If you haven’t gone yet, check out the Washington Auto Show this weekend.  It started on February 4 and ends this Sunday, the 8th.  There are all kinds of events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.  The importance of this auto show is for the automakers, such as General Motors and Chrysler, to show politicians specifically that they are making cars that people want to buys.  There have been several politicians, such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell,  that have gone to the auto show already this week to check out the latest models. The automakers are hoping to lobby to preserve and extend the federal aid for them.  Automakers are bringing 700 new cars and trucks to the Washington Auto Show.  Many will try to show their fuel-efficient vehicles and battery-operated ones as well. 

According to an article in The Washington Post by Kendra Marr, Chrysler ”is determined to prove itself viable with a display of several of its advanced technology vehicles.  Its concept car, the Chrysler 200c EV, is a battery-powered sedan that has a giant touch screen that controls the temperature and navigation, as well as connects to the Internet.  Hopefully, Chrysler and others can prove themselves to the politicians and DC to help the auto industry to turn around.     

I found an article on MSNBC.com that says that there is more than just the Detroit Auto Show going on in the upcoming weekend. For you motorcycle lovers, there is a motorcycle show going on in New York City next weekend. It’s called the International Motorcycle Show.  What’s interesting is that those interested in motorcycles and the motorcycle makers have the same concerns as the auto industry.  Sales are down and more fuel-efficient models will be showcased in order to try to draw in customers.  Tighter credit and “crippled consumer confidence” are also hurting the motorcycle industry.

Manufacturers are taking advantage of showing off their smaller models that normally in good economic times do not get any attention.  “We’re seeing motorcycles coming in that were originally designed for other markets that, because of people’s consciousness for fuel economy and ease of getting around, are all of a sudden finding a home in the U.S.” says Robert Pandya, the show’s spokesperson.

Scooter-maker Vectix Corp. unveiled two electric models; the VX-2, which will have a base price of just over $5000and will go 40 to 50 miles on a charge, with a top speed of 30 mph.  The VX-1E will cost about $3500 more but will have a top speed of 62 mph with a range of 55 miles.  Italy’s Piaggio & C. SpA introduced its new Vespa GTS 300, which can reach 80 mph with a 278-cubic-centimeter engine.  Honda Motor Co.,  Ducati, and Kawasaki also introduced new bikes.     

So, for those of you that are more interested in motorcycles than car/trucks, check out the International Motorcycle Show in NYC this weekend.     

On the front page of the auto section of my local paper today, there were several pictures showing the different new cars introduced at the North American International Show (Detroit Auto Show).  Some awesome new cars are going to be introduced in the next few years.  Of course you all know about the new 2010 Toyota Prius, but it has some stiffer competition now that Honda and Ford are introducing more hybrid vehicles. 

Another car is the new Mini Cooper S convertible. This is an electric car that will be leased  to 500 drivers in Los Angeles and New York and has a range of 120 miles.  The Mercedes-Benz Concept Blue Zero E-cell runs on lithium-ion batteries with 124 miles on a charge.  This car can run 373 miles with a combined batter and fuel tank.   

Chevrolet says its Beat concept car, to be called the Spark when it comes to the U.S. in 2011, will get 40 miles per gallon.  It is about the size of the Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris.

Possibly the fan favorite will be the Audi R8 5.2 FSI .  It has a top speed of 195 mph with 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds. That’s fast!

I hope the public gets excited about the show that opened to them on Saturday. Hopefully the economy gets better quickly and people start buying these new cars when they become available.   

According to an article on detnews.com, there were many awards given out at the Detroit Economic Club’s 2009 North American International Auto Show luncheon.  The awards were the Detroit News Readers’ Choice Awards.  Most awards given out at the auto show are voted by the journalists and professionals, but the Readers’ Choice Awards are intended to “gauge the sentiments of the consumers.”  There were 100 reader-judges that toured the show on Thursday and chose the winners.  Here they are:

Best of Show - 2010 Ford Taurus                              

Future Fantasy - Cadillac Converj

Family Hauler - Chrysler Town and Country              

Best Curves - Chevrolet Camaro

Plushest Interior - Lincoln MKS                                 

Most Innovative - Smart Car

Most Earth Friendly - Toyota Prius                            

Most Luxurious - Maybach 625

Grooviest - Ford Mustang Shelby                              

Off Road - Ford F150

Best Value - Ford Fusion        

So, here are the Readers’ Choices!  Take the information and run!

