Detroit Auto Show
*BMW is rolling out the sleek X6, a 1-Series convertible and two new diesel models at the Detroit Auto Show Sunday. The 2009 X6, a four-door crossover with coupe-like styling (BMW calls it a “sports activity coupe”) that goes on sale in April, will come as the xDrive 35i with a 300-horsepower, turbocharged 6-cylinder and the xDrive 50i with a 4.4-liter, 450-h.p., twin-turbo V-8. Both will have standard all-wheel-drive. The 128i convertible, which has a power soft top, will arrive in May after the 1-Series coupe. The diesel models, which BMW says will be available in all states starting in fall, are the 335d sedan and X5 xDrive35d SUV, both with a 3-liter twin-turbo 6-cylinder that produces 265 h.p. BMW estimates the 335d’s EPA ratings will be 23 m.p.g. city and 33 highway and the xDrive35 will get 19/25.
*Saturn will unveil a gas/electric Vue at the Detroit Auto Show that it expects will receive fuel economy ratings up to 50 percent higher than current Vue V-6 models. V-6 versions of the Vue are rated at 19 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving. Saturn has not determined EPA estimates for the Vue Hybrid, but a 50 percent increase would put it around 28 m.p.g., same as the Vue Green Line. The Green Line has a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and a “mild hybrid” system with an electric motor/generator that provides more power during acceleration shuts off the engine at idle and captures electrical energy through regenerative braking. Sales of the 2009 Vue Hybrid with the two-mode system are due to begin in the fourth quarter.
*Mercedes-Benz will go head-to-head against the BMW X3 with the GLK, a compact crossover due early in 2009. Mercedes unveils a concept of it, the Vision GLK, Sunday at the Detroit Auto Show with styling like that of the larger Mercedes GL SUV. The GLK is based on the platform for the C-Class, offered as a sedan in the U.S. Mercedes plans gas and diesel versions in the U.S.
Autos
*Chevrolet will mark the 50th anniversary of the Impala in the spring with a commemorative edition that will include anniversary badges, two-tone leather seats with logos embroidered on the headrests, ebony carpeting and floor mats, a rear spoiler and 18-inch alloy wheels. The anniversary model will be based on the Impala LT, and come in black or red. The price will be announced in the spring. Impala debuted in 1958 as a premium package for the Bel Air and became a stand-alone model the following year.
*General Motors’ latest fuel-cell concept is the Cadillac Provoq, a crossover unveiled this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Provoq uses major design cues from the CTS sedan but packs a hydrogen-powered fuel cell and GM’s E-flex technology, which recharges batteries by plugging into an electrical outlet. It can travel 20 miles on battery power and another 280 on hydrogen. Cadillac hasn’t said where it might fit in the lineup, but Provoq could be a preview of a replacement for the SRX. The concept also has flush door handles and a full-length belly pan to reduce drag. It also has solar roof panels that provide power to ventilate the interior in hot weather.
*Porsche AG will produce a gas/electric Cayenne sport-utility vehicle by 2010 and a hybrid Panamera sedan after that. The Panamera, Porsche’s first sedan, is due in 2009 with a gas engine, but Porsche did not specify when the hybrid would arrive. Cayenne and Panamera will use the same system, which Porsche says will reduce fuel consumption 30 percent. Depending on driving conditions, it will operate in an electric-only mode, gas only or a combination of the two.
Recall
*Pacific Cycle is recalling about 7,000 InStep Pathfinder, Schwinn Run About and Mongoose Alley Cat trailer bicycles because of problems with the welds on the coupler connecting the trailer bike to the adult bike. The trailer bikes were sold between January and August 2007. Call 877-564-2261 or visit www.cpsc.gov, www.instep.net, www.schwinnbikes.com or www.mongoose.com.
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Quick Trips are compiled from the notebook of Rick Popely and from Tribune news services.
