Automotive News - February 4, 2008 - (Page 17) FEBRUARY 4, 2008 • 17 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW PREVIEW GM dominates Windy City debuts Rick Kranz rkranz@crain.com World debuts PRODUCTION 2009 Acura RL 2009 Chevy Traverse crossover 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 coupe 2010 Ford Transit Connect small cargo van 2009 GMC Sierra hybrid pickup 2009 Hummer H3T pickup 2009 Suzuki Equator pickup 2009 VW Routan minivan CONCEPTS GMC Denali XT SUV/pickup concept You can call Chicago’s auto show GM Town — nearly half of the world debuts belong to General Motors. From a sales standpoint, the midsized 2009 Chevrolet Traverse crossover is the most important GM vehicle debut in Chicago, followed by Hummer’s first real pickup, the 2009 H3T (see story at right). GM also will show a GMC unibody pickup concept and a GMC Sierra hybrid pickup. Three other firsts also are scheduled for the Windy City: 1. Ford’s first small cargo van for the United States. 2. Suzuki’s first pickup for the United States. 3. Volkswagen’s first minivan designed for the United States. Fun, and ultimate buzz, likely will center on the first 21st-century pony car, the Hemi-powered 2008 Dodge Challenger coupe. Here are some world debuts scheduled for this week at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. Ford sees market for small van Amy Wilson awilson@crain.com © GENERAL MOTORS The 2009 Hummer H3T has a 5-foot-long cargo box. Sales begin this fall. Hummer will sell a pickup Rick Kranz rkranz@crain.com Acura Acura is expected to show its restyled 2009 RL sedan. New sheet metal is coming for the front and rear, and rear legroom will be added. Last year Dan Bonawitz, vice president of corporate planning and logistics for American Honda, said: “The three big complaints are interior space, trunk space and, for some, style.” The Hummer line finally gets the model it has been lacking: a true pickup. The 2009 Hummer H3T crew cab seats five and has a 5-footlong cargo box capable of carrying two dirt bikes or full sheets of plywood. Sales begin this fall. The Hummer H2 SUT had been the only model with a bed. But that model’s carrying capability was limited because of the 34.7inch-long bed when the passenger cabin cargo door is closed. The H3T’s frame and suspension system are based on a stretched version of the H3 SUV. The wheelbase of the H3T meaThe Challenger SRT8 is powered by a 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 engine, similar to the one in the Dodge Charger SRT8. The Challenger’s wheelbase is 116 inches, 4 inches shorter than the Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans. When the 2008 Challenger SRT8 arrives in showrooms this spring, it will be available in black, silver and Hemi orange. Dodge dealers began taking orders in December. The model carries a $37,995 sticker price, including shipping. sures 134.2 inches, 22 inches longer than the H3. Standard equipment includes full-time four-wheel drive with skid plates and 32-inch tires. Stability control and head curtain side airbags also are standard. General Motors’ 242-hp, 3.7liter, inline five-cylinder engine producing 242 pounds-feet of torque is standard, mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The H3T Alpha is equipped with a 300-hp, 5.3-liter V-8 that has 320 pounds-feet of torque. Production of the H3T is scheduled for GM’s Shreveport, La., assembly plant. The new Hummer also will be sold in Europe and the Middle East. c 2009 F-150 goes on sale this fall. The big news for Ford will be the Transit Connect (see story at right). The Dodge Challenger SRT8 is powered by a 6.1-liter Hemi V-8. a similar powertrain in the Silverado pickup. Ford Motor Co. is expected to reveal a small delivery van for the United States at the Chicago Auto Show. The Transit Connect is expected to go on sale in 2009. The Transit Connect is built in Turkey on a more robust version of the front-drive platform that underpins the European Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Volvo S40. The van is sold in Europe in multiple commercial configurations, powered by a 1.8-liter diesel engine. In Chicago, Ford is expected to show commercial uses, and maybe a personal use, for the Transit Connect. Ford has shown the van to U.S. dealers and analysts. With higher gasoline prices in the United States, the automaker foresees demand for a smaller, more fuelefficient van that can be used for smallitem delivery or for tradespeople who do not carry bulky equipment. Some analysts have said that Ford could begin assembling the Transit Connect in North America during the next decade. c Suzuki Suzuki will reveal a near-production version of its pickup based on the Nissan Frontier. Sales of the Suzuki Equator begin this fall. Nissan will assemble the 2009 Suzuki pickup in Mexico. GM unibody pickup bows Rick Kranz rkranz@crain.com Chevrolet As the SUV market stumbled a few years ago, GM canceled plans to redesign the TrailBlazer and gave the go-ahead to a crossover based on the mid-sized Lambda vehicle architecture, using some sheet metal from the Buick Enclave. The result is the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, a seven-passenger crossover that goes on sale this fall. The Traverse is the fourth vehicle on the Lambda architecture, following the Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. The Traverse is expected to be the volume leader. Volkswagen GMC The GMC stand will be busy with two world debuts, the 2009 Sierra hybrid pickup and the Denali XT hybrid concept (see story at right). GMC says the hybrid powertrain will boost the Sierra’s fuel economy 40 percent in city driving and 25 percent overall. The Two Mode hybrid is combined with a 6.0-liter V-8. Depending on conditions, allelectric driving is possible up to 30 mph. The powertrain will be offered on both two- and four-wheel-drive Crew Cab models. Sales begin in the fourth quarter. Later this year, Chevrolet will offer Wolfgang Bernhard’s baby will debut without its father. The 2009 Volkswagen minivan, the Routan, received the green light when Volkswagen AG hired Bernhard to run the VW brand. The minivan is based on Chrysler’s minivans, but it will not be a clone. Most exterior styling will be unique to VW. Bernhard had intimate knowledge of the Chrysler minivans. He was COO of the Chrysler group when the company was owned by DaimlerChrysler AG. Bernhard was ousted from VW, but the show will go on without him. Unlike the old VW EuroVan, the Routan will be sold only in North America, a VW spokesman said. c Kathy Jackson, Jamie LaReau and Amy Wilson contributed to this report Ford Ford Motor Co. will show several 2009 F-150 pickups that were not unveiled last month at the Detroit show. Ford also will reveal several stand-alone options that can turn the F-150’s cabin into an office. The Dodge The fourth and likely final iteration of the Chrysler group’s full-sized, rear-drive platform is the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 coupe. The four-passenger GMC Denali XT hybrid concept debuting in Chicago shows General Motors’ potential styling direction for a small, rear-drive pickup developed on a unibody architecture. GM says the advantage of the unibody structure is that the Denali XT is lighter than a conventional body-onframe pickup, meaning better fuel economy. And the concept can offer better ride and handling than a typical pickup because it uses a fourwheel independent suspension. “It’s a unibody architecture that’s rear-wheel drive for performance to appeal to driving enthusiasts,” says a GM insider. Yet, the source adds, it’s a pickup: “We’re estimating it can haul about 3,500 pounds, and there’s still a cargo bed and Midgate to haul lumber.” Midgate is GM’s name for the cargo door at the rear of the passenger cabin. The cargo floor is 55 inches long and 47.5 inches wide. Power is provided by a Two Mode hybrid that is combined with a 326hp, 4.9-liter V-8 with direct injection and cylinder deactivation. A 50 percent increase in combined fuel economy is promised over a conventional small pickup, GM says. The concept’s stance and fuel economy are enhanced when the Denali XT is lowered on its air-adjustable suspension, which creates a lower appearance and improves aerodynamics. The design and construction were spearheaded by Holden Design at GM’s subsidiary in Australia. c Jamie LaReau contributed to this report The GMC Denali XT is developed on a unibody architecture.
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