smartnhappy

The MB Ocean Drive again

MB Ocean Drive...based on the S600.

New Chrysler Nassau

New Ferrari F599 (I think)

Bentley.....Need I say more?

Maserati

Toyota FT-H5 hybrid. 400 HP

Lexus LF-A

Saab Aero X

Efijy, by GM Holden (Austrailia). Bulit to honor 40's, 50's and 60's Chevs. The colour is 'Soprano' Purple.

Big honkin' GMC pickup

Camero convertible concept, coming 2008/2009.

General Motors' VOLT electric car

Ford Airstream - sorry for duplication

Ford Airstream

Concept vehicles that caught my eye during Monday's visit to the NAIAS.

I'll take as many photos of everything as I can so I can show you all the latest musclecars and meathead SUVs with 22 inch wheels, and all the sleek concepts and powerful racers and new diesels and luxury barges and expensive exotics and tiny puttputts and everything else that makes up the show. Oh and I'll try for some Smart shots too. LA isn't out of the question for a BC'er like yourself, is it? Ever thought of a quick flight down for the show and to soak up some sunshine? I heard they're getting all of the west coast's good weather, by comparison. Hasn't snowed there in a long time as opposed to, oh say, yesterday. I'm only smiling and not laughing. We've had balmy weather here all winter except for one dump of 2 feet off of Lake Huron localized to the London ares. We're also predicted to see lows of -20 C next week. I'd like to hop a plane when it comes and come back in the spring, but oh well.Cheers.

Mike T wrote... "With the "size is safety" etc I read above, I wonder why you bought a smart?"I bought the Smart because of all the same reasons you bought one.You quoted me above incorrectly. I said "size WAS safety, security and comfort" referring to vehicles I needed to drive putting of very high mileage as a sales rep over the years. I don't do those kinds of miles any more. My SUV is still the only vehicle I own that will take the 8' snowplow blade (but maybe Glenn or Duck can fab up an adaptor for the Smart?).Also some additional car show facts....Salon d'Auto in Paris is open to the public for 16 days, not 9.Tokyo Auto Show was a 17 day public show in 2005, and it also includes commercial vehicles and motorcycles. IAA in Frankfurt is a 9 day public show similar to NAIAS, but it's only held every 2 years.Face it, the biggy is right here in our own back yard. Frankly I'd like to attend them all including Geneva, the fourth and only other major international auto show sanctioned this year by the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers). Lots of other shows are great too, like Toronto and Chicago (been to both) and LA , London and New York. Maybe a world auto show tour is in my future???........ch'ya, when electric cars drive down my street.Oopps, I mean when monkeys fly out my butt. I hope it's the former.Cheers.

Mike...The police wish GM would make the old Caprice again, too. Most departments dislike the Ford Crown Vic due to reliability issues and gas tank explosions (fixed now?). Lots of old cop cars really racked up the miles before most departments put caps on years in use or mileage travelled. A cousin formerly an OPP officer tells of tremendous miles on some of their cruisers. It's true that nothing seems to last like it used to. Planned obsolesence maybe?? I used to easily put on 50,000 miles per year!. Sales territory was from Windsor to Collingwood and down to Niagara Falls, and included northern Ontario from Sault Ste. Marie to Val D'Or Quebec. One rep did 100,000 miles a year and bought new every year. Just about all the 50 + reps drove North American cars over the years because of economics, reliability, ease of parts availability and good trade-in value. The whole package. I never knew or talked with many sales reps on the road from any company that bought foreign cars. It wasn't done much. Size was safety, security and comfort. Wish I had my old 1982 de'Ville back with it's 4/6/8 engine. Hey, cylinder deactivation 25 years ago. Great idea! I'd wager hard money there isn't a million K Peugeot in Ontario. I don't think you'd find a million k anything. The road salt eats everything over time. We used to joke about the old advertisement that said a Volvo lasts an average of 11 years in Sweden, but only one season in Ontario. My father-in-law drove an old Chev pickup for over 20 years. Put 3 beds on it and used it in his construction company. Final conversion was to a flat bed 5 years ago. Ciau

