How does a manufacturer go about introducing a new model? Of course there is the obvious design/engineering, (probably) consumer clinics, production engineering, and ultimately manufacturing. But what does the PR department do in the meantime? Let me look at two approaches here to decide which is best. I'm sure that both manufacturers would have plenty of data to make sure that their approach is best, but they sure are different.
First, look at the Pontiac Solstice. At the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, Pontiac showed a concept called the Pontiac Solstice in coupe and convertible form. It was billed by Pontiac as a competitor for the Mazda Miata. Bob Lutz loved it, and so did the press. In the ensuing months, Lutz used incremental new flashes to build his case for production.
The Pontiac Solstice concept that was shown in 2002 at the Detroit show, was shown at the 2003 Los Angeles show. Production was going ahead.
To keep interest up, Pontiac invited journalists to England to drive prototypes in February 2004. A convertible in cold England in February? That doesn't seem too logical, but the press loved the car, even if the cars weren't very finished. Lots of articles got written to further keep enthusiasts aware of the car.
Then at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2005, the production car was shown. Not much attention was given to it, though. No real production date was announced.
So here we are. The car has been in public for years, but GM has no production announcement. When it finally does show up, and I'm assuming it will be in the fall of this year which is too late to sell convertibles to customers to use in the summer, most enthusiasts will greet it with a big yawn(!). Nothing new here now. No real road tests scheduled yet, but get ready, they should be printed in a few months.
This approach worked very well for Lutz when he was with Chrysler (before the Daimler part) and he sheparded through Viper through the approval, design, introduction process. With that car, there was the prototype at the Detroit Auto Show (articles in the press), months later Lutz drove press people around in Arizona (more articles in the press), still months later the press drove prototypes (still more articles in the press), more months later the announcement of the production car at the Detroit Auto Show (yet more articles in the press), and then road tests in the magazines. Through all that hoopla there still was interest and the car sold well, for what it was. So it appears that Lutz thinks this is the right approach for a two-seat roadster. But the Solstice is supposed to sell at three times the volume and one-third the price of the Viper. Does that make any difference?
Now compare this with Honda's approach to new models. Most car manufacturers are secret about their new models (except for the above), but Honda sets standards for secrecy. Their test tracks here and in Japan have strategically place garages so that if planes are sighted, the prototypes can park in covered garages until the plane passes. There will be no spy photos of new Honda vehicles.
Honda showed a concept of the new Acura RL at the New York Auto Show in March 2004. The real thing was road tested and appeared in dealers' showrooms in the September without a formal auto show introduction.
The new Honda pickup, the Ridgeline, used a similar approach. Show the concept, then a year later, show the real thing at this year's Detroit show. An interesting coincidence with this particular introduction is that the concept was shown at the Detroit show in January 2004, then at many other U.S. shows in 2004. The concept was on the floor in Los Angeles at the beginning of the show in January 2005, but as soon as the real production truck was shown in Detroit, the concept was replaced by a production item in Los Angels. This truck is a big deal for Honda, a completely new model for Honda. But there were no leaks, no prototype drives, and no spy shots of production testing.
Or look at Mercedes upcoming S-class. There have been spy photos of disguised cars doing testing on real roads, but no announcement from Mercedes and no concept cars at the auto shows. The real production car is to be shown at the Frankfurt show in September with road tests to follow. Being a German car, it probably will take a few months for the cars to appear in showrooms in the United States.
Mercedes does use concept cars if the new model that is upcoming is something new to the Mercedes line, rather than a replacement for an existing model. But with Mercedes, it is a two-step process. Show the concept, then show the real thing. Usually there are announcements of dates from Mercedes for production, but little else between the actual shows.
Even GM uses a subdued approach when they introduce refrigerators. Look at the introductions of their new minivans. Have you ever heard of a Saturn Relay? No? I'm not surprised, but that is Saturn's version of the redesigned GM minivan line, or what I call it, "minivan with a schnozz". When it comes to minivans, though, even Honda and Toyota who make some of the best minivans around also use subdued approaches to introduce them. Both Toyota and Honda have introduced new one recently with very little fanfare.
Which approach works best? I'm not sure. I really do feel that my excitement is diminished by stringing me along for years before the real thing is available for sale. Perhaps other people feel differently.
