Why did Chrysler, known as the inventor of the minivan, introduce an exotic sports car at the Detroit Auto Show?
And what a car–powered by a 6-liter, 850-horsepower V-12 engine with four superchargers that’s capable of zero- to 60-m.p.h. acceleration in a mere 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 248 m.p.h.
Because the automaker had become known as the inventor of minivans. Folks have forgotten Chrysler built its reputation as creator of high-performance engines, such as the Hemi, said Wolfgang Bernhard, chief operating officer of Chrysler Group.
“The Chrysler ME Four-Twelve is all about emotions. It’s the ultimate design and engineering statement for the company,” Bernhard said of the car named for its midengine, four-supercharger, V-12 power.
It also gave engineers and designers saddled with the task of working on minivans the chance to work on something far less mundane.
Before rushing out to order a Four-Twelve, heed the words of Dieter Zetsche, president and CEO of Chrysler Group.
“We’d all love to do the car and will work hard to do it because it would give Chrysler brand equity and help us sell other cars. But we wouldn’t approve a project that we’d lose money on, and it wouldn’t be easy accomplishing a profit on this car. Price and volume would be a challenge.”
Build-up to a letdown: “One last question” brings an end to a press conference like “Last call” does to an evening at the bar.
After the public relations man for Nissan solicited “one last question” for Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan, at a press conference , it became obvious the best was saved for last:
Will Nissan expand production in the U.S. by adding a new plant?
“Our current capacity isn’t sufficient for what we have coming in the U.S.,” replied Ghosn, who then broke into a grin and said: “That’s a good place to stop.”
Early look: Honda’s concept SUT (Sport-Utility Truck) unveiled in Detroit provided an early look at the pickup the automaker will bring out for the ’06 model year.
The SUT was noteworthy, of course, because it’s Honda’s first truck, a segment from which Honda is absent.
The SUT is built off the Honda Pilot/Acura MDX sport-utility platform, which is car-based. It’s basically an extended cab pickup with four doors, two rows of seats and a cargo bed.
Hmm.
As long as it’s the last major automaker to enter the pickup segment, why not borrow a few features from competitors?
One would be the midgate, in which the rear cabin wall that separates passengers from the bed can be lowered for added hauling capacity. Midgate is a General Motors invention.
While at it, why not a power cargo top to keep items in the bed safe from the elements, a feature Lincoln offered on its ill-fated Blackwood pickup? Perhaps the Blackwood power top didn’t work very well, but if it can be done right, you’d think Honda could pull it off.
“We aren’t showing everything on our truck,” said Tom Elliott, executive vice president of auto operations for American Honda. “You can expect to see some things you don’t see now. We aren’t going to show all of our stuff until the truck gets closer to market. Trucks represent the biggest gap in our lineup, and we’re just getting our toes in the water with trucks so who knows what might be next?”
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Hear Jim Mateja on WBBM-AM 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:20 a.m. Sundays.