Mike...Good on 'ya. It's nice to see real committment. Brand loyalty isn't what it used to be. I was 27 years with the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturer, and their place has been slipping over the last few years (of course, after I left). They weren't number 1 35 years ago, but built to that status by 1990 and held it until recently (competitive takeovers had something to do with it also). They made some bad marketing decisions and had a few dud products, but overall they showed inovation and savvy in the long term. I see similarities with GM. Remember however that electronic technology moved and changed a lot faster over that time frame than did automotive technology. The formerevolved, improved, shrank, sped up, and created new markets like video games, camcorders, personal stereos, video tape, DVD, satellite, computers, internet, cell phones and the list goes on and on. Automotive technology has not seen anywhere near that level of change, even if GM is suspected of stalling their electric vehicle introduction. We're still burning fossil fuel in combustion engines to move a lump of metal, with our fat asses in it , to work where we burn fossil fuels to make new lumps of metal. I'm certain if they were currently viable, some company(s) would have EV model(s) in North America by now. GM could not hold back their competitors.....or maybe some people think they can. That would make them even more powerful than given credit, or blame, for. I'd love to own cars for 20 years, but with my kind of mileage, nothing would last. Who really expects over a million kilometers out of any vehicle? Two or 3 years was the best I saw. I'll get more out of my Smart as my mileage is a lot lower these days. Re the show - not to dwell on it but it's the 100th anniversary of the NAIAS (oldest), attended by over 7,000 international automotive journalists (the most) from 68 countries (the most) and is attended by about 800,000 people during it's 8 day public opening (also the most). Still looks like number one to me, even without a handful of off-shore brands that don't or can't attend.Hornhonker...fyi - the Volt drove up unto the stage under it's own power at it's press release. Might not have the final drive line in it yet, but it is an operational electric car. Their VP engineering said it's just a matter of battery issues, like durability, cost, packaging and layout. Everything else about the concept is "off the shelf". I think we'll see this type of vehicle form GM and others sooner than you think.Deezle...Understand that companies work out far ahead of the products they currently sell. No company of size or note introduces something so quickly that they obsolete their own products, and factories, and suppliers, and work force, and distribution network and marketing capabilities. Companies and products evolve (unfortunate, but true). The Walkman was introduced in 1981 but took a while to hit IPod status. The camcorder was a massive 2 piece unit and now it's built into many cell phones. The first VCRs in 1976 recorded for 1 hour and now your TiVo records for 30 hours in digital high-def for half the price. I saw a white paper on a 4mm video tape camcorder before 8 mm video tape was even introduced, in fact while Beta and VHS were fighting it out. Product cycles are a given, and without them companies couldn't plan, design, engineer, build and market anything. Companies don't and can't move as fast as we'd like them to, or they wouldn't last. Don't assume GM is going to "fart and tap dance for the next four or five years while the planet chokes". Competition my have something to say about that. Sure they're sales are down in SUVs, but so is everyone elses. Ford isn't just bleeding red ink, they're cutting off limbs to save the heart. They're all hurting globally, and the only response from the makers seems to be the down-sized SUV - the socallled crossover. GM makes it into the press more often due to their status. Number 1 in North America, China, Russia, South Africa and Brazil makes them an easy target for any pup journalist looking for an easy and quick paid story. Their results are bigger than others because they are bigger than others, but the other large auto makes have been sliding the same way also. The balance of power is shifting. Interesting interview with Chris Paine on WDIV CH4 Detroit yesterday. He thinks the Volt is the "Holy grail to the industry right now". He was singing the praises of the car and of GM for their logic and comback efforts. Oh by the way, Chris Paine produced the movie Who Killed The Electric Car. Evething at an auto show is a PR stunt in one form or another. Futuristic concept cars, flashy mega-buck displays, beautiful women (and some guys too, I guess) and press positioning are all designed to sell today's Ford Focus or Dodge minivan or Chev pickup truck. It's the way they do things in Detroit and in Toronto, LA, Chicago, New York, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Timbuktu. I don't think it's meant to cover up the past but rather to celebrate and stimulate the future. Is there a manufacturer currently leading the auto industry environmentally? Globally? I'd love to see one, really!But one will evolve soon (I hope) and I hope there's fierce competition for the top spot.Some product intros of note...Ford showed SYNC from Microsoft. Voice recognition with hands free two-way cell, e-mail and text messaging. It appears mid year in a dozen models as a $1,000 option. Lincoln showed MKR - looks like a version of Chrysler 300. Chrysler's new, edgier minivans (intro'd in 1983 and have sold over 11 million). Totota Tundra - new version is their biggest vehicle ever, similar to Ford and GM trucks (Totota=big trucks? Who'd a thunk it). Looks like a Ford/Dodge front end. Also showed FTHS - a concept hybrid with 400 HP and 0 to 60 under 5 seconds. Sounds great, but it's only a CONCEPT. Toyota's Lexus LS450L with ParkAssist (parallel parks itself). [if you can't park, maybe you shouldn't drive?] Audi Q7 V12 TDI - why?? Mercedes Ocean Drive - looks like a CLK550 with 4 doors and a drop top. Very sexy. Subaru Outback L.L.Bean Edition - same car in new duds. GM Efijy - concept lead sled from GM Holden in Australia. New Ferrari model boasting 0 to 60 under 4 seconds, at $300,000 US (big deal - Corvette Z06 does it in 3.8 seconds at a quarter of the price. Now that's fuel for discussion). Toyota is targeting 9.4 million vehicles this year, oddly enough a number that will put them just in first place if GM produces the same as last year. Tune in a year from now when everybody will be tearing strips off them and watching the movie Who Killed The American Car.Cheers.

