After years of talking about so-called hybrid, or crossover, vehicles that blend the best features of cars, trucks, vans and sport-utilities into one machine, General Motors has brought two examples to the Chicago Auto Show, the Buick Rendezvous and Pontiac Aztek.
Expect more soon.
Rendezvous, Buick’s first truck-based vehicle in 80 years, is making its public debut at the show, and the wraps were taken off Aztek for the media late last year (Cars, Oct. 21) before its public intro at the Detroit Auto Show last month.
Rendezvous goes on sale in the first quarter of 2001 as a 2002 model and Aztek bows this summer as a 2001.
Both are built off GM’s mini-van platform yet each has its own personality. Aztek is a youth-oriented runabout; Rendezvous a luxury touring sedan.
Rendezvous looks a lot like a Lexus RX300, a design distinction meant to take advantage of the fact the RX300, which looks like a sport-ute but acts like a sedan/wagon, is one of the most in-demand vehicles.
Rendezvous holds up to seven people with its optional third-row seat. Or the seats can be folded to hold more cargo.
Rendezvous comes in base front-wheel-drive CX and top-of-the-line Versatrak all-wheel-drive CLX versions. Versatrak is an option in the CX, along with traction control.
Versatrak is an on-demand system that goes to work to prevent wheel slippage when needed. A 3.4-liter, 185 horsepower V-6 provides the power. Anti-lock brakes and dual front and side air bags are standard.
Rendezvous also has space on the center console to hold a laptop computer, a special area to hold a purse and a charger for a cell phone and the ability to hold 4×8 panels in the cargo hold.
– Also making its public debut in Chicago is the 2001 Dodge Stratus sedan and coupe, the sedan a makeover of the current Stratus; the coupe a redesign as well as a new name for the Dodge Avenger, built for DaimlerChrysler by Mitsubishi in Normal, Ill., off the same platform as the Galant and Eclipse.
DaimlerChrysler is adopting a Stratus nameplate for coupe and sedan to identify both cars in the same family. Besides, Dodge says, Stratus scores higher in name recognition than Avenger.
The Stratus coupe will offer air conditioning, power windows/locks/mirrors, AM/FM stereo with cassette and 16-inch tires as standard.
The Stratus sedan takes on more of the Dodge performance look with such features as wheel flares, Viper-like headlamps and 16-inch chrome wheels.
In the coupe, the 2.5-liter, 163-h.p. V-6 will be replaced by a 3-liter, 200-h.p. V-6 and the 2-liter, 140-h.p. 4-cylinder will be replaced by a 2.4-liter, 147-h.p. 4. Autostick will be offered with the V-6 along with 17-inch radials, R/T handling suspension and anti-lock brakes with traction control.
Stratus sedan gets D/C’s 2.7- liter, 200-h.p. V-6, a 32-h.p. increase from the 2.5-liter V-6 now in the car, and the 2.4-liter 4 replaces the 2-liter 4 now in the car.
The sedan also will add side-impact curtains to protect front and rear seat occupants as well as added standard equipment that includes power windows/locks/ mirrors, four-wheel disc brakes and AM/FM stereo with cassette.
– Nissan introduced the compact Frontier pickup truck in 1998, in 4-cylinder version only, and then added a V-6 in ’99 and a four-door Crew Cab in 2000, along with a derivative called the Xterra sport-utility vehicle.
For 2001, Frontier gets a makeover, which is on display at the auto show.
Nissan says the 2001 Frontier coming out late summer/early fall will offer an optional supercharged version of its 3.3-liter V-6 that bumps the normal 170 h.p. up to more than 200 h.p.
Because Xterra is built off the same platform, expect the supercharged V-6 in that SUV soon.
– Chevrolet has come up with a crew-cab version of its compact S-10 pickup with four doors that open in the swing-out fashion. The 2001 Crew Cab being unveiled at the show goes on sale this fall.
Crew Cab comes with a rear bench seat and seating for five.
Chevy will continue to offer the three-door S-10 that comes with a driver-side rear access door that swings back to open and has a fold-down jump seat in back rather than a bench.
Crew Cab comes with push-button Insta-Trac four-wheel-drive as standard with a 4WD low gear for climbing steep grades or driving through deep snow or mud, an “increased capacity” suspension and Chevy’s 4.3-liter V-6 with 4-speed automatic.
The compact Chevy Blazer is built off the S-10 platform and gets a redesign (and name–TrailBlazer) for 2002 along with the Oldsmobile Bravada and GMC Envoy (Jimmy name dropped) that share the same platform.
– Toyota has its new Tacoma Double Cab at the auto show, a crew-cab version of its compact pickup with four swing-out doors. It will come in 4×2 or 4×4 (with V-6 only). The Double Cab goes on sale this fall as a 2001 to join the full-size Tundra and Tundra Access Cab four-door pickups, the latter giving Toyota the platform for a sport-utility called Sequoia that’s also at the show and comes out this fall.
Toyota also has a “concept” Celica convertible at the show based on the all-new 2000 Celica GT-S liftback. Though Toyota is mum, look for concept to become reality for the 2002 model year.
