Manufacturers dare to be optimistic in decaying city

For the first time, eco-motors have pushed muscle cars to the fringes at the US motor industry's showcase – and car-makers appear to be preparing their product portfolios for sales growth, writes MICHAEL MCALEER, Motoring Editor, in Detroit

FOR THE last three years the mood at the Detroit motor show mimicked the bitter winter weather and urban decay of its host city. Attending the show was a penance rather than a pleasure.

The greatest surprise at this year’s show is not the new metal, or the sudden eco-awareness of US brands, but an unusual air of cautious confidence about the future.

Two years after obituaries for General Motors and Chrysler were being penned, hope seems to have returned. The two companies are taking tentative steps on the road to recovery, while Ford, which didn’t need US-government assistance, is strengthening its position at home and abroad and watching its share price steadily rise as a result.

As for the show itself, what was once the Mecca for fans of gurgling V8 engines has seemingly embraced eco-motoring with a fundamentalist zeal. Eco-models are no longer token symbols dotted along the periphery of the show floor: they have taken centre stage. It’s the muscle cars and trucks that are now hidden on the fringes.

Petrolheads need not be too despondent however. While the show purports to reveal a clean green future for US motoring, the streets outside are still filled with big-engined pick-ups and SUVs. The car firms might be eager to show themselves turning over a clean new leaf, but the US public still seems some way off buying into the plan. Executives speak of trends towards eco-motoring, but this is largely led by the coastal states to the east and west. In the landlocked states of middle America, the V8 and its ilk still rule the roads.

Yet there’s no mistaking the show’s definite green hue. And the difference between this show and previous ones is that there is real-life metal product on display instead of simply idealistic plans or promises.

Ford exemplifies the seachange in attitude. While the blue oval badge has always been economically focused in international markets, at home it’s still the badge of pick-ups and father of the Mustang.

It used this week’s show to unveil a host of hybrid and electric vehicles that are going into production this year for sale both here and on global markets. The imminent arrival of the new Focus range to global markets this spring is to be followed up with a new all-electric version of the car, due for launch in the US later this year. It will make its way to European markets in due course and promises to be a serious rival to the Nissan Leaf. It manages a full-electric range of 160km on a single charge and claims a significant advantage over its Japanese rival as it will take three or four hours from a regular electric plug socket, half the time that’s claimed for the Leaf. Alongside the electric Focus there will be a petrol-hybrid version of the recently launched C-Max range, followed by a plug-in hybrid version of the same car.

Toyota meanwhile, showcased an expanded Prius range, with new additions to its hybrid family, including an estate or small people carrier version to be called the Prius V. Due for sale this summer in the US, it will make its way to Ireland for the end of 2012. The new Prius V is a five-seater family car with nearly 1,000 litres of bootspace, a 50 per cent increase on the current Prius model. It’s powered by a 1.8-litre 98bhp petrol engine combined with an 80bhp electric motor. This will be followed by a production version of the supermini hybrid Prius C concept, also revealed at Detroit on Monday. In all, Toyota plans to introduce 11 new models to its hybrid line-up in the next few years, seven of which will be entirely new.

For Irish buyers, the first of this onslaught of new or revised hybrids is likely to be the hybrid version of the Auris hatchback, followed by the plug-in Prius that has already been on extensive trials in Ireland for several months.

Among the rest of the eco-cars on show, Audi confirmed production of a hybrid version of its new A6, which attracted a great deal of praise from US counterparts for the quality of its fit and finish, while Porsche, returning to the show for the first time in four years, unveiled a 767bhp hybrid race car concept. It might be discounted as environmental tokenism, but it shows that even the supercar firms are having to adopt green strategic positions for the future.

Electric car-maker Tesla prepared the way for a new saloon car, due to join its current electric sports car in May next year and promising three range options depending on the battery choice, varying from 260km to 400km.

Of course not every car came with a plug or battery attached. Along with its new electric and hybrid cars, Ford revealed its Vertrek concept, signalling the new look for the next generation Kuga, due for launch later this year. It also confirmed production of a new 1-litre petrol engine that’s likely to offer emissions in the region of 100g/km yet powerful enough to work in models like the new Focus, although they have yet to confirm in which models it will be used.

Chrysler, in the midst of a major restructuring under its new owners Fiat – which took over the firm when it joined General Motors in bankruptcy protection in 2009 – showed off its new 300 saloon. Well, in terms of styling it’s not the bold and brash motoring statement of old, with the defining front grille slightly shrunken and the overall effect is less reflective of the US muscle cars that were evoked by the outgoing model. The jury is out on whether this approach will work. Owners liked the fact the car bore some resemblance to a Bentley and that has been lost in the new look. While the current climate has moved away from such bold and brash motoring statements, it was a look that defined the car. Without it – or at least with it softened – it risks losing its identity.

Chrysler’s chief designer, Ralph Gilles said he has been working for six years with his team on coming up with the new 300 and spoke of the real challenges faced by designers when trying to change a definitive model.

Perhaps the most telling example of this problem was in his description of the revised wheel arches as being “bolder and reserved”. It sums up the seeming confusion over what the 300 is meant to represent for the brand.

One of the surprising star attractions at the show was the new Hyundai Veloster, a funky new coupé model with a rather odd format of one door on the driver’s side and two on the passenger’s. Something similar was tried by Mini with its Clubman with limited success, but whereas the Mini has a small rear-hinged door, the Veloster has a proper rear door. It will also produce two different bodies for left and right-hand drive versions, overcoming one of the criticisms of the Clubman in that it left the door on the right side for right-hand drive markets, meaning that backseat passengers exited into traffic rather than onto the pavement.

It’s a smart little package that was the talking point of many at the show and is due in Europe at the end of this year, following its US launch this summer. Irish buyers can probably expect to see it arrive in November. The new coupé will also feature Hyundai’s dual-clutch DSG six-speed automatic gearbox, alongside a more standard six-speed manual. The engine line-up for Europe has not been confirmed but expect both diesel and petrol models to go on sale. The car features a new 1.6-litre petrol engine with either 140bhp or 208bhp. It’s destined to compete with the likes of the VW Scirocco and Renault Megane Coupé, but is expected to have a price advantage over both.

While car executives remain cautious about suggesting an industry-wide recovery too early, new car and SUV/pick-up sales in the US last year were up 11 per cent, albeit on a rather dismal 2009.

The US auto industry is still far from the heady days of 2006, but there are signals that the car firms are preparing their product portfolios for sales growth.

The last two years saw a Paulian shift in attitudes at the US car giants, in many ways taking on board the interests and concerns that dominate European and Asian markets. From better quality interiors to sharper handling cars, the priorities have changed as the firm’s seek to reinvent themselves as more eco-conscious corporate citizens and defend their turf against European and Asian brands. Time will tell if this will be reflected on the streets of Detroit or whether it’s reserved for the publicity personas on the motor show floor.