The 10 Biggest Debuts of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show - Auto Shows

What recession? Economic woes and a few key no-shows can't keep a good show down. Much was said—admittedly, some by us—in the weeks leading up to the 2009 Detroit auto show about what a somber event it would be, what with the economic climate and withdrawal of numerous manufacturers. Rarely do we so enjoy being wrong. Therewas a different feel this year, with many manufacturers' displays significantly toned down, and the absence of Nissan and Infiniti in particular left a large hole, but the mood was less one of desperation than of determination and hope. Nothing breeds hope for an embattled company or industry like quality product, and of that there was plenty on display in Detroit. Of the biggest and most promising debuts gathered below, note that four are from GM, three are from Ford, and one from Chrysler. Not one of those eight cars looks or feels anything less than world-class. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 2010 Buick LaCrosse Buick keeps telling us it's going after Lexus, but the Enclave is the closest the company has come to a serious effort. Now, the chase intensifies with the introduction of the new LaCrosse. Styled after last year's Invicta concept, which was penned jointly by studios in the U.S. and China—the latter being Buick's biggest market—the 2010 LaCrosse resembles a Lexus in profile and proves that semi-derivative Chinese designs spiced with American input can actually be pretty good-looking. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Cadillac Converj Concept It seems as though the nearer the Chevrolet Volt gets to production, the higher its price climbs. GM officials claim a higher potential price had nothing to do with the creation of the Cadillac Converj concept—which is built on the Volt's platform and uses the same drivetrain technology—but the premium brand could charge more for the same mechanicals and offer GM a way to at least lose less money per unit sold, and maybe even turn a profit. Keep Reading: The 10 Biggest Debuts of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show - Auto Shows

 

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BYD F3DM / F6DM / E6 - Auto Shows

Having just entered the automotive sector in 2003, it's a bit hard to take BYD seriously, especially considering the fact that almost every model on its stand is a near-copy of a last-gen (or older) Japanese car. But while the styling, build quality, and polish of BYD's cars is frankly lackluster, the company deserves credit for working on a number of advanced powertrain solutions, as well as putting to market the world's first production plug-in hybrid, the F6DM. Plus billionaire investor Warren Buffett has sunk money into the company, providing precious credibility and capital. BYD is one of the largest suppliers of rechargeable batteries, so hybrids and electric vehicles make a lot of sense for the company. BYD has concentrated its efforts in this area and claims to have an 11,000-person science and technology research center, which sounds plausible considering the rapid pace at which the company has moved from automotive neophyte to plug-in hybrid production and sale. That said, even if BYD's claims about the Chinese-market cars below are true, it would take years for any of them to be developed to the point where they would meet U.S. crash and emissions standards, as well as quality expectations. Keep Reading: BYD F3DM / F6DM / E6 - Auto Shows

 

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Brilliance Auto M1 / M2 / M3 / FRV - Auto Shows

2009 marks Chinese carmaker Brilliance Auto's first visit to the Detroit auto show. The company builds two lines of vehicles: a mini-bus called the Jinbei, which they claim has 60 percent of the Chinese domestic market, and four passenger cars, including two sedans, a coupe, and a hatchback. The cars turned up in Detroit, and likely represent models similar to those that the company might one day consider thinking about selling in the U.S. someday. In other words, this visit to North America represents little more than a "hey, we exist, and we'd like to sell you our cars sometime in the future." They all look familiar to some degree, although none is a direct rip-off of another automaker's vehicle, as we've seen with other Chinese marques in the past. And even BYD at this year's show. The company's press conference was dotted with the names of other makers, though, with Brilliance dropping biggies like Toyota, Porsche, and BMW. The connection with the first two was nebulous, but the company does have a joint venture with BMW to produce 3- and 5-series models for the Chinese market. This may explain some of the company's familiar-sounding model names. Keep Reading: Brilliance Auto M1 / M2 / M3 / FRV - Auto Shows

 

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SEMA Motor Show 2008: Cadillac-Powered VRS is OMG!

