Low-priced hybrids, eco-boost powerful/economical petrol engines, more environmentally friendly diesels and – the car of the future as now predicted by many – electric power with zero emissions. The future of motoring was put on display at the Detroit Motor Show, the home of American car manufacturing which is just coming out of a fight for survival.
The once mighty Detroit is now looking more and more to Europe for economy car and engines to beat their crisis and stave off the looming threat of imports from China. One of the stars of the show was the new Ford Focus, a world car that was designed in Europe. And General Motors, which has decided to hold on to the Opel brand will be dipping more and more into their European subsidiary pool of high-tech engineering and frugal engines to win overseas sales. Meanwhile Toyota, the leader in hybrid technology is planning a smaller version of the Prius to expand sales.
The new Ford Focus will be with us in about a year from now and will be built in Germany and Spain for the European market but also in Russia and China as well as America to make it truly a world car. The new model has a bigger body and for improved handling is 25mm lower on the road surface. It looks smart with a new radiator grille, angular headlights and a sharply curved roofline. It will be sold in hatchback and saloon bodies with fresh interior colours and lots of soft touch materials.
The Focus has been a number one seller here and in other markets for many years and it is not surprising that there have been big improvements in under-bonnet technology to keep it a "drivers' favourite" car. There is a new chassis with improvements in steering and stability while brakes are improved, there is a new electric power steering and a dynamic cornering control system.
The other big development will be a family of new generation of EcoBoost turbo-charged petrol engines which will take some of the gloss from the diesel powerplants which have seized the high ground in recent years. There may be a 100bhp one-litre petrol engine on the way and also a high-output economy 1.6-litre unit with output ranging from 148bhp to 178bhp. A new two-litre diesel is also on the cards and there will be six-speed manual and automatic transmissions available. Expect to be offered cruise control, anti-dozing alarm, automatic parking, adaptive lighting and a number of voice control functions.
Toyota's big offering is a concept model of a compact hybrid which will be cheaper and even more economical than the plug-in Prius which boasts 100mpg. The hope is to capture more younger buyers who are price and environmently conscious when it comes to putting their money down. The company is also looking over its shoulder as Honda is coming on strong with its Insight model. Toyota also plans to introduce a battery-powered mini-car for urban use by 2012. Nissan-Renault is powering ahead with electric motoring in mind but Toyota still has faith in hybrid power and believe that there is only a small market for the all-electric models.
VW showed a concept coupe, Mercedes Benz hopes to win sales with an E-Class cabrio model and General Motors has great faith in the Volt, an electric car that will be sold as the Ampera when it reaches Europe. The BMW Beachcomber went on display for the first time with hopes of big sales in the Californian market. Audi also showed off the e-tron, one of its first entries in the electric market.
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