Where’s Waldo? The Detroit show floor will be completely new this year, its first major renovation in five years.
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It will be one of an expected 750 new vehicles at the show, which is predicted to draw more than 800,000 patrons over a nine-day period, starting on Saturday, at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit.
In the short run, though, the strain will show as automakers work to keep vehicles fresh, comply with new regulatory demands for cleaner cars and fend off challenges from Silicon Valley disrupters such as the Uber ride sharing service. “Before the days of high-tech, automakers drew attention with models posing as hood ornaments and “a thirty-minute musical revue” called “‘America on the Move”, repeated six times daily.
“We are not going to get discouraged”, Fields said at the Automotive News World Congress. “We are going to focus on the things that drive value creation in our business”. As the pressure on manufacturers to meet tight emissions deadlines tightens, the number of hybrids and electric cars on display has grown.
The Volkswagen pollution-cheating scandal overshadowed an otherwise exuberant mood as the Detroit auto show opened Monday amid record United States sales. “We’re just saying this is the best one that’s out there”. It will replace the Town and Country later this spring and, eventually, the Dodge Caravan. It will have the most room in the segment – it has seating for eight passengers – but the Hybrid model won’t have the complete stow-and-go feature that was a hit with previous incarnations because the batteries will be stored underneath the second row of seats. Three engine choices will be available, including a four-cylinder, 2.0 liter turbocharged and supercharged engine and a plug-in hybrid.
At General Motors Co, the focal point of Detroit’s bailout, pickups and SUVs accounted for almost 70 percent of last year’s sales. With China’s market uncertain and USA vehicle sales at a peak, “more investors will say it’s a pretty good time to sell” automaker shares, he said.
But there’s been a noticeable lack of “buzz” sp far this year and while some suggested that last week’s CES technology show in Las Vegas might have taken some of the shine off Detroit, one Canadian automaker president put it down simply to the thrill being either gone or declining.
“Last year, the overall market was flat, but we grew more than 13 percent, because the automobile depends on the market development if you have a product based on listening to customers”, Zetsche said. “We are already exploring new territory”.
“We are seeing a Detroit show now that reflects global realities”, he said. The Bolt EV – treated as the first mass-market electric auto with a long range – has a 60 kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor that churns out a respectable power – 200 horsepower and up to 266 pound-feet of torque.
“Luxury has benefited tremendously from the current environment”, said Akshay Anand, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book.
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Shortly before the show started this week, electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) introduced a “Summon” self-parking function for Model S and Model X owners. Volvo’s new S90 sedan has standard semi-autonomous technology that lets the auto accelerate, decelerate, come to a complete stop and steer on a road with clear lane markings at speeds up to 80 miles per hour.
