2009 Seattle International Auto Show

Yes, there were scooters at the Seattle International Auto Show! But only because there was a motorcycle and green vehicle area in the back. EICMA happened in Milan, Italy, and while there was a Vespa GTV 250-with-sidecar concept, not much else was on show, scooter-wise. The best EICMA coverage is on 2strokebuzz.

Following the jump is this year’s version of a story I’ve written every year for nearly 20 (*gulp!*) years, for a variety of small publications. Those publications are all pretty much out of business, so you can see it here. If you want…

Just how bad are things for the U.S. automobile industry? October was the industry’s worst sales month in 20 25 years. Consumer confidence is pretty much gone. The Detroit 3 may become the Detroit 2. Or the Detroit 1.

Things are so bad, Toyota, the auto-industry juggernaut, is offering 0% financing. And running commercials using the ’80s pop-music chestnut, “Saved by Zero.” You have to admit, that’s pretty bad.

At least the price of gas has dropped. During the summer, premium was knocking on the door of $5.00/gal. Back then, only SUVs and full-size pickups were tanking, sales-wise. Lithia Dodge in Renton had a person out on the sidewalk waving a sign that offered Dodge Ram pickups at 50% off MSRP.

Chrysler’s intention to lay off 25% of its white-collar work force has the auto world thinking the proposed merger with General Motors is all but a done deal. What does a merger mean? The consensus seems to be buh-bye Chrysler and Dodge brands, and buh-bye to everything in their respective model lineups except the minivans. Jeep could be folded into Hummer pretty easily—both vehicles have 7-slot grilles flanked by round headlights, and there’s little product overlap. As for the minivans, I guess you could say good to have you back, Chevy Uplander and Pontiac Montana. GM bailed from the minivan segment at the end of the ‘08 model year.

Speaking of minivans (and commercials), Volkswagen, the inventor of the minivan, has given up on the EuroVan in North America and is now selling a Chrysler with a VW badge. And in one of the more bizarre marketing campaigns, Brooke Shields is on TV reminding people that one need not be pregnant to buy a VW Routan (uh, that’s what they call the Chrysler).

VW is building a new factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. (as you’ll recall, the site of Amerivespa 2008) that will build something known internally as the NMS. That’s New Midsize Sedan, something in the vein of a Toyota Camry, but with a VW badge. So you could say VW is becoming just another car company, with a product lineup pretty much like everyone else’s. In Seattle, lots of people will buy anything with a VW badge, but why would anyone who’s been buying Toyotas or Hondas want to buy something just like what Toyota and Honda sell, but with a VW badge? Especially if it has a higher price tag?

Oh, one more thing: In Europe, VW just reintroduced the Scirocco. Not for U.S. sale, just like the Polo.

Ford is finally—FINALLY!—going to start selling some of its Euro product in the U.S. The sea-change that begins with the intro of the way-cool new Fiesta next year (maybe even in hatchback form) is apparently the result of non-Ford family, non-Detroit, former Boeing guy Alan Mullaly asking repeatedly upon being shown new Euro Fords, “when does this thing go on sale in the U.S.?” By 2011 we’ll also be able to buy the next-gen Focus, C-Max and maybe even the Kuga.

But this Ford owner at times thinks the company deserves to go out of business because the people in the hermetically-sealed echo chamber that is Ford Motor Company’s world headquarters in Dearborn nixed a plan to sell the Fiesta with a diesel engine because they’d have to charge $25,000 to make it pencil out financially. HEL-LO?? People were paying 50% over sticker (about $32K on average) for the Prius 2.0 when it was introduced. These same people would form lines around the block at every Ford dealer in every blue state to buy a car that could really, truly get 60 mpg (that’s 50% better than a Prius), especially if it could run on B100 biodiesel. Hell, I’d be in one of those lines myself. And if you could show me the B100 isn’t taking food out of anyone’s mouth, I’d buy fuel exclusively from Propel.

It looks like GM’s Chevrolet Volt is really gonna happen, and so might the $7,000 tax credit mentioned by Obama campaign. That’ll make the $40,000 price tag expected for the General’s PHEV a moot point for the folks most likely to buy one. But something I find interesting is the styling. The former doorstop look (which turned out to be more aerodynamic going backwards) has been replaced by something that looks like—a Prius!

Honda’s doing the same thing. They’ve revived the Insight name for a new hybrid 5-door hatchback that will be formally introduced at the Detroit show in January. It looks very much like a Prius. At that show, Toyota will introduce a new Prius. Same as the old one, mostly, if the pics floating around the Interwebs are to be believed. You know what this means, don’t you? The Prius shape has come to mean “green car.”

It’ll be interesting to see what this development means for Nissan. They’ve decided to skip hybrids and go directly to plug-in electric cars, the first of which may be available in 2010, when the Volt is supposed to go on sale. An electric Cube, their asymmetrically styled take on Toyota’s Scion xB (intro in two weeks at the L.A. show) has been running around for a while, and Nissan has said everything’s going to be electric in short order. Nissan parent Renault has been working to set up a “Better World” thing, with bunches of electric cars in Israel.

Not in Seattle, however. The centerpiece of the Nissan area was a silver GT-R. Yes, the one that has Euro auto media weak-kneed, 20something Grand Turismo/Need for Speed video gamers are probably the most familiar with its supercar performance. Virtually, anyway. While Nissan has retired the Skyline name, this car’s blood lines run straight from previous editions of the legendary Japanese über-touring car.

