Detroit’s loss could be Chicago’s gain. Hyundai cancelled plans to introduce a roadster concept car at Detroit and has rescheduled the debut for the Chicago Auto Show.
Dubbed HR for Hyundai Roadster, this two-seat, mid-engine convertible may be renamed when it is unveiled. Hyundai’s California design staff created the HR.
Chicagoans, however, will have to wait at least a year to see the Mazda RX-8, a four-door sports car powered by a rotary engine and slated for production, probably as a 2003 model. Mazda showed a concept version of the RX-8 in Detroit that is close to production trim, but the car will be in Japan in February. So, it will miss the Chicago show, which runs from Feb. 9 through 18 in McCormick Place South.
The RX-8 borrows styling cues from the two-seat RX-7 sold in Japan. It has four doors, with the two rear doors opening to the rear, a pattern called suicide doors years ago. A new 250-horsepower rotary engine powers the RX-8.
Mazda President Mark Fields wouldn’t estimate a price, though he noted that high prices were blamed for the demise of the RX-7 last sold in the U.S. in 1995, starting at $37,950.
“We learned a lot of lessons from the RX-7,” Fields said. “It’s not going to be the cheapest car. We’re going to make sure it represents good value.”
Asked whether Mazda will bring back the rotary-powered RX-7, Fields said, “You never know.”
Greening of Miata: Mazda will introduce its 10th annual Miata Special Edition in Chicago. This year’s will come in British racing green, the same as the first one and the most popular Special Edition color.
Safety first: The good news is that Volvo will bring its safety concept car to the Chicago show. The SCC sedan (Cars, Jan. 14) comes with an eyeball sensor that automatically adjusts the seat and controls for optimum driver safety once sensors “read” the location of the eyeball.
But the Volvo ACC, a sneak peek concept of what should become the Volvo V90 sport-ute/wagon in two years, will not be shipped to Chicago. By the way, Volvo says there is plenty of room in the lineup for its Cross Country wagon and a production version of the ACC.
Excuse Mini: Ditto the all-new Mini Cooper, which was unveiled in Detroit and will be trucked to the New York Auto Show in April, bypassing Chicago.
“Chicago will be an important market for us, but it won’t go on sale until March of 2002, so we won’t show it in Chicago until just before it goes on sale after next year’s show,” a source confided.
Into the past slowly: Toyota built a large, loyal following among Baby Boomers and is now trying to do the same with younger buyers, using as drawing cards models such as the Celica sports coupe and the 2002 Matrix, a car-based hatchback with sport-ute elements. With that in mind, don’t look for any retro-styled models like the Chrysler PT Cruiser from Toyota.
“Most of the people buying the PT Cruiser are 50. We want their kids for the Matrix,” said Jim Press, Toyota’s chief operating officer in the U.S. “We recognize the future instead of the past.”
A survey by Polk, which studies who buys what, says two-thirds of PT Cruiser buyers are 45 or older and 92 percent are 35 or older. Toyota redesigned the Celica last year and cut the price. The result, Toyota says, is that the average buyer age has dropped 10 years to 32.
Price tag: Toyota said its new 2001 Highlander, a version of the RX300 sold by its Lexus luxury division, will start at $23,515 for the 4×2 model with 4-cylinder engine to $26,495 for the top-of-the-line 4×4 with V-6. Highlander goes on sale this month.
Up and up: BMW says it won’t repeat last year’s 22 percent sales increase, but North American Chief Executive Tom Purvis thinks it will sell more than the record 189,423 vehicles it rang up in 2000.
“We intend to have another good year,” Purvis said. “The economic circumstances are very different now than they were a year ago, but there is still very strong demand for our cars.”
Fewer prospective buyers are kicking tires in BMW showrooms, Purvis said, “so we clearly are not immune to economic circumstances.” Sales have not fallen, however, partly because 30 percent of the cars imported from Germany are pre-sold.
“Traditionally, BMW lags downturns in the market. Many of our buyers have waited a while for the long-heralded prize they ordered, and they aren’t going to cancel it just because of some bad economic news,” he said. “With our strong residuals, a BMW is a good investment, a sensible use of money.”
