Chicagoans will get their first glimpse of the 1998 Toyota Sienna front-wheel-drive mini-van when the Chicago Auto Show opens Saturday for a nine-day run in McCormick Place.
Sienna is the 6-inch longer replacement for the rear-wheel-drive Previa.
Like Chrysler and General Motors mini-vans, Sienna offers driver and passenger-side slide-open doors.
As with the GM mini-vans, a passenger-side power slider is an option. Though those who saw the van in Detroit say it looks similar to the Ford Windstar, Sienna seems to have inherited one other GM mini-van trait–a rather large dash top similar to that on GM’s plastic-body “Dustbuster” mini-vans that have just been replaced by more snub-nosed versions.
One other Sienna trait–the seats are a tad stiff.
Sienna arrives in the fall built off the front-wheel-drive Camry sedan platform.
Cupholders fold down from the sides of the front seats, where you’ll also find nets to keep objects, such as cups, from rolling around the cabin.
Toyota expects to sell 50,000 to 60,000 Siennas the first year.
Olds’ news: Oldsmobile, celebrating 100 years in business, has produced 33 million vehicles since its first car rolled off the line. Joining the next 33 million will be Alero, which bows in spring 1998, as the replacement for Achieva. Olds said Alero will be its lowest-cost car, but it will be priced higher than the current Achieva.
A concept Alero Alpha, a thinly disguised rendition of the 1998 model, will be on display at the Chicago Auto Show.
A few items on the concept, other than the previously reported hot/cold cupholders, are worth noting. One is dialup tinting for the removable glass roof panels. Just turn the knob and the glass darkens to your desired tint. Dialup tinting won’t be on the production model.
Another item of note is push-button controls on the steering wheel hub to engage the gears. Yes, the Edsel had a similar feature, but, no, the Alero production model won’t. And though Alero is Olds’ only coupe, there are no plans for a convertible.
Alero’s midsize companion, the Intrigue, goes on sale this spring as a ’98. The model to be displayed at the auto show features traction control, which will be on the production model.
Getting Pontiac’s Goat?: Asked when Pontiac will get with the program and bring back the GTO name, Lynn Myers, category director for Pontiac–she’s in charge of all brands–replied: “We won’t bring it back without the right product. Trans Am already has a strong name.”
CLK priced: Mercedes-Benz has priced its CLK coupe at $39,700. It goes on sale this fall. Only 10,000 will be shipped here.
Future is now: Except for the unusual green paint and decorative wheels on the Altima concept car coming to the Chicago Auto Show, what you see is what you get as the 1998 Nissan Altima.
Tom Eastwood, executive vice president and head of Nissan operations in the U.S., said the subcompact Sentra will get a minor styling overhaul and add an SE model, and the 200SX will get a fairly noteworthy redesign this fall.
Shift on the fly: Honda brings out a redesigned Accord for 1998 and Richard Colliver, executive vice president and head of U.S. operations, vows that to keep pace with the Ford Taurus for top-selling car in the U.S., “the assembly line won’t even stop when we convert over from the ’97 to the ’98 Accord later this year.”
By the way, Colliver said the concept two-seat SSM roadster that Honda unveiled at last year’s auto show still is awaiting a production verdict. “Two questions still haven’t been answered:,” he said, “whether to build it and what to call it (the luxury Acura division wants the car rather than Honda) if we do.”
Room to grow: Toyota spokesman Jim Olson said the automaker would like more North American production capacity.”Studies are always under way on new plants, but Toyota has a philosophy that you first have to prove you can sell what you’ve got before getting more,” he said.
Olson said by 2000 Toyota hopes to build three out of every four vehicles it sells in the U.S. here.
A singular answer: Who’s going to shell out $40,000 for a two-seat Porsche Boxster? “Singles, there are lots of singles that have $40,000 to spend on a fun-to-drive car,” says Fred Schwab, president of Porsche North America.
Signs of Saturn’s times: A couple of signs at Saturn’s Detroit Auto Show exhibit are coming to Chicago.One reads: “A used car is a new car to the person buying it so why sell it differently.”
The other reads: “Except for auctioneers, we don’t think many people like haggling over price.”
Mercedes’ ute: Michael Bassermann, president of Mercedes-Benz of North America, says the automaker has built 75 M-Class sport-utility vehicles at its Alabama assembly plant for testing before its fall launch as a 1998.Bassermann said the M-Class will start in the mid-$30,000s and feature full-time four-wheel-drive, anti-lock brakes, traction control, dual front and side air bags and a new V-6 engine. For now, the important thing, he said, is that “we’re on time and under budget.”
Coupe barometer: Volkswagen will bring its concept CJ coupe to Chicago to determine whether to put the sports model into production. The car, which shares a platform with the Audi A4, features a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine, but could hold a V-6, VW says. By the way, word is that the car is slated to be built for the 1999 model year unless viewers here voice strong opposition.
