CHICAGO (February 2009) In this period of financial crisis and sparse vehicle sales, it's no surprise that auto shows have shrunk in scope. Even so, Chicago's annual event barely met the most minimal expectations. Showgoers might not notice the difference, but a lot less was new at this year's extravaganza than met the eye.
Ordinarily, journalists attend two days of media presentations prior to the show's opening. This year, as usual, the schedule called for two days. But Day Two offered exactly one manufacturer news conference, following a first day that included plenty of leisure time. All told, only nine automakers hosted news conferences, and only a handful of those had actual new products to introduce.
Not much "green" news came out of the Chicago show, especially compared to the output from Detroit's event, held a month earlier, and the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Still, fuel-efficiency did rear its head during several presentations.
Kia, for one, unveiled a brand-new model: a compact four-door sedan called the Forte. Scheduled to go on sale in early summer, this successor to the Spectra will come with either a 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Although there's nothing all that unusual about the Forte, at least it's another modest-size, sensibly-powered sedan that includes a full complement of six airbags. Competitors include the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Mazda's Mazda3.
Trucks aren't ordinarily viewed as "green" vehicles, but Ford's latest model touts fuel-efficiency as one of its merits. The new Transit Connect van is actually a European design, which accounts for its reasonable dimensions (coupled with abundant cargo space) and better-than-usual fuel economy. Ford claims the Transit Connect will deliver 20 miles per gallon in city driving a substantial improvement over full-size commercial vans that might otherwise go into fleet use. Ford also announced that a battery-electric version of the Transit Connect will go on sale in 2010.
At a reception prior to the show's Press Period, Bridgestone Firestone announced and introduced the young winners of its Safety Scholars Video Contest. Participants had produced videos to emphasize an aspect of vehicle safety. This year, a new Eco Scholars category will be introduced into the annual competition.
At a separate presentation held prior to the Chicago show, Chevrolet explained the details about a series of technical features that will go into the Volt. It's essential to "look at the whole thing ... holistically," taking every element together, said Frank Weber, GM's global chief engineer.
Though GM and Chevrolet have garnered scads of publicity about the Volt, since its original unveiling in January 2007, it's not scheduled for actual sale until sometime in 2010. Naturally, the electric powertrain remains the big news about Volt. Chevrolet promotes the fact that it will go 40 miles on electricity alone, following a full charging of its battery pack. At that point, when battery output has diminished, a small gasoline engine goes into action, providing electrical power to keep the car moving for several hundred more miles. The gasoline engine never propels the vehicle, which is always operated using electricity alone.
If you open the Volt's doors while the car is charging, it tells you much more time is needed for a full charge. For that first 40 miles of operation, the instrument display is different from what the driver sees after the gasoline engine has begun supplying electricity.
Efficiency improvements take many forms, so experts were on hand to talk about such issues as tires and sound. Special Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires have been developed for the Volt, promising an additional mile of potential range.
Bose, the well-known developer of audio system, has created an Energy Efficient Series Sound System that makes its world debut in the Volt. A spokesperson said the new system is 30 percent smaller, 40 percent lighter, and consumes 50 percent less energy than a comparable, ordinary audio system. To develop the system, engineers took more than a thousand measurements inside the car.
With a conventional linear audio amplifier, said Bose technical product marketing manager John Pelliccio, 75 percent of energy is turned into heat. Every watt of electrical energy that's used for sound in the Volt is a watt that wouldn't be available for propelling the vehicle.