Back at 'ya...Mike...I'm wondering why you 'respect' Peugeot and others that don't sell in Canada (North America?). What could they possibly be offering that's either too good or not good enough for us? Does your realism extend to Ford? Chrysler? I've read the NAIAS is attended by more international journalists than any other show in the world, covering the largest space and attended by the highest number of people. It sounds to me as if it's numbe one. I agree about the WORLD series concept. Maybe they should include teams from Japan, or Germany, or France.That doesn't mean the country and its people are bad. GM=McDonalds?? The largest doesn't always have to be the worst (but maybe it's true in fast food). We're talking vehicles for transportation, not impassioned battle crys for the republic. They're only cars and trucks. If GM isMcDonalds, does that make Peugeot Wendy's, or Hooter's, or some sushi bar in Gastown od Yorkville? I don't see much similarity other that size, and ALL companies strive for growth. What Chairperson or CEO wouldn't sell their firstborn to be number one among their competitors or in their industry? Largest isn't worst, or meanest, or dumbest, or best, or happiest, or anythying else. It's simply where GM sits right now. Whether they hold it for long remains to beseen. Toyota might pass them in sales. Does that mean Toyota becomes the bad guy? They'll probably make their share of mistakes while shooting for number one also, as they all will. When GM makes their EV (and I think they will) I'm interested to know what you think will make the 20 similar ones from other manufacturers "far, far better". If you have answers, talk to GM (or Peugeot for that matter) because theyall want to make the best products and if you can tell them how to do it, you're a billionaire and better than them all. Point of interest (seriously)....Why do you have 2 old Peugeots? I'm unsure if there's collector value, or if there's a local club. I'm certain they are good running cars, judging by the way you present your Smart, and you need at least one vehicle with a back seat from time to time, as most of us do. My other car is a truck, a '96 Chev Tahoe (no surprise). It's has given good, reliable service while delivering 20+ mpg on highway and in the fields, out to the well drilling and wind turbine sites. I also plow snow with it. I appreciate older vehicles and attend all major car events around southern Ontario.Hornhonker...were you scared by a Chevy at birth?? GM doesn't crawl or even walk. They simply drive on down the road. Talking the talk and walking the walk seems to have been accomplished by GM over the years with CONCEPT cars like the Corvette, Impala, Cadillac STS, Bonneville, LeMans, Toronado, etc, etc. GM almost axed the Corvette in 1955 due to poor sales, but it seems they were right about that one. It was easier to build CONCEPT cars years ago because it was only a styling exercise. Do you remember Chrysler's Turbines, a CONCEPT car rushed into very limited production (hand built) in order to capitalize on the 'technology'. They put a bunch into the publics hands for testing, then withdrew them as unfeasable, too expensive and completely impractical (does this sound like GM's EV-1?) Todays CONCEPT cars are technological research beds as well as styling exercises. It might be harder than you think to make a working CONCEPT car when you're still working to invent that technology. A lot of the CONCEPT cars DON'T RUN. They're CONCEPTS !!Do you hate everything from GM, or is it cars in general - I see you've got 2 bikes (pardon me, motorcycles). Are they for different seasons or just color co-ordinated to go with different outfits? Maybe you can see it's all in how one looks at and interprets the facts. I've got nothing against bikes. Like most others I have trouble with a lot of drivers, like the clown that popped a wheelie next to me in my Smart on Hwy 401....at 110 kmh!! I repeat...they're just vehicles.If you had a bad experience in owning GM, that's too bad. They're all the same. There's a few raisins on every grapevine. I've owned lots of brands and had some trouble with them all, but GM has been the best of the all. I haven't owned everything. I can't speak about Porsche, RR, Bentley, Ferarri, Aston Martin, Lamborghini or many other esoteric or limited production vehicles. I've just had the same experience that most Canadians have had...buying affordable cars for transportation, with a little bit of style and emotion thrown in, if affordable. I guess GM has answered that need in North America better than anyone else. Besides, with over 30 years on the road in sales positions, it was comforting to know if I had a problem, I could always get a fan belt or a rad hose in Podunk Corners at 5 PM on a Friday. Standing in the intersection waving an Audi card would not get me home.fyi...I'm not paid by or affiliated with any auto maker. But if I was, it'd probably be GM.

