It was rainy and cold (for Texas, that is) when the Houston Auto Show was held in the Lone Star State's biggest city Jan. 24-Feb. 3, 2008. But everything was bright and cheerful inside the Reliant Center, especially for eager car buffs who poured in from all over the southwest for the 25th anniversary show.
They weren't disappointed, with more than 600 vehicles ranging from cars and trucks to futuristic concepts on display. The biggest trend of the future—hybrid vehicles or green technology, as alternative fuel vehicles—was on display by almost all the manufacturers.
The 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line 2 Mode hybrid goes on sale later this year, and claims it will be "the world's most fuel-efficient V-6 SUV" when it does. Saturn also announced production as early as 2010 on a plug-in hybrid electric version of the Vue Green Line, and revealed its Flextreme plug-in electric concept which will provide up to 55 km of all-electric, emissions-free propulsion.
Not to be outdone, Ford Motor Company claims they currently build "the most fuel efficient SUV on the planet, the Escape Hybrid which uses both gasoline and electric engines and has an advanced battery pack with outstanding fuel efficiency and V6-like acceleration at 7 L/100 km in-town."
The all-new Ford Flex with unique styling and performance features will be out this summer. Other bright spots for Ford Motor Company included Ford Edge sales which climbed 95 percent in January, while the elegant Lincoln MKX SUV sales rose 78 percent and the new Focus saw a 44 percent increase in the small car segment.
As the perennial winner of the Texas Truck of the Year, by Texas Auto Writers Association every fall for the past 5 years, Ford's beautiful new 2009 Ford F-150 made its southwestern debut.
Dodge proudly introduced their all-new 2009 Journey as "the perfect right-sized vehicle for people who want the prestige of an SUV and the functionality of a minivan" with "a full range of technologies designed to meet their entertainment and communications wants, and also make everyday driving a pleasure."
My personal choice for best starter car for the family's new student driver is the amazingly low-priced Nissan Versa, which comes in either sedan or hatchback models with a starting price of only $14,598. It looks good, with lots of interior space and upscale features, plus it gets approximately 9 L/100 km in-town and 7 L/100 km on the highway.
Another favorite Nissan is the Rogue CUV, recently featured in this publication, which also boasts an extremely reasonable starting price of $24,998.
While forecasters have been predicting the worst auto sales in over a decade for 2008, General Motors Corp. has actually reported a 2.6 percent increase in January sales figures, thanks primarily to its crossover vehicles. In spite of these predictions, most manufacturers say they hope to avoid offering heavy incentives this year.
North Texas auto writers had just returned from the Houston auto show when we were privileged to attend a roundtable discussion with the legendary Robert A. (Bob) Lutz, General Motors vice chairman of product development and chairman of GM North America. At 74, Lutz remains a visionary in promoting the company's belief and leadership in producing ethanol-fuel-operated vehicles that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum use.
GM recently partnered with Coskata and their unique procedure that uses bacteria to turn biomass (or carbon-based trash) into ethanol. GM is committed to doubling North American flex-fuel vehicle production to 800,000 by 2010, and promises to make half its vehicles flex-fuel by 2012. The company currently has about 3.5 million flex-fuel vehicles in the U. S., Canada, Europe, and Brazil.
Jo Ann Holt is a columnist and car enthusiast in Dallas, Texas, and a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA).
Feeds