As you can tell from our furious posting frequency, there's a lot of stuff at SEMA. Often, you encounter some well-publicized car and your reaction is "Oh... harumph." And then there are the sadly infrequent times when you make your way to the back of a ginormous hall and turn the corner to find a tiny booth holding one of those "Oh... wow..." treasures. That's what happened when we dropped by the Helios Coatings booth and discovered the Cadillac-powered VRS (V Sport Rod). Probably everything on this car except the fuel filler cap is custom or has been customized. A how-low-can-you-go custom-designed fiberglass body wraps itself around a 6.0-liter, 400 hp Cadillac engine. The engine cover runs from that hot-rod nose all the way to the bulkhead and then continues in one sweep to form the center console. The console works much like your phone, going dark when not in use and lighting up again when you touch it. And yes, that's an iPhone slotted in there. And at the corners are 20-inchers up front and 22-inchers out back suspended by aircraft strut suspension arms and wearing six-pot calipers front and rear. It is certifiably "Oh... wow..." But don't take our word for it -- check out the full specs, or get straight to the gallery of high-res images below.

 

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SEMA 2008: Volkswagen CC Eco performance concept 27/33 mpg

Out in sin city at the SEMA show, Volkswagen - like everyone else - is showing off modified versions of its everyday products. Most of what's on display is either about bling, power or both. Volkswagen however, has one car on display that adds efficiency to the mix. The Performance CC is based on the new four door coupe-sedan that debuted a few months ago. Starting with the base engine, a 2.0L four cylinder TSI with direct injection and turbo charging, APR added a new turbo system with driver selectable performance levels. The engine goes from a stock 200 hp to 222 hp in Eco mode, to 252 hp in GT mode and up to 311 hp in Full Power mode. Volkswagen collaborated with APR on the turbocharger and exhaust systems and claims that even with the increased power levels fuel efficiency is improved across the board. The standard 2.0L CC is rated at 19/28 mpg city/hwy. In Eco mode, the car is claimed to get 27/33 mpg city/hwy. A 47 percent boost in efficiency combined with 11 percent more power is pretty impressive. The question that remains unanswered is whether the car can pass an emissions test in this form. The most likely answer would be "fat chance." Too bad. 311 HP Super CC ups the performance ante in luxury for the people LAS VEGAS – Powerful performance meets luxury in the Super CC performance concept Volkswagen unveiled at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas. The Performance CC brings a sleek exterior treatment highlighted by black chrome exterior accents, grey pearl paint with custom front and rear bumper, side panels and machined aluminum spoiler. The black treatment continues inside with high-gloss piano black accents offset by matte black graphics. Customer black leather Recaro seats and matching floor mats are highlighted with white piping. While the Performance CC looks striking, the upgrades will get hearts racing, the 2.0L TSI engine has been upgraded with an APR stage 3 turbocharger system with three performance levels. In Full Power mode the Performance CC brings 311 hp and 313 lbs. ft. torque; GT mode offers 252 hp and 268 lbs. ft. of torque; and in the Eco mode 222 hp and 236 lbs. ft. of torque. Also included is the APR stainless steel performance exhaust system. Key fact to take note of is that in the Eco performance mode, horsepower went up, as well as fuel economy. A production 2.0T CC automatic gets 28 hwy/19 city and our CC in Eco mode gets 33 hwy, 27 city. Even the full power mode showed a fuel economy increase! The Performance CC sits on custom designed 10-spoke, 20-inch wheels and high performance 245/30 R20 Yokahama tires with an H&R street coil over sport suspension kit. With all this power to handle, Volkswagen has upgraded the brakes to provide extra power to stop. The Performance CC features 14-inch Brembo brakes with 4-piston Aluminum Alloy Brake Calipers and 355x32mm 2-Piece Floating Cross Drilled Discs with Billet Aluminum Hats. The Performance CC was designed by the Volkswagen Design Center in California with assistance from APR, LLC (www.goapr.com), Recaro, H&R Suspension and Brembo North America. Volkswagen of America, Inc. Volkswagen of America, Inc. recently announced Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard equipment on all its 2009 vehicles. As a result, Volkswagen is one of the only original equipment manufacturers to offer an electronic stability control system on their entire product line – ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) deadline requiring vehicles in the 2012 model year to include stability control systems. Volkswagen's ESP technology works in conjunction with anti-lock brakes and helps reduce loss of control. Founded in 1955, Volkswagen Group of America is headquartered in Herndon, Va. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat Wagon, CC, Eos, Routan, Tiguan and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com. [Source: Volkswagen]

