Auto Shows: 2008 New York Wrapup

Story and photos by John LeBlanc NEW YORK—Sporty and fun-to-drive vehicles dominated the debuts here, making it the first time in a few years that environmentally friendly or utility vehicles didn't grab all the headlines at a major auto show. This week at the New York show, which is the last major show of the season until Paris in September, Pontiac debuted three rear-wheel-drive vehicles without any pretensions of saving the planet – as if to beg forgiveness for all those four-cylinder Grand Ams out there. Wearing the brand's high performance GXP designation, the rear-wheel-drive 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP sports sedan borrows the Corvette's 6.2 L V8 and six-speed manual transmission (a six-speed automatic is standard). With 402 hp – 41 hp up on the G8 GT – Pontiac says its flagship G8 GXP (which I estimate will cost around $50,000) will do 0-to-96 km/h in about 4.7 seconds (or about the same as a $113,300 BMW M5). Hard on the heels of its role as Megatron in last summer'sTransformers, the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe made its debut. The coupe is a targa-roof production version of the rear-wheel-drive roadster that was launched in 2006. Mechanically identical to the cloth-top roadster, the new coupe's removable roof panel stores in the cargo area. Expect the Solstice Coupe in Pontiac dealerships by early next year. The third Pontiac was the most questionable. A G8 GT sedan-derived two-seat two-door G8 sports truck. In the same vein as long dead El Caminos from the past, the Pontiac trucklet shares the sedan's V8 and interior (sans rear seats, duh!), but with a beefed up suspension for more hauling. Also jumping on the rear-drive wagon was Hyundai (yes, Hyundai). As a follow-up to the Korean automaker's rear-wheel-drive Genesis luxury sedan, its 2+2 version, 2009 Hyundai Genesis Coupe pirouetted onstage here doing doughnuts on artificial ice. Whereas the sedan gets a V8, the two-door receives a 2.0 L turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 212 hp and an optional 3.8 L V6 with 306 hp. Only the four gets a manual – a five-speed – while a six-speed auto is mandatory with the six. Going on sale a year from now, Hyundai says the V6 Genesis Coupe will compete against the $47,350 Infiniti G37. But I expect pricing to be more like the $33,999 Ford Mustang GT V8. While Pontiac and Hyundai were resurrecting rear-wheel power, Nissan was boasting that one of the development goals of its 2009 Nissan Maxima was to make it "the best performing front engine, front-wheel drive car in the world." Heady stuff. But with Nissan's GT-R as inspiration (just look at the new Maxima's bulldog front end), the big sports sedan is another in the long list of vehicles boasting development credentials at Germany's fabled Nürburgring track. As Nissan did with the last Altima redo, the Maxima's wheelbase has been shortened and track slightly widened for better handling and structural integrity. The big sedan's existing 3.5 L V6 gets a 35 hp bump to 290. When it goes on sale this summer, all 2009 Maximas will come equipped with a revised continuously variable transmission with paddle shifters. Another automaker sticking with front-wheel drive was Acura with its second generation 2009 Acura TSX sports sedan. Still based on the European Honda Accord that was unveiled at the Geneva show last month, the new TSX is slightly larger than the last generation, with gains in width and wheel track. Inside, it's a little bigger too, and looks an awful lot like the Canadian Accord, but with more standard features. Under the TSX's hood, the 2.4 L four-cylinder returns; horsepower is down four to 201, but torque is up eight from to 172. It's matched to either a six-speed manual or an optional five-speed sequential automatic. Another sporty offering came from an unlikely source: Suzuki. As if trying to shed its previous product development ties with GM, Suzuki unveiled the third in a line of Kizashi sports sedan concepts. This latest version is basically a precursor to a production sedan that will be available in 2010. The production car will have a 300 hp 3.6 L V6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and all-wheel drive. A fine (but small) bridge between sport and economy was the second-generation 2009 Honda Fit subcompact. Honda says it retains the original five-door hatch's multiple attributes: a roomy and flexible interior married to a quick and nimble driving characteristic. The new Fit's A-pillar has moved forward, its wheelbase has lengthened and its body widened for a roomier cabin. Its unique "Ultra Seats" still flip and fold in a variety of ways to increase cargo room. Canadian pricing and specs will be available closer to when the Fit goes on sale this fall. What we know so far is that its 1.5 L four-cylinder will be more powerful and both the five-speed manual and automatic transmissions will be available. Considering the show is held in one of the most densely populated and polluted cities in the world, the three electrical vehicles unveiled here generated little buzz and were treated almost like afterthoughts. Nissan confirmed here that it would be selling a redesigned gasoline-engine version of its next-generation compact Cube crossover thingy in North America in about a year from now. But here on the banks of the Hudson River, it showed a lithium-ion battery-powered electric vehicle concept called the Denki Cube, which looks identical to the non-electric Cube. A Nissan electric car will be launched for fleet buyers in the U.S. in 2010 and retail customers two years later. That vehicle will be a "real car for four" and not based on the Denki Cube. Making its North American debut, the Mitsubishi iMiEV will actually go on sale next year in Japan. Based on the four-passenger "i" microcar that Mitsubishi brought to Canada for evaluation by journalists last summer, the iMiEV uses the same rear-engine/rear-drive layout but ditches the 64 hp three-cylinder turbo gas mill for a 330-volt lithium-ion battery system. Subaru's R1e three-door electric hatchback deals with the issue of long charge times for most electric vehicles by being able to charge its batteries to 80 per cent capacity in 15 minutes. A full charge, when plugged into a standard electrical outlet, will take eight hours. No mere concept, two Subaru R1es will begin evaluations this summer with the New York Power Authority.

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