What To Check Out At the Show

Automotive Industries, Dec, 1999

The 2000 North American International Auto Show provides a wealth of information on future vehicles

It started last year.

Vehicles showed up at the North American International Auto Show that defied definition.

Like the Chrysler PT Cruiser. It looks like a 1930s Ford sedan delivery but has the room and function of a modern-day minivan. DaimlerChrysler announced at last year's show this vehicle would go into production in 2000. Even so, most people found themselves stumped to describe it. Taking advantage of the PR opportunity, DaimlerChrysler AG Chairman Bob Eaton called the PT "too cool to categorize" at its unveiling.

At its exhibit last year, Ford unveiled the Explorer Sport Trac and announced it would go into production this model year. The Sport Trac is back at this year's show and is about to go on sale. The argument continues. Is it a sport-utility with a pickup bed or a pickup truck with a bed and extended cab? The debate over vehicle descriptions and categories continues at this year's Detroit show with the debut of more so-called crossover vehicles -- vehicles that cross over into multiple product categories.

The Chevrolet SSR concept will surely stump showgoers. It combines truck exterior styling with a sports car/roadster interior and performance.

Debate also continues on the size of the market for crossover vehicles and which automaker has landed on the winning formula That is, which one has just the right dash of truck or the appropriate measure of car?. Variations on the crossover theme play loudly at the 2000 NAIAS. But so do other millennium issues, including environment, safety and performance.

GM Grabs the Spotlight

As DaimlerChrysler and Ford rolled out dozzling concept vehicles at auto shows in the recent past, General Motors stood on the sidelines. Its dire financial straits early in the decade prompted executives to slash product programs and concept cars and scale back its auto show hoopla.

Not this year.

With its balance sheet back in the black, GM wants the world to know it is pumping investments into new products. It's taking risks with those products, and wants to be known as a leader in product innovation.

To emphasize its innovation and brand management, GM showcases all its vehicles in a 164,456-square-foot, two-level display called The GM Experience. There's an open-air amphitheater with a live stage show and a cafe.

Ford did the same thing last year so all its brands were under the same roof. That strategy proved very successful. Ford has a single display again this year.

To further hype its new image, last October GM showed the press nine concept vehicles that will be introduced at auto shows in Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago and Geneva in the first half of 2000.

Wayne Cherry, GM vice president of design and portfolio development, says GM wants to be the industry leader in product innovation. "Nothing stimulates creativity more than generating concept vehicles to translate ideas into forms," he says. To that end, GM unveils four concept vehicles at Detroit.

The Buick LaCrosse is a luxury sedan with distinct Buick design cues, including its classic grille portholes. But it also has a pickup truck bed under the rear hatch. The rear hatch slides onto the roof and the tailgate goes under the car for loading items in the bed. The electronic hatch, tailgate and doors open and close via voice commands. Virtually no gauges and controls are visible inside and the seats look like side-by-side club chairs. Voice recognition and a computer trackball operate everything but the throttle, brakes and steering. The controls are covered by panels similar to those in Buick's Cielo concept last year. Other interior features include power adjustable passenger footrests and a reconfigurable color head-up display that projects information on the windshield for both the driver and front-seat passenger.

The front-drive Buick, with its 121-inch wheel-base and 201-inch overall length, is powered by a prototype 4.2L, 32-valve twin cam V-8 engine mated to an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission.

"The LaCrosse is an exploration in how to take Buick's heritage forward," says Dave Lyon, Buick's brand character design manager.

The GMC Terradyne is a boldly styled, industrial-grade, full-size pickup track Its extended cab has been pushed far forward to add 7 inches of interior cab space beyond that of a typical full-size GM pickup truck to provide roomy accommodations for five passengers. Yet its overall length is little changed, and the Terradyne, with a 155-inch wheelbase, fits into most garages.

A step electronically lowers like those on many motor homes to allow easy entry to the vehicle. The center pillar between the front and rear seats has been eliminated and doors glide rearward or forward for easy entry. The rear seats can be reconfigured for various seating accommodations.

Inside, the Terradyne is outfitted with storage bins, an overhead console, electronic analog gauges and steering wheel controls. Its console-mounted laptop computer and 110-volt power outlets transform the truck interior into a mobile office.