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Re-activateAnother Detroit Auto Show press preview has come and gone, three days of overworking, overindulging, and over exaggerating by the media and factory PR types alike. The glitzy new car introductions with their light shows, loud rock and roll, third tier celebrities and tired promises of new design directions are over. So what's new? Not much. GM's Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid concept is interesting, with its promise of 150 mpg overall and 40 mile range on electric power only. But before you run out to buy stock, keep in mind the necessary batteries haven't been fully developed yet.
The Lexus LF-A and Chevy Camaro convertible are cool, but both are a few years off. Toyota's Tundra pickup is almost on sale, after an auto show gestation period rivaling that of the Saturn Aura. But it's still just a pickup truck. Chrysler pointed out with great fanfare their all-new minivans can now be had with swiveling seats and a picnic table. Hardly life changing stuff, but at least you can recline the seats and sleep in a minivan, even if doing so at its debut is frowned upon.
Maybe the best news this year is that the overall mood at the stands of domestic brands seemed better, with happier suits singing happier songs than we heard in '06. Where the best some company execs could do last year was to say our stuff isn't quite as lame as it used to be, some of the domestics--particularly GM--seemed downright upbeat this year. And that can't be a bad thing, even to an over tired and overly cynical auto writer.
--Jim Travers
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