Against the backdrop of declining car sales, the auto industry is getting ready to show off some of the cars of the future, and much of the buzz is over a cat: the Prowler from Chrysler Corp., a ’90s version of a ’50s roadster that the company is expected to start selling in 1997.
The two-seater “concept” car first surfaced two years ago on the auto circuit with hints that it would be powered by at least a V-8 engine. But Chrysler–which is expected to confirm production of the car at a news conference here Wednesday in conjunction with the Detroit Auto Show–has chosen fuel economy over power and the Prowler reportedly will come with a V-6 engine.
The Prowler also will be a rare species. Chrysler plans to limit production to about 3,000 cars a year, as it did with its limited edition Dodge Viper. The anticipated price tag will be $30,000.
At a media preview in Detroit, where later this week the industry will unveil 40 cars for sale in 1996 or 1997, the carmakers also talked about vehicles for later years.
Ford Motor Co. displayed two concept cars. The first is a luxury sedan called the Sentinel, with styling cues from the old Continental Mark II and Mark III. The second is the IndiGO, a two-seater powered by a V-12 which Ford said would be “impossible to ignore” on the street.
The talk of such bold cars followed a lackluster year for the industry. Industry analysts estimate that car and truck sales in December hit an annual pace of about 15.1 million, down about 2 percent from a year earlier, as debt-burdened customers shied from making big purchases.
Sales for the year are expected to reach 14.7 million, compared with 15.1 million in 1994.
