Automotive News - November 17, 2008 - (Page 25) NOVEMBER 17, 2008 • 25 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW PREVIEW Cars grab L.A. spotlight in struggling industry Rick Kranz rkranz@crain.com It’s crunch time in the auto industry. But, as they say in L.A., the show must go on. This week the bright lights at the Los Angeles auto show will shine on a huge cast of world debuts. Ford Motor Co. will generate plenty of news with its premieres: four 2010 models, including the next Mustang. Among other debuts are the Infiniti G37 hard-top convertible, the redesigned Mazda3 and the Nissan Z sports car. These days no auto show is complete without green initiatives. Kia will unveil its next-generation fuel cell. Hyundai will talk about its global hybrid strategy. Toyota will demonstrate a new emphasis on compressed natural gas. (See sidebar below.) General Motors has scratched world debuts it had planned for Los Angeles. Blame it on the automaker’s cash crunch. The redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse now will premiere in January at the Detroit auto show. The 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe will be unveiled sometime next year. Here’s the roundup. AUDI Audi’s world debuts in Los Angeles feature engineering upgrades. The 2009 A6 gets a supercharged, 300-hp 3.0-liter direct-injection V-6 engine. The engine will be offered in the all-wheel-drive sedan and Avant version. The awd system has been recalibrated to send 60 percent of torque to the rear axle and 40 percent to the front in normal driving. FORD Restyled and re-engineered versions of two of Ford’s most important cars will debut as 2010 models. The Mustang undergoes its first major styling change since the 2005 model. Numerous spy photos prove one thing: The changes will be evolu- The 2009 Nissan 370Z is lighter and more powerful than its predecessor. World debuts PRODUCTION VEHICLES 2010 Ford Fusion 2010 Ford Mustang 2009 Infiniti G37 hard-top convertible 2010 Lexus RX 2010 Lincoln MKZ 2010 Mazda3 2010 Mercury Milan 2010 Mini E 2009 Nissan 370Z CONCEPT VEHICLES Honda concept Kia Borrego FCEV of the doors rearward has been replaced. The rear fenders were restyled to flare out, and the vehicle was lengthened to accommodate the retractable roof. The rear track was widened to compensate for the wider fenders. Sales begin in the first quarter. KIA as the new Ford Fusion. The Milan’s roof and door panels will be carried over and the remaining sheet metal is new. The Milan’s interior is expected to be more luxurious than the Fusion’s. As with the Fusion, a hybrid is planned for the 2010 model year. MINI The pure electric Mini E debuts. The vehicle is part of BMW AG’s Project i, an initiative to develop a lowemissions city car. BMW has not said whether the E concept will be sold here. But Mini is recruiting 500 drivers in California, New York and New Jersey to lease its electric car for a year. The Mini E is based on the threedoor hatchback car. The E has a lithium ion battery that takes 23.6 hours to charge at 110 volts — or 4.4 hours at 240 volts. Speed will be limited to 95 mph. The car’s range on one charge is 160 miles. NISSAN The redesigned 2009 Z is lighter and stubbier than the 350Z. It has a new name, the 370Z, reflecting the more powerful 3.7-liter six-cylinder engine. That engine is shared with the Infiniti G37 coupe and sedan. The 370Z also will benefit from a seven-speed automatic transmission that has appeared on other recent Nissan and Infiniti models. Sales begin in early 2009. VOLKSWAGEN Volkswagen will unveil its 2009 Touareg V-6 TDI, a 50-state cleandiesel SUV. The vehicle will use the same 3.0liter turbo direct-injection engine offered in the Audi Q7. Both SUVs will use a refillable urea aftertreatment system to meet emissions requirements. Sales begin early next year. c Lindsay Chappell and April Wortham contributed to this report The Infiniti G37 hard-top convertible goes on sale in the first quarter. The Ford Fusion gets its first major change since the 2006 model. tionary, not revolutionary. Still, every piece of exterior sheet metal and trim has been changed for the 2010 model, sources say. The interior has been targeted for improvement, addressing a complaint from Mustang enthusiasts. More expensive materials and an overall look of refinement are expected. The 2010 Ford Fusion also is restyled The Mini E debuts. Mini is recruiting U.S. drivers to test the electric car. and re-engineered — the first major change since the 2006 model. Spy photos show that only the roof and exterior door panels remain unchanged from the 2009 model. The Fusion’s interior is expected to be redesigned, resulting in a premium look. A hybrid Fusion also will be shown. The 2010 Mustang and Fusion are expected to go on sale in the first quarter. HONDA Honda will unveil a concept that is a design study. HYUNDAI Hyundai will unveil its global hybrid strategy: a front-drive vehicle architecture with a parallel hybrid powertrain. The hybrid system will debut in the redesigned 2010 Sonata that arrives next year. The spotlight will be on Kia’s nextgeneration fuel cell technology, debuting in the Borrego FCEV research vehicle. The system includes a new 154-hp fuel cell that provides a 44 percent increase in power compared with the previous generation, and a 450-volt supercapacitor. Kia says the new fuel cell technology boosts performance, extends driving range and provides cold-weather starting capability in subzero temperatures. The vehicle has a 202-liter hydrogen storage tank, giving it a range of about 425 miles. LEXUS Lexus will unveil the next generation 2010 RX 350 and 450h hybrid. LINCOLN Lincoln takes the wraps off the restyled, re-engineered 2010 MKZ sedan. The roof and door panels are expected to be unchanged while the rest of the sheet metal is new. Frontend styling will feature the large, split-grille styling seen on the 2009 MKS sedan. The interior has been redesigned. MAZDA Mazda’s stand will feature the redesigned Mazda3 sedan. The sedan and a five-door hatchback will be available with 2.0- and 2.5-liter fourcylinder engines. MERCURY The restyled, re-engineered 2010 Mercury Milan follows the same path The redesigned 2010 Mazda3 sedan will be available with 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines. INFINITI Infiniti extends its line with the addition of the 2009 G37 hard-top convertible. All sheet metal from the end Toyota will show hybrid vehicle fueled by CNG Toyota will reveal a Camry hybrid concept at the Los Angeles auto show with an engine that uses compressed natural gas. The concept signals that Toyota’s hybrid technology will be used with engines that operate on a variety of fuels. “We are using this as an opportunity to state that we are getting back into CNG r&d and that we are adding CNG to our portfolio of alternative fuels,” said John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman. “We see CNG as an alternative fuel for the future, especially considering what we see as a pretty definite peak oil situation around 2020.” Compared to gasoline, Hanson said, compressed natural gas has two disadvantages: a slight reduction in fuel economy and a little slower acceleration. But on the upside, there are “huge CNG reserves across the globe.” Additionally, the hybrid would launch in electric mode, likely negating the acceleration issue. Honda currently offers a nonhybrid, CNGfueled model — the Civic GX NGV — that stickers for $25,760 including shipping. Fuel economy is estimated at 24 mpg city and 36 highway. The vehicle is rated as a partial zero-emission vehicle by the California Air Resources Board. Toyota offered a nonhybrid, CNG-fueled Camry in 2000 and 2001. “It was part of our California compliance program,” said Hanson. “It was the wrong car at the wrong time. We only sold it for a year, and we didn’t sell very many of them. Gas was pretty cheap.” — Rick Kranz
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