Nissan, like almost every other exhibitor (Chrysler, VW, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz being the notable exceptions), simply staked out a place on the show floor, passing on elaborate displays. In fact, the whole show had an empty feeling. The term “white space” comes to mind, a term graphic and Web designers use to describe the room around page content. There were fewer exhibitors, way fewer unrelated vendors on the mezzanine, and the exhibitors that were there brought way fewer vehicles. Lots of white space. Even some of the carpet was white.

The Chrysler Death Watch continues, but that didn’t stop the automotive division of Cerberus Capital Managment from putting a full complement of vehicles on display. There was even an interesting concept, the smart-like Akino. As this is written, Congress is still debating a bailout for GM in the manner of the earlier bank bailout. If GM gets the money, the merger is likely “GO.” If not, Renault-Nissan is considered a likely suitor.

There were no premieres this year, but there never are. At least GM remembered to bring a Pontiac G8 (but not a Pontiac G3). Lots of cool stuff will roll out in L.A. later this month and Detroit in January, so get your plane tickets and hotel reservations now. There are some screamin’ travel deals out there at the moment.

Here are some things that pushed my buttons:

Ford Transit Connect—While the one on the show floor was set up for a catering company, I think of this as the ultimate scooter hauler. The PX would fit just fine, the GTS might need to go sans windscreen and top case. You can even get a removable second row of seats and windows in the doors, making it an okay occasional people hauler (a taxi version has been shown). Interestingly, the one on the show floor had a manual transmission; Ford has said automatic only. Disappointingly, some pics in the brochure show Transit Connects with little badges that say “TDCi.” That’s Ford-speak for diesel. Not for U.S. sale, unfortunately. Just a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine.

Mazda6—The way-coolest looking midsize sedan in a long time nevertheless makes even more profound the “Zoom-Zoom” company’s transition from a seller of sporty cars to a supplier of what the British call automotive white goods (i.e., appliances). Yeah, there’s still a Miata, and I think there’s still an RX-8, but when was the last time you saw one on the street? Oh, this year there’s also a new Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ, because all of those cars share the Mazda6’s basic architecture. Like the Mazda6, they’re all made in Michigan. And you’ll be able to rent all of them.

Toyota Yaris—It now comes with FIVE doors! No diesel yet, but if the price of gas spikes again, who knows? I dunno, I just find 5-door hatchbacks much more useful.

Hyundai Genesis and Genesis Coupe—Hyundai has jumped into the luxury pool with the Lexus-like Genesis sedan, which interestingly has no Hyundai badging. Nice try, but the reason there is a Lexus (and an Acura and an Infiniti) is because people who buy luxury cars (even ones offered at bargain prices) are different from people who buy Accents. You market to luxury car buyers far differently than you do to compact hatchback buyers. Think of the Car Pros Hyundai guy. Is anybody really going to want to buy a $35K luxury car from his store? Don’t think so. As for the Genesis Coupe, a beautiful car (the one on the stand was the most intense RED I’ve seen in a long time), but Hyundai wimped out and didn’t offer the V8. This thing is competing with the Mustang, Challenger and new Camaro, whether Hyundai wants to admit it or not. The revived pony cars are being bought by those seeking a last gasp of muscle-car intoxication before retreating to a ZENN electric car. Or so some marketing people say. Hyundai needs to go for it.

Hyundai Elantra Touring—If you want unadulterated mainstream European motoring, this is it. It’s sold on the Continent and in the U.K. as the i30, and doesn’t differ in any meaningful way from its Euro cousins. It’s a 5-door hatchback, which would put it on my shortlist all by itself. If I were looking to buy a car, that is. Euro-market versions, along with the Yaris-size i20 and i10 microcar (yeah, they’ve gone whole-hog for lower-case “i”s) are made in Slovakia. Hyundai’s a world-wide auto industry player.

Acura T-something-or-other

Acura—Like Mazda, once known for sporty cars, now mostly selling luxury SUV-like devices. Really UGLY SUV-like devices. Dan Neil of the L.A. Times often uses the phrase “Japanese Robot” to describe Acura’s “faces.” The new TL and TSX (hope I have the right combinations of letters there) are wonderful examples. Bleahh. I liked the old Integra’s mutant-catfish face much better.

Honda Fit—New this year, a real looker in a Prius kinda way. I’d write a check for one right now, if it weren’t for the likelihood of that check bouncing into the Lower Troposphere. Interestingly, not the star of the Honda display in spite of being the non-hybrid gas mileage champ (the video-game-like commercials are rather amusing, as well). That honor went to the S2000 roadster, which Honda has said they’re going to quit making (and not replace) soon, if not already.

Really Bad Timing Dept.—Kia, introducing the full-size, V8-powered Borego SUV when that market has fallen off a cliff; Dodge, introducing a new Ram when the market for pickups has also fallen off a cliff. I also wanted to include the Suzuki Equator, but after talking to product specialist Celesta, changed my mind. She said lots of Suzuki’s motorcycle and powersports customers are fanatical enough about the brand to be very interested in a Suzuki-badged pickup in which to haul the toys around. Makes sense, actually. As does getting a rebadged Nissan Frontier instead of trying to design one from scratch.

With words like “meltdown” being used to describe the state of the economy, and people being unable to get loans even if they’re feeling reasonably good about their prospects, another word is being bandied about to describe demand for new cars in 2009: “collapse.” It doesn’t help that an industry with products priced well into five figures has an acute need for its customers to be able to borrow money in order to buy them. One has to wonder how much an Obama administration will be able to do in the near term to, if not goose the economy, at least make people feel confident enough to go shopping again…

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