 

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SEMA Motor Show 2008 Preview: Chevrolet debuts quartet of custom Camaros

Despite the fact that it's the Official Vehicle of SEMA, the Chevy Camaro will not be present in large numbers this week at the largest automotive aftermarket show in the world. That's because, unlike the Dodge Challenger, the Camaro is still a few months off from being delivered to showrooms (though orders are being accepted). Because of this, Chevy itself will be carrying the custom banner on behalf of the Camaro and has debuted four concepts today we'll see in person on Tuesday at the show. The first is the Camaro LS7 Concept inspired by the COPO Camaros of the late '60s. It features the GM Performance Parts LS7 Crate engine tuned to produce 550 horsepower thanks to a number of GMPP performance accessories. A Tremec six-speed manual handles shifting duties and is backed by Brembo brakes, 20-inch custom wheels and a lowered ride height. Next up is the Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept, which was actually produced with input from Jr. himself. The base car is a Camaro SS tuned to drink higher-octane E85. The exterior is a nostalgic gray-over-white paint scheme with 21-inch five-spoke wheels, a dovetail spoiler and other Chevy Accessories exterior mods. For real race fans, the Camaro GS Racecar Concept should conjure memories of Mark Donahue's blue-and-yellow Trans Am Series Camaro. This modern interpretation features a carbon fiber hood, trunk lid, doors and fenders to keep weight down and is powered by a production LS3 V8 mated to a Tremec 6060 six-speed. A 3-inch exhaust with Coast Fab mufflers, C&R racing aluminum radiator and coolers for the engine oil, transmission and differential round out the racing pedigree. Last and perhaps the fiercest is the Camaro Black Concept. The stealthy exterior is comprised of a matte black hood, tinted glass, HID headlamps with red "halo rings", a darker grille, dark-tinted taillight lenses and... you get the idea. The interior has likewise been blacked out and even the 21-inch wheels feature a darker finish. Unlike the others, this Camaro is powered by GM's 300-hp 3.6L V6. [Source: GM]

 

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Chrysler Suppliers Revolt, Demand Cash On Delivery For Parts [Carpocalypse Now]

Following the failure of the auto industry aid bill in the Senate, Chrysler's suppliers are demanding payment before any parts hit the assembly line in what is a major blow to the already embattled automaker. A little known part of the auto business is the contractual payment agreements between the end customer (Chrysler) and the supplier. Because parts may not conform to quality requirements, may fail in testing or may become damaged in transit, payment for parts is not done on arrival. Instead, payment is done after an agreed upon delay, normally anywhere between 30 and 90 days. Some of the more abusive customers stretch the delay all the way out to 180 days. This is great for the customer as it allows them to improve the balance sheets and free up revenue to do other things. It is not great for the supplier as they have a delayed return on investment and get to sit on their hands risking non-payment if the customer goes out of business. With Chrysler teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and the government appearing indifferent to collapse, the suppliers are no longer interested in trusting Chrysler to pay on those orders. It makes a lot more sense to demand payment on delivery than trust in Chrysler's survival. If Chrysler defaults on payment the suppliers will be up a creek without a paddle. By withholding parts they're hedging their bets, either Chrysler pays for them now, or they'll be able to sell the parts to distributors for maintenance duty. This is a major issues for Chrysler as they don't appear to have planned for a shift of budget in this manner. Typically, revenue flows in and becomes payment for contracts in the past, not in the present. If the supplier sentiment spreads, Chrysler's lines will starve for parts, and the Carpocalypse chain reaction will begin in earnest. [AutoNews Subs. Required]

 

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