The Simtropolis Auto Show Thread

[Dupontfan24 0]

Well, it's that time of year again, time for all the US autoshows, Detroit, LA, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. I happen to be a huge car buff and will be attending the Philadelphia Auto Show in early Feb. i thought it would be a good idea to post pictures of all the new conceot cars and new 07 model lines. Then after I go to the show I'll upload all the pics I took. but untill then I'll just post from the other shows allready over. also feel free to post any auto show pics you want too.

I'm going to start this thread off with my two favorite concept cars of the auto show season, The Dodge Challenger and the Chevy Camaro

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 You can also see videos of the cars here:

  Video of Challenger Concept
Video of Camaro Concept

 

I'll have another update tommorow with many more pictures, i just don't have enough time right now

 

 

[brancra 1,168]

Hmmm, here's a thought. Why don't the American companies GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER. Maybe they could learn something from the Japanese here. I mean, you have Toyota, Honda and other companies from Japan, Daewoo, Hyundai and Kia from S. Korea, and even the Chinese are making their way over here to the United states. Maybe if GM, Ford and *to a much lesser extent at this time* Chrysler show something that the public actually WANTS at one of these shows, they might survive this decade without bankruptcy. (receivership in 2010? Who knows?)...

[ardecila 125]

Er.. the point of concept cars is to showcase the top design work from the major auto manufacturers. These are almost never meant as actual production models, only as reflections on the quality of the company's regular product.

Those who are car buffs will most likely go for the concepts only. The majority of people will be wowed by them, yes, but they'll go there to get information for their next car purchase.

So, the concept cars being shown have nothing to do with American companies competing against the Asian companies (who also make their own concept cars for the same reasons).

[plasticboy 36]

Yup, they need a more flexible marketing strategy.

[Ratieya455 1]

I read three car magazines, along with Popular Mechanics and Science, and check www.allpar.com every day. American cars are getting better, and if you ask me they weren't that bad to begin with. I'm quite the major car buff myself.

DaimlerChrysler was the only US company that didn't lose overall sales (+.5%) and also the only one whose stock isn't junk. Chrysler is doing pretty well right now, or at least holding their own against foreign competition. The Magnum/Charger/300 still have very strong sales, and the PT Cruiser gained a considerable amount of sales. With a number of new models in the works, including a 250HP+ engine for its upcoming minivans, I'd say Chrysler is sitting pretty well right now.

Ford seems to be making a comeback, as the Fusion is highly-regarded.

GM has a few kinks to work out of its lineup. The Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent are regarded as very nice SUVs, except they use pretty weak and outdated engine, the Chinese-built 185HP 3400 V6. If they put the 200HP 3500 and 240HP 3900 in it, they'd sell like hotcakes. I could go one and on.

[Joesocwork 4]

I did notice that this time a lot of the concept was revisiting and retooling some of classics of the past.

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/14/2006 3:08:19 AM Author: Ratieya455 GM has a few kinks to work out of its lineup. The Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent are regarded as very nice SUVs, except they use pretty weak and outdated engine, the Chinese-built 185HP 3400 V6. If they put the 200HP 3500 and 240HP 3900 in it, they'd sell like hotcakes. I could go one and on.

quote>

On top of that, I seem to remember that GM also owes its creditors $300,000,000,000.  So, if all they did was pay their creditors and no one else, they would be paying for almost 20 years on those debts.  That is part of what is really slowing them down.

[amal81 3]

These are the cars I absolutely love and looking forward to see them in the auto shows!

Nissan Skyline

The Lancer Evo series

Subaru imprezza WRX

and ofcourse the ferrari enzo......

[Dupontfan24 0]

Thanks for all the comments everyone

brancra: Personally I think US manufacturers have things together more than their Asian counter parts do.  The only reason why imported cars are selling more than the big three's is the imports are cheaper, not because they are better. Also do you have any idea what you were talking about when you said

 

Maybe if GM, Ford and *to a much lesser extent at this time* Chrysler show something that the public actually WANTS at one of these shows, they might survive this decade without bankruptcy.

 

Many people like what GM, Ford and Chrysler are putting out, exactly what the public wants, the Ford mustangs have been selling like crazy, along with most dodge's, and now that Chevy is turning itself around I think were gonna start seeing a downturn in import sale in the next few years.

 

Ardecilia: Actually both the Challenger and the Camaro are scheduled to go into production, the challenger in '07 and the camaro in '08.

 

Ratieya455: I too read Popular mechanics, along with motor trend, automobile, road and track, mph, truckin, sport truck.  you really know what your talking about, and I agree that Chrysler is doing the best out of the big 3 with, GM second and Ford last.  They seem to be doing best with Dodge, but Chrysler is doing better too. I hope to see you in this thread more

 

Joesocwork: I noticed that too and can't be happier about it, I love old style cars, especially like mucle cars such as the Mustang, Charger, Challenger, and Camaro

 

Voar Tok:  That was GMAC, the GM owned mortgage company, and I think it's only 3 billion, not 300 billion.

