New cars, trucks on display at Phoenix auto show

Bob Golfen
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 23, 2006 05:03 PM


The mid-engine ME Four-Twelve, a V-12 powered supercar, glowered menacingly from its platform at the Chrysler pavilion Thursday as auto-show visitors appraised its sharp contours.

The high-performance concept car from Chrysler is a highlight of this year's Arizona International Auto Show, a four-day event with more than 500 new cars and trucks on display through Sunday.

Exotic concept cars are a major draw at auto shows around the world, and the Phoenix show is no exception. The automakers use concept cars to show off their skills, present new ideas or gauge people's reactions. Such crowd-pleasers as the Chrysler PT Cruiser, VW New Beetle, even the original 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, started out life as concept cars. advertisement




One of the latest concept cars that is planned for production, the Dodge Challenger, will be available at the show.

"Concept cars are used by automakers to tease you to see if there's interest," said Phoenix auto dealer Don Luke, who operates the Bill Luke Chrysler/Jeep and Dodge dealerships.

The Challenger has whetted buyers' appetites and there probably will be people coming in Monday morning to ask about the performance coupe, Luke pointed out, even though they won't be on sale until later in 2007.

Other special cars and trucks at the show include a group of celebrity cars, including a wildly customized Cadillac Escalade owned by Cardinals linebacker Leonard Davis, and some tricked-out performance cars from the recent SEMA specialty parts show in Las Vegas.

But concept cars and other special attractions at the auto show are like the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, a sweet treat to go along with the main course. The real draw is the vast spread of 2007 cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs, as well as some future offerings for the next few model years, from nearly every manufacturer selling vehicles in the United States.

Luke noted some of the new Jeep products that will be on the floor, such as the four-door Wrangler, Patriot and Nitro, which has attracted a lot of interest.

"We'll have people come in asking just for the Nitro," Luke said.

The show presents car shoppers and browsers with a unique opportunity to examine almost everything out there, side to side, comparing their style, features, comfort and performance, said Knox Ramsey, the president of the Valley Auto Dealers Association, which owns and operates the auto show.

"It's very convenient to be able to look at every car available today in just one place," Ramsey said. "It's amazing the amount of attention people put into a vehicle they are interested in, climbing in and out, looking inside the trunk and under the hood."

A big plus is that the cars and trucks are presented outside dealers' showrooms so there is no sales pressure. Dealers are not permitted to pitch sales at the show.

A new feature this year are ride-and-drive opportunities to sample Ford vehicles, including performance enhancements, and the new Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks.

The annual Arizona auto show is housed for the first time at the new Phoenix Convention Center, taking up three floors in the west building.

"It's good to have a totally different look to the show," Ramsey said. "It's really exceeding my expectations."

The show will be using the convention center's lavish entryway and lobby for exotic imports to excite show goers as they come in the door, he said.

"The lobby is spectacular," Ramsey said of the convention center. "We're going to have Ferrari and Maserati out there, so that will be a nice showpiece for the main floor."