After years of doing bit parts at major auto shows while Ford and Chrysler played the leading roles, General Motors is acting like the world’s largest car company again, grabbing the spotlight at the Chicago Auto Show.
GM will reveal two future Pontiac models to the media Thursday, after showing restyled versions of its full-size pickups Wednesday and announcing several new features for its big trucks.
Saturn is using the auto show to unveil styling upgrades to its 2003 midsize L-Series sedan and wagon introduced for 2000.
The ’03 L-Series, which goes on sale in the summer, has a higher hood to eliminate a sloping, wedge-shape look and make room for a larger grille. Other changes include bigger headlamps, revised taillamps and body coloring for the black rocker panels and lower front and rear fascia.
All the GM vehicles will be at McCormick Place South when the show opens to the public Friday, along with three concept cars revealed earlier this week, the Pontiac Bonneville G/XP, GMC Terra4 and Saturn Sky.
Pontiac’s introductions include a restyled 2003 Sunfire, which will come only as a coupe, and a preview of the 2004 Grand Prix’s styling with the G-Force show car. They were introduced in Chicago because this is Pontiac’s second-largest market, after Detroit, and No. 1 for the Sunfire and Grand Prix.
The Sunfire has a new front end with cat’s-eye headlights and a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engine that achieves 140 horsepower, 25 more than the current model.
The G-Force show car indicates the sleeker look and forward wedge shape the 2004 Grand Prix will take, says Bob Kraut, brand manager for the Grand Prix and Bonneville.
Kraut describes the four-door G-Force’s styling as “clean, athletic and lean,” reflecting Pontiac’s new design direction that does away with lower-body cladding and thick side moldings, and said it continues the “four-door coupe” look of the current generation.
The G-Force name comes from the car’s road-holding in skidpad tests, 0.85G. As a result of research clinics with Grand Prix owners and intenders, the next generation will have more agile handling but a smoother ride.
“Our customers say they want to feel the road, they want feedback and a firm ride, but they also want a compliant ride,” Kraut said. “You can expect more compliance in the future.”
The G-Force has steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles for the automatic transmission, a feature derived from Formula 1 race cars that Kraut says is being considered for production. The touch controls provide faster shifts than similar setups in competing cars, Kraut adds.
Pontiac also will unveil the Bonneville G/XP concept Thursday, which has a customized look inspired by “tuner” cars in the street-racer movie “The Fast and the Furious.” The difference with the Bonneville is that it is a full-size domestic sedan, and “tuner” cars are usually imported compacts. Hence, the G/XP was internally dubbed “Big Tuna.”
G/XP denotes G-body, GM’s code for the Bonneville’s front-wheel-drive platform, and experimental production. The idea behind the G/XP was to create a custom car to offer to television shows to generate exposure for the Bonneville, but Kraut says production may become a reality.
“Our management took a look at this and thought it sits well with the future of Pontiac,” Kraut said. “I think our plans are a little bigger now. There is potential for a limited production model based on the G/XP.”
Last year, GM sold more trucks than Ford for the first time in seven years, and it keeps the pressure on with changes to its 2003 full-size models.
New front styling on the Chevrolet Silverado pickup resembles that of the Chevy Avalanche and TrailBlazer, and the GMC Sierra’s new face is like the Envoy’s and recent GMC concept vehicles.
Quadrasteer, the four-wheel-steering system introduced on the 2002 Sierra Denali, will become optional this spring on 2002 Silverado and Sierra extended-cab models. Next fall, it becomes available on 1500-series crew cabs and three-quarter-ton versions of the Chevy Suburban and GMC Yukon XL, GM’s largest sport-utilities.
Power adjustable pedals and the StabiliTrak anti-skid system will be optional on all 2003 GM full-size SUVs, which also include the Avalanche, Chevy Tahoe, Yukon and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade EXT.
Full-size pickups and SUVs will get standard front air bags that deploy at one of two levels based on crash severity. All models also get passenger-seat weight and position sensors that disable the air bag if a child or small adult is the occupant.
Interior changes include new stereos with XM satellite radio capability and new dashboard controls, seats, center console and dual-zone climate system. Among new options are a DVD rear-seat entertainment system for crew cabs and a Bose sound system, a first for a full-size pickup.
GM redesigned the Silverado and Sierra for 1999, and its full-size SUVs the next year. Gary White, the vehicle line executive in charge of GM’s full-size trucks, said the extensive changes were made to maintain GM’s sales momentum in a cutthroat market.
“With what we saw coming from some of our competitors, we thought we should get into a pre-emptive mode,” White said.
The rest of the Rams
Trucks outsold cars for the first time in 2001, and other manufacturers are introducing new hardware this week at the auto show to compete with GM.
Dodge rolled out a redesigned Ram 1500 half-ton pickup in Chicago last year and rounded out the lineup Wednesday with the 2500- and 3500-series models designed for heavier lifting. The heavy-duty versions go on sale next fall as 2003 models available in two-door regular cab and four-door Quad Cab styling.
Two new engines are available in the HD models, a 5.7-liter, 345-h.p. V-8 and a 5.9-liter, 305-h.p. 6-cylinder turbodiesel. Dodge says the Cummins turbodiesel gives its HD models greater trailer-towing capacity than GM or Ford.
Tundra line grows
Toyota previewed the look of the 2003 Tundra Stepside model it will add to its full-size pickup lineup next year. The Stepside show truck has bulging rear fenders, taillamps that extend over the rear wheel arches, a deeper cargo bed than regular models (19 inches instead of 17) and a larger grille that extends into the front bumper.
Room for one more?
Given the soaring popularity of SUVs, it wouldn’t be an auto show without at least one new one. Kia obliges with the 2003 Sorento, a truck-based model that is larger than the Sportage and designed for off-road use.
The Sorento will be available with rear-wheel-drive and two four-wheel-drive systems; one engages by an interior switch and the other engages automatically when there is wheel slip. Hyundai owns Kia and lends its 3.5-liter V-6 engine to the Sorento. The Hyundai Santa Fe, a car-based SUV, uses the same engine.
For those who have lost count, the Sorento becomes the 62nd SUV available in the U.S., using a liberal definition of the term that includes car-based models.
More refined Forester
Subaru took the cover off the 2003 Forester, the second generation of this car-based SUV that goes on sale in late May. Like the current model, the new Forester is built off the Impreza platform. Subaru bills the styling as a “cleaner, more refined look.”
Two models will be offered, the 2.5 X and 2.5 XS, both with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. Models with the 5-speed manual will have Subaru’s Hill Holder clutch, which prevents the vehicle from rolling on inclines. Subaru has not offered the Hill Holder since 1994.
More powerful Cobra
On the car side, Ford unveils Thursday the 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra, which gains a supercharger and 70 h.p. compared to the 2001 model (there is no 2002). The Cobra’s 4.6-liter V-8 now produces 390 h.p. teamed with a new six-speed manual.
The limited-production Cobra, available as a coupe and convertible, is prepared by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, which nicknamed the car the “Terminator.”
Across the aisle from Ford, Mercury shows the Marauder convertible concept, which could become a running mate for the 2003 Marauder sedan that goes on sale in early summer. Both are sporty spinoffs of the Grand Marquis.
Spiffing up the Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse coupe and Spyder convertible, built in downstate Illinois, get new front and rear styling for 2003 and a new GTS price level that includes 17-inch wheels, leather seats, a six-disc in-dash CD player, side air bags and anti-lock brakes. A variable intake system boosts horsepower on the 3-liter V-6 engine by five, to 210.
