Five hot cars that lit up Detroit
International auto show is more than concepts.
DETROIT – Auto shows often spotlight the fanciful — dream cars that represent a designer’s flight of fancy. Or they can be vehicles people actually buy and drive. This year’s North American International Auto Show here has plenty of both, but the focus is on new versions of some of the nation’s more popular cars. Of course, “popular” is a relative term right now when it comes to the market for cars versus SUVs or pickups. Car sales were down 10.9% last year while sales of SUVs and pickups combined rose 4.3%, Autodata reports. With gas prices low, SUV and truck sales are edging toward two out of every three vehicles sold. Still, cars aren’t disappearing — more than 6.3 million of them sold in 2017. And automakers aren’t giving up on the car nameplates they worked so hard to establish. “What we have here are the meat and potatoes — the cars that are actually driven,” Jake Fisher, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports magazine, said about the auto show. “There are just real vehicles.” Here are some of those cars: Hyundai Veloster gets a tougher look
Hyundai showed an updated Veloster, its small, fun sporty car. It kept its same basic looks but made it a little bit lower, with the front roof pillars now farther back, and more prominent fenders and wheel arches for an overall tougher look.
It also kept its signature feature: a big, wide door on the left side for the driver and two smaller ones on the right. It comes to showrooms later this year.
Veloster’s grille gets a new design, a criss-cross somewhat akin to chicken wire. The new Veloster will be available in two different engines. One is a 4-cylinder, 2-liter motor good for 147 horsepower. The other is a 4-cylinder, 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, spitting out 201 horsepower.
The car “represents an even more compelling offering for young and young-at-heart automotive enthusiasts,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of planning for Hyundai Motor America.
Volkswagen Jetta is given a ‘coupe-like’ exterior
Volkswagen introduced a redesigned Jetta aimed at renewing interest in the compact.
One thing that might help: more car for less money.
Despite the changes, the new Jetta is born into the world facing an uphill battle. Although it remained VW’s bestselling model in 2017, sales tumbled
4.4% to 115,808 vehicles as Americans rapidly ditched small cars in favor of crossovers and SUVs.
Unlike many of today’s new vehicles — which fetched an average transaction price of $35,126 in 2017, according to Cox Automotive — the Jetta is priced to sell.
The vehicle carries a starting price of
$18,545, or $100 less than the previous model.
Designers gave the new model a “coupe-like exterior” with a quickly sloping roofline. The new model gets a
1.4-liter engine with 147 horsepower and
6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission.
It’s slightly longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, too — which is not unexpected as Americans seek out roomier rides.
Kia Forte gets bigger
Kia introduced a redesigned version of its Forte compact as the brand seeks a turnaround after falling on hard times in the U.S. market.
The Forte grows larger but becomes more fuel-efficient. And it draws design inspiration from the company’s slickly designed Stinger car, which popped onto the scene last year.
While the Forte was Kia’s best-seller in the U.S. in 2017, the model arrives amid gloomy conditions for compacts.
Kia is hoping the Forte can break into the upper echelon of passenger cars that are still faring well — a small crowd dominated by the likes of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
A 10% jump in fuel economy could help. The redesigned Forte gets an average of 35 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving, up about 3 mpg from the previous model.
That fuel efficiency comes from a 2liter engine with 147 horsepower.
Toyota Avalon upgrades fuel economy, safety
Toyota Avalon, the brand’s full-size car, gets nicer all around.
An all-new 8-speed automatic transmission channels power to the Avalon’s front wheels and enhances fuel economy.
Besides Yamaha wood and aluminum cabin accents, Apple CarPay and dynamic auxiliary turn signals will be standard, as well as an adaptive variable suspension that should enhance ride and handling.
Differences between the grades are clear. A dark gray front grille with chrome border distinguishes the XLE and Limited versions. Those trim packages also offer LED headlight bezels, body-color rearview mirror housings and wheels ranging in diameter from 17 to 19 inches.
Toyota will tout Avalon’s package of safety features, including pedestrian detection, dynamic cruise control, lane departure alert, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert and a standard backup camera.
Other standard safety features include 10 air bags, enhanced vehicle stability control, traction control, brake assist, anti-lock brakes and smart stop technology.
Mini hardtop gets even more British
The Mini is still one of the most fun cars on the road. And it was one of the smallest cars to get an update for the auto show this year.
But the changes are, for the most part, pretty small. For instance, Mini tweaked the look of its headlights, which on the vehicle are a pair of orbs that are one of its most distinctive features.
They’re still round, or at least oval, but they now have a black panel in them to make them “more expressive.”
Designers couldn’t leave the taillights alone either. Now they’ve been given a new design to play on Mini’s British heritage — the Union Jack, the national flag.
There are also new paint colors and wheel styles.