Art on Wheels
02-01-2008, 04:36 AM
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Art on Wheels
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/weeke...on_Wheels.html
Odd, how they give such short shrift to the chally in this Article? They just don't understand. I'm thinking I'm taking this coming Wednesday off.
[quote]Art on Wheels
The Philadelphia International Auto Show begins its nine-day run tonight. Page XX
By Akweli Parker
For The Inquirer
Even as the U.S. economy wheezes and sputters to avoid stalling into a full-blown recession, Philadelphia International Auto Show attendees are about to see that owning a roaring, world-class "supercar" is vastly more affordable, although still a big ticket.
Exhibits A and B of this argument, the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (estimated price, a mere $100,000) and Nissan's artfully carved GT-R 1 (less than $80,000), will draw more than their fair share of lustful onlookers at the annual show, which begins tonight with the $200-a-ticket Black Tie Tailgate Preview Gala to benefit Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and other charities. The show, rolled out each year at the Convention Center by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, opens to the public Saturday and continues through Sunday, Feb. 10.
As in recent years, cars that use alternative fuels, such as hybrid and full battery power, will compete for attention with traditional fossil-burners.
"I think we're looking for consumers to make a very educated decision," when buying the family car this year, said Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the auto dealers' group.
"They're going to use the Internet to scrutinize these cars and their attributes."
With the cost of filling up the tank a major household expense for many families, people will be actively comparing the costs and benefits of hybrids, diesel-engine cars, and the familiar gasoline engine, which has itself been getting more efficient, Mazzucola said.
Even notorious gas guzzlers such as the Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Tahoe SUVs now come with a hybrid-engine option. Vehicles with hybrid engines toggle between a liquid fuel, such as gasoline or diesel, and battery power. The result is extended miles-per-gallon and lower emissions, compared with a vehicle on a regular engine.
Fuel economy, which was low on most car buyers' must-have list for much of the last decade, "is rising to the top of the list of desired features," said Scott Lustgarten, auto show chairman and president of Wilkie Lexus, Martin Dealership Group, and Lexus of Chester Springs. "They still want the cargo space, they still want the performance."
For the auto dealers, the show is an important business tool - market research points to the annual nine-day event as a major influence on car buyers. This year, manufacturers will have their work cut out for them, as industry analysts project U.S. sales to sag with the overall economy.
The show will entice potential buyers with preproduction models such as the all-new Ford F-150, the luxurious but un-Grandpa-esque Lincoln MKS, and the retro-styled Dodge Challenger muscle car.
Back at the auto show this year is the Body 2 Body competition, in which contestants are challenged to maintain body contact with a car for several days for a chance to win it; and the Tuner Salon, a separate show area featuring highly customized and souped-up rides from DUB magazine and the auto manufacturers.
For those who would rather watch the Barrett-Jackson auto auction on cable than the Gen-Y-oriented Street Tuner Challenge, the Concours d'Elegance returns, with more than a dozen restored classic automobiles, including a rare 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The Philadelphia show is merely a preview of the main Concours event, a June jamboree in Bethlehem of the Eastern seaboard's most painstakingly refurbished classics and vintage cars, some worth well into seven figures.
"Concours quality means it needs to be pristine, just as it was," said Ed Newcomb, Concours administrat
Odd, how they give such short shrift to the chally in this Article? They just don't understand. I'm thinking I'm taking this coming Wednesday off.
[quote]Art on Wheels
The Philadelphia International Auto Show begins its nine-day run tonight. Page XX
By Akweli Parker
For The Inquirer
Even as the U.S. economy wheezes and sputters to avoid stalling into a full-blown recession, Philadelphia International Auto Show attendees are about to see that owning a roaring, world-class "supercar" is vastly more affordable, although still a big ticket.
Exhibits A and B of this argument, the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (estimated price, a mere $100,000) and Nissan's artfully carved GT-R 1 (less than $80,000), will draw more than their fair share of lustful onlookers at the annual show, which begins tonight with the $200-a-ticket Black Tie Tailgate Preview Gala to benefit Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and other charities. The show, rolled out each year at the Convention Center by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, opens to the public Saturday and continues through Sunday, Feb. 10.
As in recent years, cars that use alternative fuels, such as hybrid and full battery power, will compete for attention with traditional fossil-burners.
"I think we're looking for consumers to make a very educated decision," when buying the family car this year, said Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the auto dealers' group.
"They're going to use the Internet to scrutinize these cars and their attributes."
With the cost of filling up the tank a major household expense for many families, people will be actively comparing the costs and benefits of hybrids, diesel-engine cars, and the familiar gasoline engine, which has itself been getting more efficient, Mazzucola said.
Even notorious gas guzzlers such as the Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Tahoe SUVs now come with a hybrid-engine option. Vehicles with hybrid engines toggle between a liquid fuel, such as gasoline or diesel, and battery power. The result is extended miles-per-gallon and lower emissions, compared with a vehicle on a regular engine.
Fuel economy, which was low on most car buyers' must-have list for much of the last decade, "is rising to the top of the list of desired features," said Scott Lustgarten, auto show chairman and president of Wilkie Lexus, Martin Dealership Group, and Lexus of Chester Springs. "They still want the cargo space, they still want the performance."
For the auto dealers, the show is an important business tool - market research points to the annual nine-day event as a major influence on car buyers. This year, manufacturers will have their work cut out for them, as industry analysts project U.S. sales to sag with the overall economy.
The show will entice potential buyers with preproduction models such as the all-new Ford F-150, the luxurious but un-Grandpa-esque Lincoln MKS, and the retro-styled Dodge Challenger muscle car.
Back at the auto show this year is the Body 2 Body competition, in which contestants are challenged to maintain body contact with a car for several days for a chance to win it; and the Tuner Salon, a separate show area featuring highly customized and souped-up rides from DUB magazine and the auto manufacturers.
For those who would rather watch the Barrett-Jackson auto auction on cable than the Gen-Y-oriented Street Tuner Challenge, the Concours d'Elegance returns, with more than a dozen restored classic automobiles, including a rare 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The Philadelphia show is merely a preview of the main Concours event, a June jamboree in Bethlehem of the Eastern seaboard's most painstakingly refurbished classics and vintage cars, some worth well into seven figures.
"Concours quality means it needs to be pristine, just as it was," said Ed Newcomb, Concours administrat
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