I upgraded the steering wheel to paddles when I bought, so I've also got a new Passion wheel with airbag in a box in the basement. Love the paddles too.Glenn, is this a London thing?

I thought the GM-phobes might rise up for pot shots.Diesel...I'll take an electric vehicle in 4 or 5 years over a hydrogen vehicle someday in the future, maybe. Stop and think about the infrastructure needed to make them reality. Trillions of dollars and maybe 10 to 20 years. GM lost lots of money on the EV-1. Just the custom charger for your home would have been over $2000 back then,plus the price of the car would not have been subsidised by GM (those "happy hands" people you refer to) if it was sold to the public. Plus the battery packs were approaching their useful life, which would have been prohibitive economically for a lot of buyers (sure, maybe cheaper and better now, but what about over the last 10 years?). I'm glad they didn't make the mistake of selling them. I wouldn't want my life rulled by when and where, and even if I could charge my car.Very expensive with a very short range, and you'd better end up at home or your screwed. It's not a plan for success.Sure some people would have bought some, but then again there's a sucker born every minute Also, GM would certainly be selling fuel cell vehicles in the future, if and when everyone else does. The windshield is so low because....1) it opens forward with the doors, and...2) it's a CONCEPT CAR. Do you really think GM (or any large company) would pin their financial future on a couple of models? ps...I think the Honda FCX concept car looks like all the other jellybean cars around today, but that's just my opinion.Mike T...if the other manufacturers had prototypes right now, I think they would be at the NAIAS. It's the premier world stage and an opportunity not to be missed. No doubt there will be other cars of this type available in 4 to 5 years as GM have stated, but I expect GM will have an arsonal of vehicles to lead the pack. You may be presumptive in saying "there will be a lot of better cars available at that time". I also hope Smart has an EV down the road. It's a logical platform for advanced thinking.Duck...I might be reading your response wrong but the Volt is propelled solely by the electric motor. The tiny gas engine kicks in only when the batteries are down to 1/3 capacity. The engine only charges the batteries and does not assist in the drive line. Typical EV power would no doubt be available anytime. And all that lovely torque.The 640 mile (1,000 km) range refers only to when you need to refill the gas tank. If the price were $25k for something like we see pictured, it would still make sense given the 1,000 km range pertankfull and approx 54km per litre performance. GM said they hoped for pricing in line with today's Cobalt.Buddha...thanks for the picture. I was looking for one.Darren...I haven't heard the term series hybrid before, but from my perspective any car that runs solely on electricity from batteries charged from the hydro grid or by gas or diesel engines, or fuel cells, or atomic reactions, or from hamsters in cages, is an electric car. Hybrid means there is more than one type of propulsion, at least as I see it.In this case there is not. As for trucks and SUVs, it probably has similar applications, given they could carry more batteries with a larger electric motor(s). The charging system might not need to be too much bigger. Their larger fuel tank space and capacities could greatly improve range. Plus there will likely be improvements in lithium-ion technology along with maybe something yet unforseen, by the time these vehicles appear.This is all so fun, let's keep going. Differences in thought and opinion are good for us all, even if I'm always right.Caiu y'all Bill

