Detroit Auto Show Straightline Archives

We already saw a near-production version of the next-generation Chevrolet Aveo at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Now our spies have managed to catch a nearly undisguised prototype during testing in Detroit.

As you can see, the production Aveo looks as though it will carryover almost unchanged. And that my friends is probably a good thing as this Aveo looks like a pretty sharp little hatchback. You can argue about the nose all you want, but the rest of the car has nice short overhangs, a decent-sized greenhouse and nice proportions. Could be a decent alternative to the Honda Fit if the suspension is well sorted.

2010 Detroit Auto Show: Chevrolet Aveo RS Concept
 

Categories: Chevrolet,Detroit Auto Show,Hatchbacks,Spy Photos

The production version of the 2011 Honda CR-Z was just introduced at the 2010 Detroit Auto show, but a magazine in Japan has already taken a test drive on a closed course. Here's a translated version of their thoughts on the car.

"The production version of the car looks sharp sitting on the track thanks to well balanced proportions. The character line that runs down the side of the car looks more pronounced on the silver paint than it does on a red or blue color. The tires and wheels are noticeably less spectacular then the ones from the show car as the wheels are only 16-inches in diameter with 195/55R16 tires. That said, the wheels look of high quality and don't make the car look cheap.

Now we climb into the cabin. The tachometer sits at the center of the instrument cluster with a digital speedometer readout located immediately beneath it. The entire dashboard layout has a distinct sporty look and feel to it, leaving no doubt in the driver's mind that he's sitting in a performance-oriented car. Despite the car being labeled a 4-seater, the rear seats are quite cramped and look just large enough to fit two children.

The shift knob of the 6-speed manual transmission slides into each gear with a resounding click. We throw the lever into 1st gear and launch. The car leaves the line spritely, but accelerates in a milder way than anticipated. You can feel the presence of the electric motor, but it's quite subtle almost transparent. Continued after the jump.

2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2011 Honda CR-Z

Continue reading Japanese Mag Takes Honda CR-Z For a Drive; Says It's Slow, But Handles Well.

Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Green Tech,Hatchbacks,Honda

In an interview with Automotive News at the Detroit Auto Show, Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler's CEO, said the following when asked about rejuvenating Chrysler's brands:

"The trick of running a car company is being able to manage the reality of both -- allowing these guys out here [his brand managers] to have the freedom to be absolutely freaky and different, to hang a truck upside down in a show, and yet run the industrial machine as smoothly as a Swiss chocolate factory."

Automotive News

Categories: Auto Industry,Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show

After apparent success with its Mini E lease program (it was just extended indefinitely), BMW has decided to offer a similar deal for the Active E electric 1 Series. BMW officials told trade publication Automotive News that it intends to lease the Active E to customers in Europe and the United States beginning next year. Data gathered during the limited leases will help BMW as it pursues a commercially viable electric vehicle. The company says it plans to start selling a purpose-built EV in the 2014-2015 time frame.

Green Car Advisor

Categories: BMW,Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Green Tech

The exterior design of the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo is no big secret. It won't be as aggressive as the Aveo RS concept shown in Detroit last week, but it'll be close. The real question was whether or not GM could figure out a way to make the production interior look as good as the concept.

Our spy photographers recently caught up with this test mule in the Arctic Circle and managed to snag a shot of the uncovered interior. There are a few wires in the way, but most of the cabin is relatively clean.

Looks like Chevrolet will keep the odd looking instrument panel, but will replace the concept center stack with a corporate GM head unit. No big surprise there. The seats in this test car appear to be cloth and we can't see enough of the seat to know if it will have any kind of reasonable support. Oh well, that steering wheel looks pretty good.

Categories: Chevrolet,Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Hatchbacks,Spy Photos

Not a bad deal for a Ford Mustang with the new 412-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8, provided it's true of course. Ford hasn't officially released pricing, but the numbers rained down from MustangHeaven yesterday and they appear legitimate.

On the bottom end, the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 coupe will arrive with a $22,995 price tag. That includes the new 305-horsepower, 3.7-liter V6 mated to a six-speed transmission. On the high end, the 2011 Mustang convertible premium will start at $38,695.

MustangHeaven

First Look: 2011 Ford Mustang GT

Categories: Convertibles,Coupes,Detroit Auto Show,Ford,Sports Cars

Fiat-Chrysler President Sergio Marchionne gave U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the insider tour of the Chrysler/Dodge/Fiat/Ferrari/re-badged Lancia/Jeep stand in Detroit. And when they got to the Ferrari 599XX unofficially on exhibit at the show, Rep. Pelosi got positively giddy... what can Mr. Marchionne have said to her?

Welcome to the Straightline weekly caption contest. Now it's your turn to show off your wit.

Afterward, take your sense of humor over to the Long-Term Road Test blog and enter the weekly caption contest there.

Categories: Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show,Fiat

This past Tuesday, Inside Line reported exclusive information about the coming 2011 Infiniti G25, a smaller-engined, turbocharged variant of the company's very popular G sedan. Well, chalk it up to a spotty cell connection with our source in Japan, or the din of the Detroit auto show floor, jet lag or just plain stupidity, but we got a fact wrong in that report. No excuses. We screwed up and we regret it.

After two days of further research and many calls to Japan, it turns out we were 90 percent right. Here's the absolute truth.

Infiniti will launch a smaller-engined version of its G sedan this fall and the entry-level model will be called the G25. There is no doubt about that. It is a fact. And the car will absolutely use the 2.5-liter V6 Nissan uses in the Japan-market Skyline 250GT (The Infiniti G is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.)

