Projo Cars Blog

If there is a theme to the New York International Auto Show that opens tomorrow in Manhattan, it is that small is back.

Well, perhaps small and green.

Journal photographer Steve Szydlowski and I attended the press preview yesterday to get the lowdown without having to wade through the enormous crowds this show attracts.

While the auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles tend to have more concept cars, no show beats New York for attendance, with over a million folks expected in the show’s nine day run from March 21 through March 30.

This weekend will see upward of 200,000 visitors a day, so prepare yourselves before you go!
Is it worth going? Absolutely. New York has its share of concept cars and latest models, and the sheer size of the show guarantees a lot of everything for everyone.

But back to small is beautiful. For while the concept Lincoln MKT is a standout beauty with its gleaming white interior, it represents the exception rather than the rule. Instead, the Ford Verve, a compact concept from Ford’s European design team that is displayed nearby, seems more in the spirit on the show.

Ford Verve concept

“Small has become smart once again,” said Dick Colliver, Honda American’s executive vice president in announcing the 2009 Honda Fit to the backdrop of a massive sound system and stage to an amphitheatre-like semi-circle of 400-to-500 members of the media.

2009 Honda Fit

Indeed, even Hummer has its cute(?!) concept on display, the Hummer HX which its bigger siblings could run over in a heartbeat. However, it still displays the trademark aggressive styling, with flared fenders and big tires.

Hummer HX Concept

Hummers clearly have a following, with a display cabinet offering shirts and hats and other pieces of paraphernalia. The only other cars that offer such a range of knick-knacks are the exotics like Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Ford is also debuting its neat Transit Connect vans. These cheerful working vans also come from Ford’s European division (they are made in Turkey) and can be converted for recreational use. The rear is easy to step into as the side and rear doors are set low and the van has a high roof to allow for plenty of headroom.

Volvo is showing its new XC60 SUV which it claims is the safest vehicle it had ever produced. Apart from the usual Volvo emphasis on structural strength and air bags, the XC60 is armed with proactive computer sensors that will automatically brake it before low speed collisions and initiate warnings and the safety features in high speed situations.

“The car knows before you crash,” said Volvo technician Hakan Ivarsson. “It’s a lot faster for the computer to do things to the car than the driver.”

Land Rover’s concept LRX is also small, its high haunches and upward sloping beltline echoing a design theme seen on a number of concepts, including the Saab 9-X Biohybrid concept – although the Saab’s face is a lot beefier than its profile

The tiny lithium-ion battery powered Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle is displayed in a variety of modes, from sedan to coupe.

And speaking of tiny, Smart has its three basic models – Pure, Passion Coupe and Passion Cabriolet – on display.

Tony Pordon, Smart USA Penske Autogroup’s senior vice president, said the iconic small car has proved emormously popular, with the company hoping to deliver up to 25,000 vehicles this year. Reservations, meanwhile, are slightly ahead at 30,000.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi is also displaying its Concept-cX compact diesel SUV. The vehicle is stylish in addition to covering a lot of bases with its size and green power plant. And is ‘compact SUV’ the wave of the future?

General Motor’s Saturn division has its Flextreme plug-in concept on display. Like Ford’s Verve, the car, which comes out of GM’s Opel division in Germany, is a flowing tear drop, with barely any differentiation of the windshield.

Saturn Flextreme

Like so many of the displays, the BMW backdrop includes a two-story 'building' with a balcony where filet mignon was being served to the invited when we cruised by. Apart from BMW’s concept CS and M3 ALMS racer, I was taken with a 1972 BMW 2002 Tii which was on loan from former ace Bobby Rahal.

The color is the only color these cars should be – Colorado Orange – and the sight of the car brought back memories of a couple of months I spent in the Canary Islands during a former life.

Memories of cars we have loved play an important role in our lives, and an adjacent display speaks directly to nostalgia for the celebrated muscle car era of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Dodge had set aside a vast area to display three versions of its 2008 Challenger SRT8s in patriotic red, white and blue: the original SRT8, the SE and the R/T. They sit on display stands at different heights, purring like big cats in the zoo. I have sung the praises of this revival before; it really is a beautiful car, although I confess I prefer the perhaps less patriotic orange version with black stripes that was on display at the New England International Auto Show in Boston.

From Rhode Island, Mark Hurwitz is promoting the Newport Concours d'Elegance which is scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend. He has a display of four vintage cars - a 1927 Rolls Royce, a 1927 Bentley, a 1927 Dusenberg and a 1950 Buick Woody Wagon and a prototype modern Iconic roadster from Long Island.

Finally, the LeMay Auto Museum in Tacoma, Wash., is displaying a number of cars that are either part of its collection or belong to members. The museum expects to break ground on its new building this summer, part of a $100 million program that will result in the largest auto museum in the world by far.

Among the displays was a Fred Flintstone car which was given to the museum and which has proved to be a great attention getter. Steve was shooting a picture of it when this idiot got on board!

- Peter C. T. Elsworth

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