The “Ultimate” Celica is also at the show, a venture by Toyota, Rod Millen Motorsports and Toyota Racing powered by a 2-liter, 500-h.p. 4-cylinder engine teamed with 5-speed manual and featuring all-wheel-drive.
– Mazda brought the 3-liter V-6 Nextourer concept to Chicago.
Nextourer is a long-roof cross between a station wagon, mini-van and sedan with front-wheel-drive.
Noteworthy features include controls in the center of the instrument panel above the center console where you find storage for laptop computer, a driver information center featuring warnings if you wander into the wrong lane or approach a curve too fast and a pop-up navigation screen.
There’s also power reclining front and rear seats, air conditioning outlets in the roof/heat outlets in the floor, fold-flat rear seat to increase cargo room, a two-piece folding hatchlid in which the lower half lifts and folds like a trunk lid and then the entire lid lifts if you need more loading/unloading access, automatic height control when getting in or out and a six-inch pop-up entertainment system screen for rear-seat occupants to watch TV or play video games with access to the Internet and e-mail.
Mazda introduced the Miata roadster to the public at the Chicago Auto Show in 1989 and since then has used Chicago to unveil new or updated Miatas, including this year’s Special Edition 2000 model that goes on sale in the spring with a standard 6-speed manual, limited-slip differential, mahogany (dark brown) exterior with beige convertible top and beige leather and Nardi dark wood trim.
– Kia of South Korea, new partner of Hyundai Motors, has unveiled the Kia Rio, a subcompact, entry-level (less than $10,000 when it comes out this summer as a 2001) sedan powered by a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine.
Last month Kia, introduced the Spectra, a hatchback sedan that comes out this spring as a 2000 model powered by a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder, at the Detroit Auto Show.
Rio is built off the same platform as the Aspire that replaced the Festiva once sold by Ford; Spectra off the same platform as the Kia Sephia sedan.
Kia’s lineup expands to the Rio, Sephia, Spectra and, later this year, a midsize 2001 model sedan code named the MS that will be the biggest vehicle in its lineup and the first powered by a V-6. It’s not at the show.
Kia and Hyundai will share the MS sedan, which Hyundai is calling the XG and which is at the show. It comes out this fall.
Other vehicles planned by Kia include a Sedona mini-van in 2002 and a sport-utility larger than its current Sportage hardtop and convertible for 2003.
Kia sold 135,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year, forecasts sales of 160,000 this year and “we’re inching up on 200,000 with the MS sedan the last piece of the puzzle,” said Kia spokesman Geno Effler.
– In addition to the XG sedan, Hyundai is using Chicago to debut the HCD-5, or CrossTour– what it dubs a “triple-utility vehicle” in that the four-door is part wagon, part sedan and part sport-utility, based on the Sonata platform that can be offered with front- or all-wheel-drive.
It has the in-demand gimmicks anticipated for the near future, such as leather briefcases built into the front door panels (where Pontiac Aztek has removable back packs), Internet access, pop-up TV-video game screen/navigation system, built-in bike holders in the rear seat backs, a rear hatch in which the glass slips up into the roof to provide access to the cargo hold and side doors that swing out in traditional fashion up front and in what had been called “suicide door” fashion in back.
The front-drive XG sedan at the show is built off a stretch of the Sonata platform, is powered by a 3-liter V-6 with 5-speed automatic and will be priced in the $22,000 to $24,000 range in the U.S., where the only option will be a power sunroof.
Hyundai also brought the Equus sedan to Chicago, a full-size V-6 and V-8 luxury sedan now on sale in South Korea. It is much larger than Sonata or the XG, with roughly the dimensions of a Cadillac Eldorado. Hyundai has no plans to market in the U.S.–for now.
Also at the show is Hyundai’s Santa Fe, a sport-ute built off the Sonata platform. It goes on sale this summer as a 2001 model larger than a Honda CR-V. Santa Fe is powered by 4 or V-6 engines and features all-wheel-drive.
– Volkswagen planned to ship its AAC, or All Activity Concept, back to Germany after its Detroit Auto Show debut but chose to bring it here to gauge public reaction to what, in a few years, will be VW’s first pickup.
While the AAC looks like an extended-cab pickup with a short cargo bed, it is the basis for VW’s sport-utility vehicle coming out in 2002 in cooperation with Porsche.
Insiders say the trck will arrive a year after the SUV.
The AAC is powered by a 313- h.p., turbocharged, V-10, diesel engine. But the production versions will have tamer powerplants, insiders say.
VW was to bring the Dune, a concept of a Beetle dune-buggy conversion, to Chicago but changed its mind to encourage visitors to focus on the AAC. Consumers will have to settle for a Beetle convertible in 2002 instead.
– No crew cab from Ford for its redesigned compact 2001 Ranger coming out this fall, but a major change is coming from the addition of a higher-output 4-liter, 200-h.p. V-6 to replace the 160-h.p. version of the 4-liter now offered. Rather than four swing-out doors, Ranger will offer a pair of swing-back rear access doors–for now.
Also, Ford adds “The Edge” version of the Ranger for 2001 offering 4×4 or 4×2 models, both featuring the look of a 4×4 with raised stance and large tires.