The next few weeks, I will be writing a few different blogs about the biggest auto show in the world, the Detroit Auto Show.  The show opened yesterday and a few rewards were already handed out by the media.  The first honor went to the Hyundai Genesis as the North American Car of the Year award. It narrowly beat out the Ford Flex.  Another finalist was the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. 

The other honor went to the Ford F-150, as the best truck of the year.  This truck beat out the Dodge Ram pickup and the Mercedes-Benz ML 320 Bluetec.  The good news is that Ford won an award and was competitive in the other one. That’s great news for the Ford company during these tough times!

There were 14 cars and 11 trucks that were considered for these honors.  Congrats to Hyundai and Ford!

If you were excited about the Detroit Auto Show coming on January 17-25, 2009, then you should be even more excited to hear what Toyota plans to unveil there.  Toyota will be bringing a small, battery-electric ”urban commuter vehicle concept” according to autoweek.com.  There are not many details known about this car, but it is said that Toyota will just put this vehicle on the show floor and answer whatever questions are asked by the media during the media preview January 11-13.  They do not plan to have a formal press conference about this battery-electric vehicle.  A spokesperson for Toyota hinted that this car would be similar to the Toyota iQ.  Toyota plans to mass produce a battery-electric car for 2010.  Also on a side note,  Toyota will reveal the 2010 Prius at the Detroit Auto Show as well.  During these bleak economic times and especially for the auto industry, the Detroit show should get people a little enthusiatic about the new cars that will be out in the next few years.  I’m excited and looking forward to more news on new cars to be revealed at the show in the next month.       

www.carsworld.northglow.com

At the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, the Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85 (shown above) was previewed. This is a two-seat sports car limited edition of the road version of the GT2 Lemans car.   

In addition to the Spyker, the LA auto show had the 2009 Nissan Cube which attracted a lot of attention. This car is a hit in Japan.  The Cube’s design was inspired by the iPod, and is supposed to look like one.  This is the first time this car will be sold in the United States. 

www.nytimes.com

Another exciting concept vehicle that was introduced was the Honda FC Sport (shown above) fuel-cell vehicle.  In the Honda FC Sport, the driver is positioned in the center of the vehicle.  A fuel cell stack is behind the rear seats, an electric motor sits just ahead of the rear axle, and a battery pack sits low in the center of the vehicle.  You can see the two fuel storage tanks in the rear windows.  It’s a bizarre looking car, but attracting some attention nevertheless. 

Also making its debut at the auto show was the 2010 Ford Mustang.  So, even though it was said that there was a black cloud over the opening of this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, if you went there seemed to be a lot to see.           

As the worst sales year in decades is creeping upon us, many automakers are cutting spending on auto shows, which has always been considered a “customer-courtship event,” according to Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times.  Bensinger wrote an article entitled “Firms put brakes on auto shows.”  This article is all about how many automakers are not spending on auto shows.  General Motors Corp. has “scrapped plans”to debut its new Buick LaCrosse and the Cadillac CTS Coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Shownext week.  GM also has cancelled its only news conference planned for the event.  

Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, and Suzuki Motor Corp. are withdrawing from the country’s premier auto show, the North American International Auto Show, which is held in January in Detroit.  The bottom line is that in this economy, it is too expensive and not worth transporting vehicles 1000’s of miles, renting floor space, and employing staff at these auto shows.

Most of the time automakers like to debut their latest models, and get some media buzz to interest potential buyers, but now cost is playing such a major role, that these automakers have to determine, what if any, are worth their dollar. 

Ford, the second largest automaker in the U.S., will be at the LA show and introducing six vehicles, including two new hybrids. They are also having a big party for the debut of the 2010 Mustang redesign.

It’s amazing to me how this economy and its problems, affect EVERYONE. These auto shows have been around for up to 101 years (the Detroit show), and now it will have less automakers, less customers, and make less money.  Hopefully, everything can turn around for the auto industry and next year these big auto shows will have a better year.

If you are looking for some upcoming car shows in the United States, I have a couple for you.  The first one is in two weeks the weekend of November 21-23 in Hartford, CT. It’s called the Connecticut International Auto Show.  It is held at the Connecticut Convention Center.  According to their website, there will be more cars “on display than ever before” including hybrids, clean diesels, and ”fuel sippers.”  The newest model year crossovers, cars, vans, trucks, and SUVs will be on hand as well.   

The next car show is December 3-7. It is in Boston, MA. It’s called the New England International Auto Show.  It will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.  This show has 9 football fields worth of new model year domestic and international vehicles.  There are lots of aftermarket accessories as well.  Sounds like a good time! 

So, if you are in the area of these shows (or even if you are not), you may want to take a break from the holiday shopping, and check out these shows!