Since the US "Big Three" automotive companies have been in dire straits, this year's motor show was a pale shadow of its former self.
General Motors and Chrysler are cutting staff salaries and have laid-off thousands of employees. People are leaving Detroit by the hundreds and there is a huge increase in unemployment due to the auto-makers financial woes. But life, as they say, goes on...and so will the automotive industry. It may just take a while to recover.
Several of the high-end sports car makers, including Porsche, Ferrari and Rolls Royce discreetly and tactfully pulled out of this year's show. However, Lamborghini was there; stick-thin models smiling seductively alongside the gleaming rich boys' toys, and Bentley were showing-off their £146,000 deluxe convertible featuring massage chairs and a lockable ski cabinet in the boot. Volvo launched its S60 concept, which is a new range of saloons being produced by the Swedish car maker.
Due to the fact that there were a dozen or so manufacturers absent from the show this year there was a lot of room to fill up downstairs. The organizers of the show put in a test track which allowed visitors to try electric cars. They had set up an elaborate landscape of tropical trees, shrubs and waterfalls.
Even though Chrysler is teetering on the brink of financial disaster they came up with some unusual ideas for dashboard gizmos. They displayed a concept car that had "vehicle networking" which will allow you to link up with your driving buddies. There is a map on the dashboard that will show you the location of your friends and will direct you to them and also allow you to instant message each other.
The Chrysler concept dashboard also had a "teen setting" which allows parents to keep track of young drivers by limiting their speed and the distance they can travel from home. It will even alert the parents if the movement of the vehicle their teenager is driving becomes erratic.
The trend seen at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show was definitely all about "green". There was a huge emphasis on protecting the environment and more innovative concepts by using electric power. Several manufacturers displayed their "green" cars, including:
Mercedes BlueZero
Has three concept cars based around platforms that experiment with using electric power. Each one of the concepts has a different way of getting the electricity to the engine. They are the E-cell which is purely battery operated, the F-cell is a fuel cell and the E-cell plus is a small hybrid.
Honda Insight
The Honda Insight which claims to be the world's cheapest hybrid will have a 1.4-litre petrol engine which will run along side of an electric motor. It is expected to become the biggest selling hybrid.
Lexus HS250h hybrid
This is a front wheel drive hybrid with a 2.4 litre engine for more power. The interior is full of high-tech gadgets and top-end driver aids.
Fisker Karma
The production model makes its debut this year after showing the concept Karma at last year's show. It has new interior and a touch screen much like the new BlackBerry. It has a 2.4 litre engine that runs alongside a 22.6KW motor.
Even though the main theme was all about green, there were some quick and sporty vehicles there too, including:
Audi R8 V10
This car will do 0 to 60mph in 3.9 seconds and tops out at 196mph. It has all LED headlights, bigger sideblades and a new diffuser.
VW Concept Bluesport
It is a lightweight mid-engine roadster with 180bhp diesel power from Volkswagen. The manufactures are hoping to put this vehicle into production very soon.
Ford Shelby GT500
This new 540bhp Shelby is available in hard-top or convertible and there are more curves added to the distinctive Mustang shape and a sleeker rear end. It has been sharpened up in the handling department and it's the most powerful production Mustang ever.
This year the Detroit Motor Show's atmosphere had an emphasis on showing off future fuel saving and safety concepts rather than glitz and glamour. Even though the main theme was "green," there was also plenty of interesting and sporty vehicles as well. Everyone is hoping for a positive turn-around in the US and global auto industry and that next year's show (or, more realistically, the year afters') will be back to being bigger than before!
If you are thinking of buying a new petrol, diesel, diesel turbo, battery, duel fuel, petrol hybrid or even diesel hybrid fuel cell vehicle then you should carefully consider the merits of buying GAP insurance to protect yourself from the losses new car owners experience due to depreciation. For a free no obligation quote click on our main menu quote button or phone us on 0844 357 8300 (Maximum call charge from a BT landline is 5p a minute. Calls from other networks may vary) quote for gap insurance.
For more information on how you can easily buy gap insurance for your new car even if they offer to sell you their own dealership gap insurance policy click on the orange link.
Copyright © 2008 Click4Gap |
