Head-turners at Detroit auto show
Making their debut: A Dodge with Italian flair, eco-friendly Ford,
The North American International Auto Show opens for its annual media preview today, giving a peek into the future of motoring. This year, the show promises a bevy of new models aimed at turning heads and stirring emotions. Here are a few of those making their debut today.
Dodge Dart has Italian accent
The 2013 Dodge Dart will blend American style with a little Italian flair to create a new, technologydriven compact car.
It’s one of the first efforts by Chrysler Group’s overseer, Italy’s Fiat, to fuse the two brands into a car that will be popular with the masses. So while its looks are distinctly American, it has a modified version of Fiat’s Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform and Fiat-design engines underneath.
“The Dodge Dart was a dream to design,” said Joe Dehner, head of Dodge Design for Chrysler Group. “The Alfa Romeo-based architecture allowed us to design an exterior with great proportions that say ‘fun-to-drive’ when you look at it.”
The Giulietta chassis was lengthened and widened to allow American-size room inside and to give the Dart a low, wide and long stance.
Inside, the car will have interesting lighting and high-quality, soft-touch plastics. A “light pipe” will outline the dashboard, and the Dart will have the largest touch-screen display in its class at 8.4 inches wide.
Engines will include a 160-horsepower Tigershark 2-liter engine, a 160-horsepower 1.4-liter Multiair turbocharged engine and a new 184horsepower 2.4-liter Multiair fourcylinder engine. These engines will be paired with three transmission choices — six-speed manual, sixspeed automatic or six-speed dual dry clutch transmission.
For more gas savings, Dart is the first Dodge vehicle to use an active grille shutter system. Shutters close at higher speeds to lessen aerodynamic drag. Underbody panels are meant to smooth airflow for better highway mileage and to help block road noise.
Ford Fusion varies hybrid models
Ford’s 2013 Fusion midsize sedan replaces a popular, but aging, vehicle with one that will be available with gasoline, gas-electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
Ford expects each to be the most fuel-efficient in the midsize category. Ford forecasts ratings of 26 mpg in town, 37 mpg on the highway for the 1.6-liter Ecoboost gas engine, 47/44 mpg for the gas-electric hybrid model (which bests Toyota Camry hybrid and Hyundai Sonata hybrid).
The Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid comes in the fall. Ford expects it to get a rating of 100 mpg-e, or miles-per-gallon equivalent, an index used to measure electrified vehicles. Ford says that would make it the “most fuel-efficient midsize car in the world.”
The hybrid will use lithium-ion batteries, which Ford says can take the car up to 62 mph on electric power only. The gasoline car will offer idle-stop technology, shutting off the engine at long stops to boost mileage.
GM’S Buick models have that feature now; Kia plans to introduce it this year.
Like the current Fusion, the new one comes with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Fusion can be ordered packed with technology, including a combination of cameras, radar and sensors to help park the car and avoid accidents. Ford hopes the unusual design strikes a chord in the sometimes-bland family sedan market.
No price yet. The current model starts at about $21,000.
Cadillac ATS small sedan aims at BMW
Cadillac’s 2013 ATS will be the smallest, lightest Caddy when it goes on sale later this year. The maker hopes it’s just the ticket to rival the small German models, such as BMW’S 3 Series, that sell so well. ATS goes into production the second quarter at the General Motors factory in Lansing, Mich. The ATS will offer a choice among two four-cylinder engines and a V-6, ranging from 200 to 318 horsepower. Buyers can choose rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
No price yet, but the larger CTS sedan starts at about $36,000, and smaller cars almost always have smaller prices. “ATS expands Cadillac’s portfolio into a crucial global segment,” says Don Butler, vice president of marketing for Cadillac.
The ATS combines with the XTS full-size sedan, unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show in November and due in showrooms this spring, to give the brand a better-balanced lineup: small, medium and large cars, medium and large SUVS.
Expect the brand to highlight the infotainment system. Cadillac simplified the control setup, enabling the user to control the radio and entertainment functions via just four buttons, vs. more than a dozen in a typical luxury car.