explorer seats six. It has wrap-around glass and a sliding rear door, a work table with seats in the tailgate and a compass and fancy navigation unit built into the instrument panel.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1:For muscle car nostalgia, General Motors is rolling out a new supercar with a famous name — the 620-horsepower 2009 Corvette ZR1.
It likely will set a few records. It's the first production Corvette designed to exceed 200 miles per hour. The speedometer will peg at 220 mph.
The latest Corvette, expected to cost $100,000 or more, has a hulking, hand-assembled, supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 with a six-speed manual transmission. Like its predecessor, ZR1 makes every attempt to cut its weight to improve performance. It uses carbon fiber in the hood, roof and front fenders. Deliveries begin in late August.
To keep it on the road, the ZR1 will have a suspension designed to hold the car during maneuvering at 1g, the force of gravity, and huge brakes.
The designation, designed to send shivers through enthusiasts, hearkens back the 1990 model of nearly the same name (but with a hyphen) — ZR-1. It was known at the time for having a massive, 375-horsepower aluminum engine built by Mercury Marine, the maker of outboards for boats.
Hyundai Genesis: A $36,000 Hyundai sedan? The luxury-car world may never be the same.
Hyundai, which has applied its value-oriented strategy across all kinds of mainstream models, hopes its first rear-wheel-drive car with an available 4.6-liter V-8 will crash its way into the world of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.
"We want people to think of Hyundai as a superb automaker," says spokesman Chris Hosford.
Hyundai is inviting comparisons with the likes of 342-horsepower Lexus GS when it comes to new 368-horsepower engine.
The 2009 sedan, to be followed in the 2010 model year by a hot coupe debuted in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, will also have other luxury touches. They include XMNavTraffic, adaptive front lighting, sensors in the bumpers to detect how close the car is to other vehicles or objects, a rear backup camera and the same 16-speaker sound system found on a Rolls Royce Phantom.
Genesis starts at $30,000.