In gear: BMW sells more manual transmissions than other luxury brands, some of which offer nothing but automatic transmissions. About one-third of its 3-Series models and a higher number of its Z3 sports cars are sold with manual.
“Our customers tend to be very action-oriented. They’re players rather than spectators,” said Purvis. “That fits hand-in-hand with wanting to change your own gears. Americans fall into two categories–drivers and riders. We have a lot of drivers, and they typically want a manual gearbox.”
Coupe du jour: BMW unveiled the X Coupe concept, a sports car whose styling hints at the X3, a smaller all-wheel-drive mode that will be based on the X5 SUV.
BMW also showed the Z9 concept, a 2+2 convertible with an integrated, single control that operates multiple comfort, convenience and entertainment functions. Called iDrive, the mouse-like controller will be seen on production models in the future.
Wanted: “Sweaty, dirty, young guys with a lot of attitude” for the Model X, a sport-utility concept Honda aims at men under 25 who are into extreme sports, camping and other outdoor activities.
The all-wheel-drive Model X has rear doors that swing open to the rear, a rear window that slides into the tailgate and a rear roof section that slides forward for easier loading of surfboards, bikes and other gear. Chief designer Eric Schumaker says it combines the features of a pickup and a sport-utility and is roomy enough to serve as a “dorm room on wheels.”
“You can load up all your stuff, live in it for two or three days and wash it out when you’re done,” said Schumaker, whose design team conceived the idea at the X Games in 1998.
Honda’s research found that young men like to travel in packs and are attracted to the box-like appearance of the Model X, whose styling was partly inspired by a lifeguard station.
“Style is for their parents,” he said. “These guys want a tall, functional vehicle. The styling is driven by the function, and it is very upright and commodious inside.”
The rear seats can face rearward or fold down to create a bed, and the floor and side interior panels are washable.
Tom Elliott, executive vice president of American Honda, said Model X would be built in the U.S. on an existing platform if it is approved for production, probably for 2004. The price target is less than $20,000, and Elliott said it is designed to fit a lifestyle, not a small budget.
“It has a lot of potential. We’re very serious about it,” said Elliott. “It’s already been well received in several focus groups. We will see what kind of reaction it gets at the auto shows, and we’ll decide on production in about a year.”
One potential stumbling block is that Model X has no center roof pillars, making it questionable whether the vehicle can meet federal side-impact standards.
“We would have to have a lot of discussion about the safety aspects before we would go ahead with it,” Elliott said.
Active young men were picked as the target because they showed the most need and desire for a vehicle like Model X.
“Men do not buy cars designed for women,” he said. “We sell cars equally, so if women like it, that’s fine.”
Bentley on track: Bentley proudly unveiled a new machine it boasted “is noisy, cramped, uncomfortable and comes without air bags, navigation system or cupholders but is the most important Bentley in 70 years.”
The vehicle? The EXP Speed 8, powered by a twin turbo 3.6 liter V-8, marks Bentley’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance racing. Know what they say? “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.”
“It was the heat of competition that forged the Bentley legend and will advance the legend,” said Tony Gott, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Bentley Motor Cars.
Gott said Bentley is preparing for its separation from Rolls-Royce in two years, when Rolls becomes part of BMW and Bentley remains with its sister company Audi.
Gott said Bentley is investing $800 million in vehicle development for its Crewe plant in England in preparation for the launch of lower-priced, midsize luxury cars.
“This line represents new territory in terms of category, size and price for Bentley, but won’t be compromised on the attributes for which Bentley is known–performance, luxury, and handcraftsmanship,” he said.
Sexy Sabia: Show of hands please. Yup, as expected, the best looking concept vehicle unveiled by General Motors at the Detroit Auto Show was the Sabia, a four-door sport-utility coupe about the size of a Chevy Cavalier with a small pickup bed.
GM said if built, Sabia, which was designed and developed by GM do Brasil, would be marketed in Latin America, Europe, and North America.
Unlike the Chevrolet SSR two seater pickup truck that has been earmarked for production in the 2003 model year and focuses on performance, Sabia is aimed as a daily commuter that can hold up to four as well as their gear in the rear pickup bed. SSR is more truck than car, Sabia more car than truck, GM officials said.
There are no plans to bring the front-wheel-drive Sabia to the Chicago Auto Show.