I've been watching live TV coverage of Day 1 (press only) from Detroit. I'm affraid that GM is poised to make a BIGcomeback, much to the disappointment of all those that hate the company and its brands. While most manufacturers areshowing hybrids and flex fuels, and some hydrogen and diesel concept cars and trucks, GM showed the Chev Volt, a trueelectric car poised for production in 4 or 5 years. It has a 1 litre turbo gas engine that only charges the batteries. Drive is from an electric motor and lithiun-ion batteries. It plugs into the wall (120V) and charges fully in only 6 hours.It has a range of 40 miles on batteries alone, and when the gas engine kicks in its range is 640 miles! (equals 150 MPG).It'll do 0 to 60 in under 8 seconds and tops out at 120 mph. It's about the size of the Chev Cobalt and they say they'reaiming for a price of around $15K US. It has both of the EV-1's problems licked....It charges quickly anywhere,without a special charging station, and it has a useable, realistic range. EV-1's would have never sold in quantities great enough to have made an economic case for the thing and GM knew that, so I think they were wise to erase the car form memory as quickly as possible. The Chev Volt sounds like the first viable electric car for North America.GM has also hit another home run with the Camero convertible concept, following last year's hit, the restyled Camero.It's admitted to by all interviewed as the jewel of this year's show, and into production by fall of 2008 virtually as shown.They don't seem to be just blowing their horn (pun intended) about their future vehicles. GM also had vehicles voted2007 North American Car of the Year and Truck of the Year. The Saturn Aura beat out the Honda Fit and the Toyota Camry for the Car of the Year award, and the Chev Silverado won over the Mazda CX7 and the Ford Edge for Truck of the Year honors. International automotive journalists did the voting. I says to me that GM's new products haveimproved enough to be the best, a position that they're all striving to achieve. I know I'm going to hear back from all you GM-phobes, but we'll see what the other makers have to offer to compete. At least the manufacturers that market their vehicles in North America.Chrysler introduced a new version of their minivan, more edgy and angular than last year with some 35 improvements,including swivel 2nd row seats, theatre lighting and pass through centre console. Big news in Detroit, as DC makes all the minivans in Windsor.Ford showed a revised Focus and an Airsrteam concept vehicle, a van fashioned along the lines of an Airstream trailer.It seemed like all the other makers were keeping their introductions out of GM's way initially, both with today's events and last night's media extravaganza called 'GM on the Waterfront' under a massive tent at their corporate headquarters just down the street from Cobo Hall. Major Hollywood glitz. Has the media talking up GM in positive ways. I think the Smart display area is just outside the DC realm because they were late in needing and committing to floor space, and were lucky to be as close to DC as they are, or even in the building at all. DC have a large ice rink as part of their display to demo traction issues they're promoting. Keep in mind the manufacturers are already at work on the 2008 Auto Show, and display space has already been spoken for a year in advance with plans for displays being firmed up as this year's show is opening. Over $200 million US in displays alone, without the cost of all the vehicles.Cheers, Bill

Thanks for the search MD.