If there’s no Champagne, can it still be an auto show?

Actually there was a splash of it at press days for the New York auto show, but it was in a most unusual place: the EV Innovations kiosk. And it was little more than a kiosk, located deep in the basement of the Javits Center. That’s where on Thursday, the final day — in the final hour — of press previews, EVI’s Inizio electric-car concept was unveiled. There wasn’t a lot of Champagne to go around, but that wasn’t a problem; most of the press had gone home by then.

The media’s complaint was that there wasn’t much to see this year. At least in comparison to previous years, that was true enough. Remember stunts of a few years back, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger – then just an actor – “crashing” a new Hummer into ABC’s Times Square studio? Or Nascar drivers operating hybrid taxis around Manhattan? Or swank parties in Fifth Avenue showrooms or SoHo art galleries or Rockefeller Center’s sky-high Rainbow Room? In a way, it all seems very long ago. Things change.

EVI, for instance, is a very small player. But these days its future appears as bright as anyone else’s in this beleaguered industry. EVI may not have sold too many cars yet – if any – but it isn’t billions of dollars in the hole, either.

The General Motors stand here was quieter than a wake. A relatively low-level executive introduced a throwaway vehicle on Wednesday and then vacated the premises, as far as I could tell. There weren’t even any press materials handed out – just a small sign that gave a Web address for information online. In years not that far gone by, reporters were burdened down with binders full of information, CDs full of pictures and bags of swag. Some were so lavish that they found their way to eBay (and some of those – like scale models of the cars just introduced - brought a fair amount of money).

But the G.M. stand this year was almost as devoid of tire kickers as it was glittering new models. The small display of cars used in a coming “Transformers” movie sequel was a highlight.

The situation was only slightly better at Chrysler, but only because it seemed like they might start liquidating their stand displays. A flashing video board kept reminding attendees of “Employee Pricing Plus Plus!” I don’t recall a hard-sell effort like that at an auto show before. Cue the salesmen in plaid sports coats.

The Ford stand, by comparison, looked almost festive. Not much to unveil here, but Ford still has some acclaimed new models, which made their debuts at earlier shows this year, and were for the most part previously unseen by New Yorkers. At Ford, there were plenty of people milling around, a certain amount of excitement was in the air and about all that was lacking was a balloon drop.

As John Krafcik, acting president and chief executive of Hyundai Motor America, said earlier in the week, “Flat is the new up.”

Luxury car manufacturers were noticeably low-key — if you could find them at all. I never saw a Rolls Royce display. Daimler’s luxury flagship, Maybach, brought a single car, and it was parked in a lonely corner like an afterthought. Demand for a car with a $5,00 perfume atomizer option can’t be that high these days.

Bentley, which provided the only champagne reception at the Los Angeles auto show last fall, offered merely snacks this time around. What can you expect when the factory back home in England is operating part time?

In the place of luxury cars in the main hall was Fisker Automotive, the electric car start-up out of California, which occupied quite a bit of real estate, even though it only had two car models to display.

One of the most difficult things to get right these days, when it comes to what’s left of the automobile industry, is affecting the proper mood. Mournful? Optimistic? Apologetic? Empathetic? Indignant? Militant?

It’s all quite sad, to those who have followed the industry for many years. We used to make fun of the outrageous fashions worn by booth models, the smoke machines and pyrotechnic displays. It’s a terrible feeling having lived through the good old days and not realizing then that’s what they were.

Source (article): NYTIMES

Source (pictures): GUESTOFAGUEST, FOTOMAIL, NYTIMES

The automotive world has been waiting for BMW’s response to the Mercedes-Benz R-class since the debut of that crossover/minivan curiosity for 2006. For a while, a pseudo minivan in the same vein as the R-class was expected from Mercedes’ German rival, but the R’s dismal sales may have caused BMW to chart a different course of action.

At the Geneva auto show in March, we finally got to see, in concept form, BMW’s answer to the R-class. Mercifully, the company that prides itself on building the “ultimate driving machine” didn’t produce a minivan but rather a high-roofed, not-quite-an-SUV wagon version of the next-generation 5-series. After years of calling it the Progressive Activity Sedan, BMW has ditched that moniker in favor of calling the concept the 5-series Gran Turismo.

Looking like a slightly squashed X6 sport-ute and sitting 5.3 inches lower than it, the 5-series Gran Turismo rides on a long, 120.9-inch wheelbase that provides a 7-series-grade back seat. There’s no third row, and in the concept, the rear seat is only good for two occupants. Production versions will likely have a conventional bench seat. As in many SUVs, the rear seat slides back and forth several inches to accommodate legs or increase cargo area. A length of 196.8 inches makes the 5-series Gran Turismo a scant three inches shorter than the big 750i sedan and almost five inches longer than the X6.