The mistake we made is saying that the engine is turbocharged. It is not. It isn't in the Skyline in Japan and it won't be in the G25. It is a normally aspirated DOHC engine, which is rated at 210 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque in Japan. That's enough to be competitive with the 3.0-liter inline-6 in the BMW 328i, which is rated at 230 hp and 200 lb-ft and it's a little stronger than the strong-selling Lexus IS 250, which is rated at 204 hp and 185 lb-ft. 

At launch, the smaller V6 will be in the G sedan only and it will be sold alongside the also naturally aspirated V6-powered G37. The idea is that the lower entry price and improved fuel economy of the 2.5-liter engine will give Infiniti more head-on competition for the popular BMW 328i.

As of now, a G25 coupe and convertible are not planned, but if sales are brisk on the G25 sedan, both will happen. 

And now you know the real truth. I personally apologize to every Inside Line reader for the previous error.  

Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Infiniti,Luxury Cars,Sedans

Tesla held a press conference at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday. It used the occasion to show off the 1000th roadster off its assembly line and give the Model S sedan a proper auto show debut.

Many of the journalists in attendance expected Tesla might finally announce its choice for a production facility. That announcement never came, but Tesla's CEO Elon Musk did note that the Model S is now scheduled to launch in early 2012. When the concept was shown in March of 2009, Tesla said it would start production in late 2011.

Not a huge setback as car development programs go, but it does signal that Tesla might be getting more realistic about its aggressive schedule for the roll out of the Model S. Musk said to expect an a plant agreement soon.

Green Car Advisor: Must Close to Decision on Model S Plant

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Luxury Cars,Sedans,Tesla Motors

If you can stand the promotional tone of the voiceover, this video offers the most detailed look yet at the MyLincoln Touch interface that will be standard in the 2011 Lincoln MKX. As we noted, the setup isn't operational in the 2011 MKXs Lincoln is showing in Detroit.

Categories: Car Tech,Crossovers,Detroit Auto Show,Ford,Lincoln,Luxury Cars

Chrysler officials had zero information about the Fiat 500 BEV ("Battery Electric Vehicle") in their booth at the Detroit auto show. They told us only that it's a one-off concept that explores possibilities for the future -- a future that evidently includes Fiat 500s of all colors and varieties being sold in the U.S.

We got to see the possibly electric car with its hood up while a support staffer pasted an "Electra" label on the nose of the car. There's a metal box and some coated wires in there suggesting a front-drive electric motor. But there's no telling if they're real. And those big black wheels certainly don't seem to be wrapped in typical EV low-rolling-resistance rubber.

2010 Detroit Auto Show: Fiat 500 BEV

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Detroit Auto Show,Fiat,Green Tech,Hatchbacks

You might be wondering: Why on Earth would Audi unveil a new concept car with the same name as its previous concept car? We certainly did.

The partially satisfying answer from Audi is that the company intends to develop the E-tron name to a sub-brand, which will be to electric power trains what Quattro is to all-wheel drive. That doesn't exactly explain why the two different concepts would be called the same name.

But it certainly does explain what Oliver Stein, Audi of America's CFO told us. Apparently Audi's long-term plan is to offer an electric version of each of its model line from the upcoming European A1 up to the A8. The electrification of Audi will begin with the limited-edition E-tron sports car, similar to the concept unveiled here.

Categories: Audi,Detroit Auto Show

One point what went largely unnoticed yesterday in Honda CEO Takanobu Ito's introductory speech for the CR-Z in Detroit was his mention of hybrids. "We will be adding hybrids to the Acura brand," he offered.

Acura is coming off a disastrous 2009 sales year. Sales dropped almost 27 percent from 144,504 to 105,723. Some kind of shake-up is needed, and maybe hybrids will stir up some enthusiasm -- as Toyota hopes they will for Scion.

Acura Twitter, Autoblog Green

Categories: Acura,Detroit Auto Show,Hybrids,Luxury Cars

The Chrysler-Fiat alliance did not bother to bring the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee to the Detroit auto show, even though the redesigned SUV is scheduled to go on sale in the second quarter of this year. There is, however, a working electrified model of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that's slated to go in the Grand Cherokee.

Except it wasn't working when we went by. So several members of the support staff were wrenching on it.

They did manage to get it going again before we left, so there's a quick and dirty video of that after the jump.

Continue reading Chrysler 3.6L Pentastar V6: Fix It Again, Tony?.

Categories: Chrysler,Detroit Auto Show,Jeep

The trimmer, lighter, considerably less red Audi E-tron electric-car concept shown here in Detroit is a preview of the company's upcoming production midengine sport coupe, according to sources at Audi of America.

Oh, you know, the company will replace the carbon-fiber with metal for the body panels, of course, and there isn't a chance in hell that those billion-spoke chrome rims are going to see the road. But the basic shape of the car is indicative of what we'll see in a couple of years as the R4. We've reported on the R4 program before, but this is the first time Audi has presented any styling hints.

The R8's baby brother will share its structure with the overlords at the Volkswagen brand (you didn't think VW has been showing little roadster concepts over the last few years for nothing, did you?). Like the Concept BlueSport from last year's Detroit show and also, if rumors are to be believed, the next Boxster and Cayman. It's configured for a transversely mounted midengine. In addition to the electric version previewed by the E-tron concept, the R4 will also be offered with either a 2.0-liter turbo-4 or a 2.5-liter turbo five-cylinder or maybe both. But not at the same time.

Categories: Audi,Detroit Auto Show