Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen talks to GM’s Tony Posawatz about one of the most popular concept cars at the Detroit auto show, the Chevrolet Volt. Learn all you need to know about the plug-in hybrid, straight from the horse’s mouth. Plus more looks at the sharp exterior and interior.
There was a lot to see at the Detroit auto show. Most of the time we focused on looks and performance, but Ford unveiled a new entertainment system that may truly change the way we interact with our cars. Ford partnered with Microsoft to create Sync, a small computer that is integrated into a car’s sound system. You can plug in any multimedia device that has a USB adapter — iPod, Zune, PSP, even a USB flash drive — push a button and control it by voice. Yep, it’ll recognize band names, song names and genres.
It does the same with your Bluetooth phone, too. Text messages are read and displayed as well. The look and controls perfectly mirror those of the media players, which is becoming more common, but the whole hands-free interaction is just brilliant. There’s no price attached to it yet, and that could greatly impact its acceptance. It will start being available as an option in late summer/early fall in the 2008 Ford Focus, Fusion, Five Hundred, Edge, Freestyle, Explorer and Sport Trac; Mercury Milan, Montego and Mountaineer; and the Lincoln MKX and MKZ.
The irreverent automotive blog Jalopnik got an early walk-through of the Sync in action, and they were quite impressed. Check out the video below. You can also visit the official Sync website, with the unfortunate name of www.syncmyride.com.
Source: Ford
I was just minding my own business Sunday, trying to cover all the new cars I had missed at press conferences, when I saw the Ford Interceptor stopped in the middle of the Blue Oval’s booth as it prepared to ascend to its permanent perch for the show. Then the handler turned over the engine. Hearing — and smelling — the ethanol-burning engine made the concept a hundred times more appealing. Just check out the video above for proof.
The Smart ForTwo is just 106 inches long, more than 3 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper. Park it perpendicular to a Ford Expedition, and its rear end extends just 14.3 inches beyond the Expedition’s side mirrors. In a world of supersized value meals, this one’s a small fry.
Under the auspices of DaimlerChrysler and car dealership mogul Roger Penske, Smart plans to sell the ForTwo in hardtop and convertible form in the U.S. starting in early 2008. To show the Smart off at this year’s Detroit auto show, the company simply parallel parked a ForTwo — again and again — between two closely spaced limousines. On the show floor, Smart’s display included a ForTwo for journalists to poke around in. Naturally, I took to the task.
It hasn’t gotten a lot — really, any — press attention at the show, but Hummer brought out an official prototype of a convertible we saw last year. The top is made of canvas but is as sturdy as a convertible top. It slides forward and back, so it can operate like a large sunroof or as a convertible top. It also moves in reverse to give backseat passengers a sunny opening. It’s a nifty idea, but we’re not sure why it’s still in a prototype stage. We’re guessing the company is using the show car to gauge consumer interest, but it sure hasn’t gotten any buzz from the press. The flat paint job and more masculine tires would be a nice addition to the Hummer lineup, too.
On the morning of the final day of the Detroit auto show’s media days we bring you a recap of everything that went on yesterday. It wasn’t quite as surprising as Day 1 but there were still plenty of cars for our team to tackle. Check out the links below for full reports and live photos and you can always check out the Cars.com Detroit show page.
Concept Cars
Kia Kue
Chrysler Nassau
Mitsubishi Prototype X
Mazda Ryuga
Lexus LF-A
Volvo XC60
Honda Accord Coupe
Production Cars
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
2008 Lexus IS-F
2008 Porsche Cayenne
2007 Hyundai Veracruz
2008 Infiniti QX56
2008 Cadillac CTS
2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid
2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Dodge is playing it smart with the introduction of the Avenger R/T. Because most of the world has already seen the concept, which looks identical to the real thing shown here, and has read about the new Chrysler Sebring, which shares the same mechanics as the Avenger, Dodge made sure to throw in some news: a starting price and fuel economy numbers.
There will be four trim levels: SE, SXT, R/T and R/T AWD. That’s right, Dodge is offering all-wheel drive to compete with the Ford Fusion in the midsize sedan segment. It’s also giving the base SE a four-cylinder engine that gets 32 mpg on the highway — calculated according to new, stricter EPA regulations — and starting it at $18,225, plus $675 destination. It arrives at dealerships in the next couple of months.
That’s what we like to see at an auto show: Real numbers, real figures and an arrival date that’s on this year’s calendar.
We’re not even bothering to give these two models separate blog posts; changes to the 2008s are so minimal it makes us wonder why they needed a big public unveiling in Detroit. Nothing has changed to the engines, suspension, etc. What you’ll actually notice are smaller headlights.
Some of us like them, some of us don’t, but we all agree on the fact that there isn’t a major change for the model, and the 2008s probably won’t bring a rush of new buyers into showrooms. For the record, there are some more minimal changes to the exterior and interior other than the headlights, but they were so minute we couldn’t really tell from the photos of the Magnum R/T and 425-hp SRT8 you’ll find below.
We’re not surprised Dodge can generate 600 hp with the 8.4-liter V-10 in the new 2008 Viper SRT10 coupe and convertible. No, the surprise is that they actually did it. A bigger surprise will be if anybody buys it. You see, driving last year’s Viper wasn’t the easiest task in the world; driving this thing may be akin to strapping a rocket to your back and hopping on a skateboard.
The car was upgraded to 600 hp in order to best the Corvette Z06’s 505 hp, and it does — though with a similar zero to 60 time, stated as “under 4 seconds.” If one of these goes by you at high velocity you may not notice the new front end and multi-ducted hood. You will notice a loud snarl, though, as we’re sure the exhaust note will be even more brutal than last generation’s when it hits the streets this summer. Make sure to hold your kid’s hand when crossing the street.
Don’t forget to check back here at midnight EST to see three new models from Dodge. We were a little disappointed Dodge didn’t debut a surprise concept today at the Detroit auto show but we’ll let it slide this time. We can’t say what the three debuts will be, but they’ll all be going on sale in calendar year 2007. See you at midnight.
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