Falling in love with Motor City
Concept, production vehicles highlight the conference centre floor
DETROIT, Mich. — It’s January in the Motor City. The sun is out, the temperature is above freezing and there isn’t a trace of snow on the ground. How wonderful for a West Coaster!
Temperate weather aside, making the Motor City even more wonderful for people during the winter is the annual North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). With hundreds of concept and production vehicles lining COBO Centre, it’s hard not to fall in love with the vehicles on display. Here are some of my guilty and not-so-guilty pleasures from the show.
My first guilty pleasure came in the form of a quote I heard while attending the Chevrolet media conference. John Mcfarland, Chevrolet’s Senior Manager of Global Marketing Strategy, was recalling a conversation he had with a young woman regarding her vehicle. He said: “I probed a bit deeper and she said, ‘Do I LOVE my car? Well, the best way I can describe it is it’s kinda like an ugly boyfriend, you know? It’s been good to me, but the second something better comes along ... it’s out the door.’ ” How true this can be. Going the extra guilt-free green mile is the 2012 Tesla Model S. It’s the world’s first electric premium sedan and the first sedan to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. I am happy to learn that zero emission driving ranges are going further and further. Model S can be outfitted with three battery pack options: the 40 kwh, 60 kwh and 85 kwh. It’s estimated range while travelling at speeds of roughly 90 km/h with the 40 kwh battery pack is approximately 257 kilometres. With the 60 kwh battery pack it’s 370 km and with the 85 kwh battery pack, an impressive 482 km. With these figures, the Model S has the longest range of any electric vehicle in production. Its base MSRP is $57,000 U.S.
On the completely opposite end of the fuel-saving spectrum, in front of me stood a Toyota Tundra like I’ve never seen before. That’s because West Coast Customs, in conjunction with DC Shoes, had a hand in creating the ultimate motocross truck. Complete with fold up sides, a suicide tailgate, gas pump, hidden ramp storage, a roof rack/viewing deck and a custom embroidered interior, this 2010 model-year pickup was quite fascinating. The best part? Its exterior was created to look and feel like the grip on a skateboard.
Jeep’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Edition Wrangler caught my eye for multiple reasons. One, I find a video game-inspired edition vehicle to be quite fascinating. Two, it has some ultracool accessories. Along with the 32-inch off-road tires, it features the Rubicon’s wheels with a semi-gloss black finish, “Call of Duty: MW3 Special Edition” graphics on the front fenders and spare tire cover, a unique “power-dome” hood, along with such Mopar accessories as a winch-ready front bumper, rear bumper, rock rails, tail lamp guards and a fuel-filler door.
I was tickled pink, or in this case, Techno Pink, with the exterior of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark. Adding to the cutesy colours lineup were Denim and Lemonade. If nothing else, these hues are unique and lively.
Hyundai’s compact three-door Veloster, launched in the fall of 2011, was targeted towards the tech-savvy rather than the performanceoriented buyer. After all, it uses the same ultra-efficient 1.6-litre Gasoline Direct Engine (GDI) as the Accent and only has an output of 138 horsepower. But now the techminded individual can have their