Jeremiah 29:11

Brawn, beauty to share stage at Detroit auto show

By Rick Popely
Chicago Tribune

DETROIT — The North American International Auto Show, the industry's biggest debutante ball in the U.S., gets under way Sunday with the usual mix of green, mean and hauling machines from major manufacturers including General Motors, Ford and Toyota.

Ford unveils the 2009 F-150 pickup and Verve and Explorer America concepts. The F-150, the industry's best-selling model, has a more rugged appearance.

Verve is Ford's new global subcompact car, due for U.S. sale in 2010, and the Explorer America is a peek at the next-generation Explorer SUV.

Dodge will take the wraps off its redesigned big rig, the 2009 Ram pickup, which adds a crew-cab style for the first time. The Ram is Chrysler's best-seller.

Chrysler also will introduce three "green" concepts — all have electric motors. The Chrysler ecoVoyager also has a hydrogen fuel cell, the Dodge Zeo is an all-electric sport wagon and the Jeep Renegade is a plug-in, diesel-powered hybrid off-roader.

From GM, the Hummer HX concept is a look at the H4, a model smaller than the H3 expected for the 2009 model year. It was created by three GM designers who recently graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

Buick went in a new direction — East — with the design of its newest concept vehicle, the sporty Buick Riviera.

The coupe is the first show car to be designed jointly by teams in Shanghai and North America, GM's vice president of design, Ed Welburn, said Thursday.

Welburn unveiled the Riviera ahead of the North American International Auto Show.

The front-wheel-drive coupe with gull-wing doors and a swooping glass roof revives the Riviera name after an eight-year hiatus. GM sold more than 1.1 million Rivieras between 1963 and 1999.

Toyota introduces the Venza, a five-passenger crossover that blends sedan and SUV attributes and will be built at the Georgetown, Ky., plant with Camry, the industry's top-selling passenger car.

Honda unveils a prototype of the 2009 Pilot SUV that it says will have bolder styling, and it will show the CR-Z concept, a two-seat, gas/electric the company hints is scheduled for production.

Hyundai, the Korean manufacturer that burst on the U.S. scene as a budget brand in the 1980s — before going bust and coming back stronger than ever — moves upscale with the Genesis, a rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan that will be offered in V-6 and V-8 versions starting near $30,000.

The V-8 is a 4.6-liter with 368 horsepower that runs on regular gas.

Among available features are radar-based adaptive cruise controls, a Lexicon surround-sound audio system, electronically active front head restraints and automatically leveling headlights that also swivel in the direction of turns.