 

amal81: thanks for the pics, they look nice but aren't really auto show related, they are all old model styles, so they won't be seen at any auto shows.

 

And now on to the update...

 

Ferrari GG50

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 Still un-named Infiniti coupe

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Nissan URGE

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/01/Urge.JPG width=450 vspace=4 border=1>

 

Volvo C30

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Lincoln MKS

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Lincoln MKX

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Mazda Kabura

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 thats all for now, more tommorow

 

[Dolfan348488 0]

Date: 1/14/2006 9:43:02 AM
Author: amal81

These are the cars I absolutely love and looking forward to see them in the auto shows!

Nissan Skyline



The Lancer Evo series



Subaru imprezza WRX



and ofcourse the ferrari enzo......

quote>


Do i smell rice? (minus last picture)

[sloppet 3]

in the last pic I smell pizza

[Ratieya455 1]

A little bit of rice with some pasta mixed in. The Enzo is nowhere near as good looking as an F40.

Dupont, I have only seen one of those show cars so far. The Mazda Coupe looks pretty nice, and I think that Infiniti is the rumored supercar with ~500HP.

It'll be interesting to see the Challenger and Camaro on the market again. Ford might have to redo the Mustang a little bit to keep up, because those like like awesome cars.

I'm liking the Dodge Caliber that will actually be in dealerships before the end of the month. They replaced the Neon with something as close to an SUV as they could, with the signature enormous grille and fender flares with some pretty big wheels. They are even basing two Jeeps off it, one a sporty Subaru competitor and the other not unlike the original Cherokee.
Caliber:


GM needs to do something better about their minivans, and fast. Their new design is half based off one from 1997 and looks awkward. They should bring back the style of their original dustbuster minivans (Lumina APV, Trans Sport, Silhouette 1990-96). The modular seating in those vans was a nifty feature and would make for quite a competitor to Stow 'N' Go if they did it right.
1995 Pontiac Trans Sport (my current realistic dream car)

[amal81 3]

Date: 1/14/2006 9:45:40 PM
Author: Dupontfan24

Thanks for all the comments everyone

amal81: thanks for the pics, they look nice but aren't really auto show related, they are all old model styles, so they won't be seen at any auto shows.

And now on to the update...

quote>

Sure they are Autoshow related; U see, where I live these cars are not commonly available on the roads, unless u specially import them form either Japan or Italy. And all the cars shown here are now at show in the Autoshow where I live; of course these are not the photographs of the autoshow itself. but when i do visit it i might put updated pics here.
These might be old models for people in North America, Japan and Europe but not where I live. They are still very new here.

Edit: Something totally unrelated to this topic: [i like both rice and pizza]
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[Cjah 15]

The Dodge Challenger looks pretty sick...

I'd love to drive that bad boy down the block for a while...

[Ratieya455 1]

I just checked the dates on the Twin Cities Auto Show, and it falls right into my spring break in mid March. They won't be unveiling any new models there, but I like to see in person the cars that I have been reading about. I missed the show last year, so I have two years' worth of new models to check out.

On a car-related side note, I took a very short ride in a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta today. I have never been in such a small back seat in my life. My head was pinned against the ceiling, my knees were jammed against the front seat, and this even with the front seat passenger asking if he could move his seat back because he was short of legroom. I'm 6'1, but I often ride in the back of a Saturn SL2 and it is far more comfortable and roomy than the Jetta. The Saturn is a little bit smaller on the outside than a Jetta, but it gets a lot better mileage and is a lot more reliable (Volkswagens have gone way downhill in the past few years). This reinforces my belief that imports are not automatically superior to domestics, as is the popular belief.

[Micah 16]

Wow, that Nissian URGE looks wicked! Is that still a concept car? For some odd reason, I can't see that car going down any street.

Yeah, it seems like Chevy, Ford, and Dodge are doing remakes of their old model cars.

 

I think Geely is going to sweep over the nation! Man, can you believe those Geelys are only about $8,000!!!!

 

[DuskTrooper 316]

Heh, we never get anything good in the Houston Auto Show. One of these years, I wanna go to Detroit for the opening of the auto show circuit...

[villarule 2]

i must say that i like that Dodge Challanger, looking quite retro
as a general rule, i prefer Asian and European cars over American ones, they are more efficiant, imo handle better and are more practical

[hello_SC4 1]

Well, I think this applies to all concept cars when I say they are not only a show of what a company can do, but many are also a hint at what we can expect from the company in the future. In some cases, the concept cars change only minimally when turned into regular production models. An example of this is the new 2006 European Honda Civic, I mean just look at it!

