April 13, 2006: The swell continues to build for hybrids and other efficient vehicles at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). New-car introductions as well as recent models on display showed that fuel efficiency has caught the eye of automakers around the world. Hybrids are just one way to reach that goal.
In addition to new hybrids from Lexus and others, GM showed a wide range of E85 FlexFuel vehicles that run on fuel that's 85-percent ethanol (distilled corn). Mercedes-Benz and several other automakers are committed to bringing more clean-burning diesels into the marketplace. Turbochargers and superchargers, long a favorite of the street-tuner crowd, now are pitched as an alternative technology, allowing for smaller engines. And BMW renewed its commitment to the capacitor drive (high-power, quick-discharge, battery-like devices) and said it would be selling hydrogen-fuel cars in a couple years.
The traditional way to get better fuel mileage was at the show in force: that is, small cars with small engines. Only this decade do the cars have great fit and finish and good safety features, and aren't such an embarrassment to own. There are no Chevy Vega or Ford Pinto offspring here.
The biggest impact from a single automaker at the show came from Saturn, which essentially revamped its model line. Announcements included the Saturn Aura, pitched as a fun-to-drive sedan (on sale summer, 2006); the Saturn Sky Red Line, a two-seat convertible with a 2-liter, 4-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 260 hp (expected in fall, 2006); and the eight-passenger Saturn Outlook crossover vehicle (coming late in 2006). The latter is a sibling to the hipper Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. Saturn also showed the sleek PreVue concept car (Vue minus the nerd factor apparently equals PreVue).
The NYIAS is open to the public Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 23, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue between 34th and 39th streets. Yes, it's a safe place to visit.
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