New York, NY - They say everything is bigger than life in New York.
Skyscrapers line the streets as far as one can see all the way to the
horizon. Times Square bustles with New Yorkers on the go and flocks of
tourists vying to catch sight of Carson Daly at the TRL studio above their
heads while trying not to bump into too many locals down below.
Further down the Isle of Manhattan, at the Jacob Javitts Convention Center,
automakers gather for the last major show of the model year. With its late
timing, the New York Auto Show (NYAS) still plays a significant role to
manufacturers, even though it may not be as large as the North American
International Autoshow in Detroit.
If there was any underlying theme this year, it had to be the importance of
the entry-level luxury car segment. The covers were pulled off of the
all-new Audi A4 and Jaguar X-type as they weigh into the already crowded
segment with contenders like the BMW 3-series, Mercedes Benz C-class and
Volvo S60.
The A4 is an extremely important product for Audi of America, and its
replacement in the USA with successful follow-up is critical to the folks
from Ingolstadt. The original A4 placed Audi back on the map for the United
States in the wake of the unwelcome and unfounded unintended acceleration
debacle of the '80's. Its healthy sales helped make the USA Audi's largest
export market, second only to Germany. In the meantime the original A4
continues to set sales records, despite the fact that the general public is
familiar with the car's replacement.
It's no surprise then that the A4 is now evolutionary as much as it is
revolutionary. In person, the car is significantly more attractive than it
appears in photos. The main critique of the predecessor, the lack of rear
legroom, has been addressed and the car appears to be one of the most
serious contenders in its class with few close rivals. The overall result is
a design that mimics the successful A6, though with more aggressive
dimensions and some new Audi design cues.
The new A4 will be a technological tour-de-force for Audi. An all-new
3.0-liter V6 and the venerable 170-hp 1.8-liter turbo motors will power the
car. Transferring that power to the ground will be a new continuously
variable transmission called "Multitronic". The CVT will initially be
available only on front-wheel-drive models, with quattro versions soon to
follow. Audi claims the new transmission has better performance than manual
equivalents.
In a shot across Audi's bow, Jaguar has entered this segment with its own
attractive offering, based on Ford's European Mondeo chassis. The new X-type
will be equipped with all-wheel-drive and design work much akin to earlier
XJ6 models. Jaguar has announced a base price of $29K, though the more basic
model on the show floor, equipped with a smaller 2.5-liter 6-cylinder, still
weighed in at a hefty $36K. With pricing like this, Jaguar's threat to A4
sales seems remote, though the market potential of the Jaguar brand in this
particular segment remains to be seen.
It would appear the European makes are in the driver's seat when it comes to
this burgeoning niche of entry-level luxury, with very strong contenders
from Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo and Jaguar. However, the Japanese
luxury brands are also on the move. A new Acura TL Type S and Lexus IS300
stationwagon have entered the marketplace, and Nissan's debut of the newer
and larger Altima point towards an Infiniti G-series that could be nearly
identical in size to the new A4 and BMW 3.
Back at Audi, Len Hunt (VP or Audi North America) also announced a new
direction in Telematics that includes a partnership with General Motors' own
OnStar division. OnStar will now be optional in all Audi products beginning
in the 2002 model year and it will be interesting to see how this choice
will be perceived by American consumers.
In addition to entry-level models, all-wheel-drive seems to be also be a
highly prevalent trend, showing that Audi has pioneered a technology that
seems to be soon widely copied. The already established purveyor of awd
vehicles, Subaru, showed off its highly successful Impreza WRX. With 227-hp
on tap and a price tag in low 20s, it will be interesting to see just how
much of a performance niche Subaru can build.
Not to be outdone, Mitsubishi, which has been hinting at a North American
debut of its own Lancer EVO, went as far as showing one of the cars along
with a Lancer rally car to help kick off the renaming of the Galant to
Lancer.
As if the all-wheel-drive Jaguar X-type wasn't enough, the Ford Motor
Company also chose to show the Volvo SCC concept. The SCC is a good look
into the future S60R offering that is being readied for a January
introduction. This particular car features the Haldex all-wheel-drive system
like those used in the Audi TT, and it is highly likely that the production
S60R will forego Volvo's current viscous coupling technology and replace it
with the superior Haldex drive.
Even Pontiac jumped into the fray with a their Grand Prix G8 concept. This
coupe, equipped with a potent Corvette-sourced V8 and an all-wheel-drive
system of its own, most likely acquired through a dip into the Fuji Heavy
Industries/ Subaru partsbin.
Other significant cars also made their own debuts in NY. The new Hummer H2,
BMW M3 Cabriolet, Ford Focus SVT and Land Rover Freelander could be found
inside the convention center, while concepts such as the Lincoln Mark 9
coupe, the VW Microbus and Lara Croft's Land Rover Defender were also
present.
Porsche, on the other hand, showed off a vintage 917 racecar to emphasize
their own Porsche Rennsport Reunion. This vintage racing event, scheduled to
be held at Lime Rock, CT this summer, will be perhaps the ultimate Porsche
event the US has ever seen.
Bigger than life suits the New York Auto Show just fine. It's not supposed
to be the definitive US autoshow. That title goes to Detroit. Yet New York
has this way of shoving itself into the limelight just the same. So, is it
any surprise that the NYAS has placed itself as a particularly significant
event filled with North American introductions that will prove to be
especially pertinent to the US market, even if it was thinner on concept
cars than its Michigan-based show rival.