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/2006CivicSport.jpg align=baseline>

 

A few other examples I can think of right now are the SEAT Altea and the Peugeot 307 CC..

[brancra 1,168]

First, let me apologize for my breach of etiquette earlier. It wasn't right of me to stray off topic and rant.

Now, as for the show, I was impressed by the appearance of the Dodge Caliber. It has a sporty edge to it that will definitely draw some buyers.  The Mazda concept car was p'raps a little outlandish, particularly in the style of the front end, but then, it is a concept car.  The Mitsubishi coup

[deadwoods 542]

I've always been a fan of the 60's muscle cars. The Mustang was born at the same time as I was, and we didn't see a lot of them here in Oz. One of my racing hero's had a '69 fastback in  Coca Cola livery that I used to follow.

Unfortunately the whole muscle car thing lost it's way after the late 60's. The cars became big, heavy, ugly fuel guzzlers then the oil crisis in the mid 70's killed them (anyone remember the Mustang II, yuk!).

I was very impressed with the Mustang that Ford produced last year off the back of a prototype. Here in Oz we had the Monaro (which was rebadged as the GTO in the US) which was also a concept shown at the motor shows.

I love the look of the Challenger. It would be great in a burnt orange colour with black stripes. Or even a bright lime with black stripes.

EDIT - BTW, I think the Europeans and Japanese do build the best cars at the moment. My last four cars have been Subaru (WRX Hatch), Subaru (Outback), Jeep Cherokee (Liberty in US) and Subaru (Liberty 3.0 RB Wagon, 250+ hp, 6 speed manual/stick).

I liked the  look of the Jeep, but the build quality and performance was disappointing. It had so many niggly production quality issues (some major safety recalls) that just shouldn't occur on a new car. And it guzzled fuel for what is basically a small 4wd (SUV).

The Subaru's (and Honda's/Mazda's) have adopted very European lines lately and the build quality (the ones built in Japan anyway) is unquestioned. My Liberty has great quality, with leather interior, 13 speaker sound system, etc. plus great performance/handling (like Bilstein suspension as standard) with only 2/3 of the fuel use of the jeep.

The japanese use Bruce Willis to advertise the Liberty (called Legacy in Japan)...

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//w3.jpg align=baseline>

 

[Dolfan348488 0]

Being the owner of a Camaro... i have changed my life goal from doing something useful, to saving up enough money for that new one.... that thing is sexy.

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/15/2006 8:54:11 AM Author: Micah

Wow, that Nissian URGE looks wicked! Is that still a concept car? For some odd reason, I can't see that car going down any street.

Yeah, it seems like Chevy, Ford, and Dodge are doing remakes of their old model cars.

I think Geely is going to sweep over the nation! Man, can you believe those Geelys are only about $8,000!!!!

quote>

That URGE is freakin' cool man!  Way to go Nissan!  I can't believe I just said that.  Although, I am curious about this Geely thing.  Is there a picture of it and I missed it or what?

 

Hello_SC4: I'm going to get me a civic, suup it up, and then it will be awesome.  That is the general mind-set of a lot of car-modders here in the states.

[hello_SC4 1]

Date: 1/16/2006 12:00:31 AM Author: Voar Tok

Date: 1/15/2006 8:54:11 AM Author: Micah

Wow, that Nissian URGE looks wicked! Is that still a concept car? For some odd reason, I can't see that car going down any street.

Yeah, it seems like Chevy, Ford, and Dodge are doing remakes of their old model cars.

I think Geely is going to sweep over the nation! Man, can you believe those Geelys are only about $8,000!!!!

quote>

That URGE is freakin' cool man!  Way to go Nissan!  I can't believe I just said that.  Although, I am curious about this Geely thing.  Is there a picture of it and I missed it or what?

Hello_SC4: I'm going to get me a civic, suup it up, and then it will be awesome.  That is the general mind-set of a lot of car-modders here in the states.

quote>

Hehe, I'm just glad that part of the Civic doesn't exist in Europe. It's just another average car here.. I'd think the Peugeot 206 has a sort-of Civic-like status when it comes to tuning cars.. It's cheap, looks good (better than those old civics anyway, hehe) and can be heavily modified. I think the fact that it was a WRC car really made it famous.

 

And Micah, about the Geely. I don't know if you remember this, but 20 years ago, Yugos were sold in the US for $8000 dollars and they were often ridiculed and not very succesful. This Geely car has potential, but for the moment, I don't think it stands a chance. When a coloured dashboard and seatbelts on back seats is listed in the standard equipment list, you know something's wrong.

