New York auto show - Random thoughts

The keynote speaker for this morning's breakfast was Bob Nardelli, President and CEO of Chrysler. In his introduction, it was said that he knew the company's products well, since he used to own a PT Cruiser, Prowler, and a Jeep. No word as to whether or not he used Stanley hammers or DeWalt drills when he headed Home Depot.

Everything seems to be moving at the speed of sound these days. Decisions, according to Mr. Nardelli, are made at Chrysler with either a "quick yes or a quick no, but no more slow maybes." Acura, too, is coming up to speed as they touted the expression "say no to slow." Judging by the rather dull appearance of its redesigned TSX, I don't think the company will get a "say yes to best dressed" anytime soon.

With all the talk about going "green" I still find it curious that Mercedes calls its cleaner diesel engines "BlueTec." Why not go "GreenTec"?

It's amazing to me that "adults" have to be reminded to turn down the ringers on their cell phones before the start of a press conference.

The rear styling of the Saturn Flextreme concept is revising the look of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette split-window. Nope, can't see out of the back of this one, either.

Toyota is really taking the "green" theme seriously. It has signs posted all over its display saying, "The fabric panels and overhead canopies in the Toyota display are made from post-industrial and post-consumer content using non-toxic inks." Hmmm. The company must be trying to ease its guilt or counter-balance the Land Cruisers, Sequoias, and Tundras it has on display.

My colleague Jake Fisher made this pronouncement: the new Acura TSX is said to be wider and longer but sporty and agile, and the new Nissan Maxima is claimed to be smaller but sporty and agile. That, naturally, reminded me of a commercial for the AMC Pacer which claimed that its wide stance helped give it a stable ride. It also could also be counted on to help you make a mean sandwich.   

—Mike Quincy

See the 2008 New York auto show coverage.