Hits and misses of the Detroit auto show
Our guide to what's hot, what's not — and what's just plain cool
Detroit News
by Scott Burgess
January 13, 2011
For a show with so many important vehicle debuts, there are still lots of people calling the North American International Auto Show boring.
Those people are wrong. There may be a good dose of spinach autos — cars and trucks that are good for us but don't necessarily whet our appetite to go fast — but there are definitely a lot of hits at the Detroit show, which opens to the public Saturday.
From the BMW 650i convertible — perhaps the most beautiful new vehicle on the floor at Cobo Center — to the GMC All Terrain 2500 HD Concept, one of the potential monster trucks that could crush everything else in its way, there are lots of hits. And there are a couple of misses, too.
Hit : The Ford Vertrek Concept So this is the future of the Ford Escape; it's a future that looks good. The Vertrek Concept could pass for a hard-core, off-road five-passenger people hauler. It's got strong lines drawn throughout its body and some of the coolest wheels on any car. Plus, as it spins around on the display, you can stand in one spot and enjoy a 360-degree view.
Miss:The Chevy Sonic Sorry, Mr. Hedgehog, changing your name from Aveo to Sonic and crinkling a couple of pieces of sheet metal doesn't change a so-so car into a great one. Worse yet, there are so many gems on the Chevrolet stand, including the Camaro convertible, the Corvette and the Silverado, that the Sonic looks wimpy and underpowered even without turning a key. It may keep Chevy in the subcompact segment, but it's nothing people need to gather around and gawk at.
Full text with all the hits and misses (none of the latter was Ford's ) at the link
Our guide to what's hot, what's not — and what's just plain cool
Detroit News
by Scott Burgess
January 13, 2011
For a show with so many important vehicle debuts, there are still lots of people calling the North American International Auto Show boring.
Those people are wrong. There may be a good dose of spinach autos — cars and trucks that are good for us but don't necessarily whet our appetite to go fast — but there are definitely a lot of hits at the Detroit show, which opens to the public Saturday.
From the BMW 650i convertible — perhaps the most beautiful new vehicle on the floor at Cobo Center — to the GMC All Terrain 2500 HD Concept, one of the potential monster trucks that could crush everything else in its way, there are lots of hits. And there are a couple of misses, too.
Hit : The Ford Vertrek Concept So this is the future of the Ford Escape; it's a future that looks good. The Vertrek Concept could pass for a hard-core, off-road five-passenger people hauler. It's got strong lines drawn throughout its body and some of the coolest wheels on any car. Plus, as it spins around on the display, you can stand in one spot and enjoy a 360-degree view.
Miss:The Chevy Sonic Sorry, Mr. Hedgehog, changing your name from Aveo to Sonic and crinkling a couple of pieces of sheet metal doesn't change a so-so car into a great one. Worse yet, there are so many gems on the Chevrolet stand, including the Camaro convertible, the Corvette and the Silverado, that the Sonic looks wimpy and underpowered even without turning a key. It may keep Chevy in the subcompact segment, but it's nothing people need to gather around and gawk at.
Full text with all the hits and misses (none of the latter was Ford's ) at the link