The North American Car and Truck Awards are decided by a group of automotive journalists. In November, the Chevy Camaro was been named Car of the Year in the separate Motor Trend awards, while the company’s Colorado model picked up Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year honors.
Buick amps up its high-performance offerings
Also at the Detroit Auto Show, General Motors’ Buick brand, which is generally known for selling fairly conservative cars designed for those who prefer quiet and comfort over speed and excitement, debuted an exciting new entry. Just before Monday’s opening media day of the Detroit Auto Show, Buick executives unveiled a car with proportions similar to the sporty Chevrolet Camaro.
The Buick Avista concept car has, according to GM, a 400-horsepower turbocharged V6 engine. Also, unlike current Buick models, which are front-wheel drive, the Avista is rear-wheel drive — which is generally preferred for high-performance driving.
“The Avista embodies the dynamic soul of Buick,” said Duncan Aldred, head of Buick sales and marketing. “It is a modern expression of the brand’s heritage of sophisticated performance, communicated with beautiful elegance.”
GM executives wouldn’t comment on how likely it was that a car like the Avista would ever go into production. While it wouldn’t be the first time Buick has ever marketed high-performance, it would be the first time in a very long time. Buick’s most recent similar model was the Buick Grand National of the 1980s, a model line that culminated in the 276-horsepower 1987 Buick GNX. Like the Avista, it was a performance-tuned, rear-wheel drive, two-door car.
Buick also participated in the 1960s and ’70s “muscle car wars” with the powerful Buick GSX.
When it first started, Buick had a serious racing program. Louis Chevrolet, the man for whom GM’s most popular brand would later be named, was a race driver who made his name racing Buicks in the early 20th century.
At the same event at which the Avista was unveiled, GM also formally introduced the Envision compact SUV. When it goes on sale next year, the Envision will be the first Chinese-built vehicle sold in the United States by a U.S.-based automaker.
Chrysler introduces new mini vans
Say goodbye to the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan minivans. Both will soon be history.
Say hello to the new Chrysler Pacifica, the minivan that will replace them both.
The Pacifica, which will go on sale later this year, will have a huge range of features and options. Among them: a plug-in hybrid version able to go about 30 miles on a charge before the gasoline engine starts up. After that, it will drive like a hybrid, storing up electrical energy when idling and braking — energy the van then uses during acceleration.
In its materials describing the new plug-in Pacifica, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles assiduously avoids the term “plug-in hybrid.” Chrysler executives fear potential buyers might be put off by the perceived complexity of a plug-in vehicle. Instead, Chrysler refers to it as the Pacifica Hybrid.
Chrysler invented the whole idea of the minivan with the Dodge Caravan in the 1980s. It was the brainchild of then-CEO Lee Iacocca. It was low enough to fit in a garage.
The Caravan and its progeny became the symbol of suburban family life. Ironically it was brought forth by the same man who helped create the Mustang, an enduring symbol of youthful rebellion, when Iacocca was an executive at Ford.
The minivan was sold on the fulfillment of mundane daily needs. It had plenty of room so adults could enter standing up and secure small children in their booster seats. Its emphasis on functionality has made the minivan an object of derision.
The initial popularity of the minivan was soon eclipsed by the rise of SUV, which provided the spice of slight impracticality and the perception of “freedom” over responsibility.
Still, the minivan has always had its adherents. Chrysler’s two models, the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan, have attracted popular competitors from the likes of Toyota and Honda. Still, the Grand Caravan and Town & Country combined still outsell either the Honda Odyssey or the Toyota Sienna, according to sales data from Kelley Blue Book.
With the Pacifica, Chrysler is fighting back with features like a built-in vacuum cleaner, an idea first seen on the Odyssey. The new van will also have large 10-inch high-definition video screens for backseat passengers and, available later, wireless syncing with smartphone content.
Other options will included a full-length panoramic sunroof and big 20-inch wheels. A self-parking feature, which will help with both back-in and parallel parking, will also be available. The non-hybrid Pacifica will have a 3.6-liter V6 engine and a 9-speed transmission.
The V6-powered Pacifica will go on sale in the spring. The Pacifica Hybrid will be available later in the year.