 

Deadwoods: Yes, I agree, Japanese car-makers have started to turn to Europe for design, and as far as their sales numbers go, it's doing wonders. And personally, I like them a lot more now as well.

[Ratieya455 1]

Funny that you mak a comparison to Yugo and Geely, because the same guy that brought Yugo to the U.S. is doing the same for Geely and a few other Chinese car brands. This guy also introduced Subaru to the U.S., which was just a little more successful than Yugo.

I've seen Yugos driving around. Not necessarily a dream machine, but I am amazed that they are still working after 15 years and that people are able to find parts for those things.

[Micah 16]

Date: 1/16/2006 1:27:22 PM Author: hello_SC4

Date: 1/16/2006 12:00:31 AM Author: Voar Tok

Date: 1/15/2006 8:54:11 AM Author: Micah

Wow, that Nissian URGE looks wicked! Is that still a concept car? For some odd reason, I can't see that car going down any street.

Yeah, it seems like Chevy, Ford, and Dodge are doing remakes of their old model cars.

I think Geely is going to sweep over the nation! Man, can you believe those Geelys are only about $8,000!!!!

That URGE is freakin' cool man!  Way to go Nissan!  I can't believe I just said that.  Although, I am curious about this Geely thing.  Is there a picture of it and I missed it or what?

Hello_SC4: I'm going to get me a civic, suup it up, and then it will be awesome.  That is the general mind-set of a lot of car-modders here in the states.

Hehe, I'm just glad that part of the Civic doesn't exist in Europe. It's just another average car here.. I'd think the Peugeot 206 has a sort-of Civic-like status when it comes to tuning cars.. It's cheap, looks good (better than those old civics anyway, hehe) and can be heavily modified. I think the fact that it was a WRC car really made it famous.

And Micah, about the Geely. I don't know if you remember this, but 20 years ago, Yugos were sold in the US for $8000 dollars and they were often ridiculed and not very succesful. This Geely car has potential, but for the moment, I don't think it stands a chance. When a coloured dashboard and seatbelts on back seats is listed in the standard equipment list, you know something's wrong.

Deadwoods: Yes, I agree, Japanese car-makers have started to turn to Europe for design, and as far as their sales numbers go, it's doing wonders. And personally, I like them a lot more now as well.

Yeah, I saw those Yugos on the news yesterday (Wasn't around during those times), but I did read an article about them. I think these Geely's (Geeli's?) will be a very big hit in the US because they resemble most Honda cars... not much of a big difference, just cost less and has a much better gas mileage.

[Yellowlab 11]

The new Civic really is cool.  Once you get beyond how weird it is, it's really, really cool.

 

I really like the close-to-production Lexus LS460:

http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/l_18200621532.jpg width=450 align=baseline>

 

 

It's sleek and elegant.  Very classy.

 

I don't think the Geely will make it.  The quality of build is so low that it just can't make it.  Think of the upkeep costs!  Consumer Reports will rip it apart.  They have killed more cars than anyone (Isuzu Trooper, anyone?  Isuzu, the company???)

[Micah 16]

Date: 1/17/2006 1:51:22 AM Author: Yellowlab

 

I don't think the Geely will make it.  The quality of build is so low that it just can't make it.  Think of the upkeep costs!  Consumer Reports will rip it apart.  They have killed more cars than anyone (Isuzu Trooper, anyone?  Isuzu, the company???)

quote>

That's true. I should just wait til the Consumer Report comes out to see whether the Geely is a good buy or not. Wow, just imagine if they give the Geely's a good report? I think Geely's would be flying off the shelves... well, car lots.

[M-SIL 2]

Date: 1/15/2006 5:41:52 PM Author: hello_SC4

Well, I think this applies to all concept cars when I say they are not only a show of what a company can do, but many are also a hint at what we can expect from the company in the future. In some cases, the concept cars change only minimally when turned into regular production models. An example of this is the new 2006 European Honda Civic, I mean just look at it!

A few other examples I can think of right now are the SEAT Altea and the Peugeot 307 CC..

I have one word for that car: Yuck!

[hello_SC4 1]

M-SIL: That's exactly why it's sold only in Europe.

Ratieya455: Well, considering this was part of the home of the Yugo until 15 years ago, I'm very glad that they almost disappeared off our streets. 10 years ago there were loads of them and other Zastava models (the factory that makes them). Now, though, they are much rarer, but parts are abound. Just go to the local scrapyard.

 

And about Chinese cars, ADAC (the German national automobile club) tested this Chinese SUV called Landwind. The result? The dummy was pronounced dead after a 64 km/h (40 mph) test. A EuroNCAP VW Touareg crash in the same condition is posted for comparison and crashes of the Ford F150 and Isuzu Rodeo..

 

The link: http://landwind.bootnetworks.com/