It's Detroit Auto Show time. That's the premier show for the Big 2 ½. What will be shown there that will save the Big 2 ½ from the Toyota onslaught. I fear that the real answer is nothing. Concept cars are nice and low-volume cars are nice too, but neither of those are going to save the Detroit companies. What is going to save them is a volume vehicle that buyers will choose instead of a Toyota
The most promoted new car at Detroit must be the new Chevrolet Malibu. It will be produced on the same platform as the Saturn Aura, and that's not a bad thing. Compared to the current Malibu, which was compared rather unfavorably to the Camry and Accord when it was
introduced, the new one will have a longer wheelbase and wider track. According to GM, that means a better ride and better handling. In fact, there is no cause and effect relationship there for either ride or handling. The pictures look nice, but not spectacular. At least there is no Bangle Butt in evidence. What GM does not tell us is why the new Malibu is a more compelling purchase than a Camry or Accord. They tell us that it will appear as a 2008 in showrooms later in the year. I fear that it will also show up in rental fleets very soon thereafter
Ford has pretty much shot its load with new cars in past years. We already have the very ho-hum Five Hundred and the somewhat less ho-hum Fusion. Neither has attracted large numbers of buyers.
The newest addition to the Ford line, and the hope for Ford's savior is the Edge. Alas, all I have read and see is that it isn't going to be the big hit Ford hopes for. Ford tells us that it is the future family car and that neither Toyota nor Honda offers an alternative. Maybe. What Ford does not tell us is why we should buy one instead of a Camry or Accord. They really need to make that case because the car just sitting in the showroom and with current ads, the case isn't being made. If these three are the best Ford has to offer the American buyer, they really are in trouble.
Ford is showing a 4-door concept at the Detroit Show called the Interceptor. It is built on sort-of a stretched Mustang platform, but with independent rear suspension. To me, that isn't a Mustang platform, but something else. Regardless, given the difference, this car is very far 
from production. It's powered by a 400 horsepower Ford Racing V-8. This sounds like a desirable package, but is certainly far from production.
There is been a lot of discussion and some artist drawings of this car as a 4-door Mustang. The real Interceptor looks nothing like that. In fact, it looks more like a Ford truck! There was a huge backlash from Mustang enthusiasts that Ford would even consider tampering with the concept of their 2-door icon. Research shows that the Mustang name world-wide has a better image and the Ford name. Ford is denying that the Mustang badge would be on anything but a 2-door coupe. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if Ford would consider making more variations of the Mustang, but sell them outside the U.S. The same cars could carry a different badge (and perhaps different styling) here. GM does sort of the same thing with the Chevrolet nameplate these days. Chevrolet is a broad line of cars here. The Corvette world wide is just a Corvette without anything on it saying Chevrolet. And the "Chevy" brand is cheap economy cars in Europe – as well as in Mexico.
What is the "1/2" part of the Detroit scene, Chrysler, doing? The successful 300 and Magnum/Charger is getting rather old and sales are dropping. The new-last-year Sebring seems really destined for the rental fleet. And there is information that Chrysler has kept the factories running and produced a huge number of cars that dealers haven't ordered. They parked in lots all over Detroit (and elsewhere). Finally Chrysler is cutting production, but where are the cars that everyone wants? The Nitro? The Caliber? I don't think so. The Caliber, like the Edge
, does offer a buyer something that isn't offered elsewhere. The Caliber also is very distinctive. The problem is that the drivetrain is pretty unrefined and the interior is very cheap. There certainly are buyers out there that want "distinctive", but I suspect that there are more buyers who want quality – as defined as a luxury interior and quiet, smooth engine.
Chrysler is showing a concept, called the Nassau, which is yet another copy of the Mercedes "4-door coupe" CLS. Volkswagen is bringing one into production as a derivative of the Passat. I suppose that it isn't surprising that Chrysler, being owned by Mercedes, would want one too. Alas, this one is pretty pathetic looking. It has the Chrysler corporate grille and is really bland behind that.
I suppose that the problem I have with all the new real product from Detroit is the bland styling. Whether it is the designers or management who don't want to offend any possible customer, the new cars are really pretty bland. The problem with that approach is that Toyota and Honda are already there with bland looking (and driving) cars. The last real knockout success for Ford was the Taurus. It was certainly not bland in its day, and it was one of the better driving family cars too. So if Detroit offers bland cars as competition to Toyota and Honda, what is the compelling reason to buy from Detroit other than the American nameplate? These days, anything else they could add to the cars to make them different – and better – than the Japanese costs money. And adding cost to a mass-market car isn't possible. So if Toyota and Honda have the best reliability (GM argues with that, but nobody would argue that they have the image of quality) and all the bells and whistles that are affordable in a mass-market car, where can Detroit go other than styling?
There is one place that the Japanese haven't gone with their family sedans and that is to offer a real enthusiast car. Here is an opportunity for Detroit that nobody seems to recognize there. If there were a really good driving Ford Five Hundred or Fusion with better performance, I believe that it would make the enthusiasts wake up. When they start talking about a car, sales follow, even with non-enthusiasts. That's the way BMW started after all.
Maybe there is some hope for Ford, but not at that nameplate. It is at Jaguar. That company has been criticized for a long time now because all their new cars look like the old ones. And an "old looking" car isn't going to sell in today's market. The new XK is rather different than the car it replaces, but I while it is attractive, I think it is pretty bland looking. Jaguar will s
how a concept of what the new S-type will look like at the Detroit show. It's the C-XF. The replacement for the S-type will be called the XF, by the way. Ian Callum, the head of Jaguar styling, has produced a car that looks modern, but still has some Jaguar styling hints – in a good way. Will this car save Jaguar? It just might, but the XJ needs an extensive styling refresh too. The problem with the C-XF is that it really is a concept. It has too many things that would never be possible on a production car. That means that it will promise too much that the production car won't deliver. For example, I don't think that the consumer is ready for a car without any door handles. Electronics are pretty reliable these days, but not that reliable. What happens when the battery goes dead? That does happen sometimes.
Cadillac is showing the new CTS that Bob Lutz showed small glimpses of on TV. From the few pictures I've seen, the outside is almost the same as the old car. Not good. At least the interior seems to be a big improvement over the old version. Of course there will be a new CTS-v later in production. I'm sure it will have the same antique engine that the old CTS-v had, but probably with more power to try to compete with the new BMW M3 (and M5).
Finally, if not at Detroit, than at shows later in the year, we probably will get a look at the real production versions of the Japanese manufacturers showpiece GT cars. Nissan's Skyline GTR (if it is called that here) probably will be the first. The other will be Toyota's new Supra (if it is called that at all). The Toyota will surely be more expensive than the Nissan, but both are likely to be pretty unaffordable.