BMW hasn’t officially divulged what will power the Gran Turismo, but we’d guess the most expensive version will get the company’s 400-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8; the 300-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six will likely be the most popular choice; and for the fuel conscious, the 265-hp, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six should return fuel economy in the mid-20s. Rear-wheel drive will be standard, with all-wheel drive (xDrive) optional.

The Gran Turismo should be available early in 2010, after the production version debuts at the Frankfurt auto show this fall. How the new model will fit in among the X3, X5, and X6 SUVs remains to be seen. But expect a starting price of $45,000, with top models fetching close to $70,000.

Source (Article): CARANDDRIVER.COM

Source (Pictures): DESIGNTOPNEWS, L.YIMG

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Reporters hoping for a free appletini mixed by Chrysler chief executive Robert Nardelli at the Detroit Auto Show are in for a disappointment this year.

The automaker is canceling its open bar and cutting back on the showmanship normally associated with its product unveilings - like the herd of live cattle it trotted out last year to introduce the new Ram truck.

“These are unfortunate but necessary steps to help return Chrysler to a solid footing,” spokesman Rick Deneau wrote on Chrysler’s media-only Web site. “And with the government loan to help Chrysler bridge the financial crisis, it’s the right thing to do.”

Cutting back makes sense: With the economy in recession, auto sales are at crisis levels and things aren’t expected to improve soon. In all, it’s not the best time to host a major auto show. And with Chrysler and GM on the hook for $13.4 billion in federal loans to stay afloat, a little austerity might be in order.

The North American International Auto Show - which has been running for 21 years - attracts automakers and media outlets worldwide, and opens to the press on Jan. 11.

“It is going to be a very somber show,” said industry analyst Todd Turner of California-based Car Concepts, “and I don’t think anyone going into the show is thinking they are going to go against that grain.”

Some automakers won’t be going to Detroit at all. Nissan, America’s 6th biggest selling automaker, will not display there this year.

Number five, Honda, will have a booth at the show, where a sheet will be pulled off the final production of the Honda Insight hybrid. There will be no press conference, though, just that very literal unveiling.

And Toyota, which is expected to report later this year that it suffered its first operating loss since 1950, is cutting back. The carmaker will be flying in fewer top executives from Japan, and it has called off its usual lavish dinner for select journalists.

Events of the past year may have forced a lot of changes in what the automakers will reveal at this show, said Motor Trend magazine’s Detroit editor, Todd Lassa. A shuffling of line-ups may have taken place, he said, caused by economic distress as well uncertainty about new government fuel economy standards, which are still under review.

“I think they closed down the 2008 Detroit show thinking they were going to ramp things down,” he said, “so now they’re ramping them down even more.”

There will likely be fewer eye-popping concept cars at this year’s show, Lassa said. Overpowered show cars like the Jeep Hurricane, an off-roader with two Hemi V8 engines that appeared at the 2005 show, are off-limits now.

“I think there are probably some introductions that were pulled because they want to show real cars and appear to be sensible,” Lassa said.

But the industry still needs to show - and sell - new products.

“Our product cadence has not changed,” said Ford spokesman Jay Ward.

Ford (F, Fortune 500) will reveal several new models at this year’s show including a redesigned Shelby GT500. A completely new version of the Ford Taurus is also expected to debut. Ford will be holding press conferences to showcase its new vehicles, but it will not provide lunch for reporters.

General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) will show off entirely new versions of the Chevrolet Equinox crossover SUV as well as all-new versions of the Cadillac SRX crossover and the Buick LaCrosse sedan.

Toyota (TM) is expected to reveal the next-generation Toyota Prius as well as the new Lexus HS 250h sedan, the first Lexus to be available only as a hybrid.

For its part, Chrysler has been tight-lipped about exactly what it will unveil in Detroit next week, but the automaker promises it will reveal something surprising.

The media, affected by reduced ad spending, is also cutting back. Outlets will send fewer reporters to Detroit, said Sam Locricchio, a spokesman for John Bailey & Associates, the public relations firm that handles press access for the show.

“I think the theme for this year’s show is efficiency, efficiency, efficiency,” he said.

There may be fewer reporters, but because of increased global interest in an industry on the brink, more media outlets will cover the show, Locricchio said. He expects the number of reporters to drop 10% to 5,500 from last year, but he sees almost 50 more publications - most from overseas - covering the show.

Despite the lack of banquets and bars for reporters and lavish performances at car unveilings the show will be just effective when it opens to the general public on January 17, said Lonnie Miller, an industry analyst with R.L. Polk & Co.

“They’ve got to make sure dealers have confidence that new product is coming and they’ve got to draw consumer awareness,” he said.

The public never saw the cattle drives and bars, anyway, he said. In the end, all they ever saw was the cars.

SOURCE: CNNMoney.COM