Detroit motor show betting you’ll get sick of SUVs
Of the 20 or so new models unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, about half were low to the ground. Granted, these pedestrian cruisers are laced with carbon fibre and the stirrings of self-driving technology, but in form and function, this is innovation circa 1980. There’s even a Swedish estate in the mix.
Kia rolled out a four-door grand-touring saloon called the Stinger; Mercedes showed a coupé version of its E-Class; and Toyota pulled the cover off a thoroughly updated Camry.
Porsche, ever speedy, beat everyone: In October, it shipped over its overhauled Panamera, a four-door saloon, to show off to journalists in New York.
Given recent sales trends, this crush of short cars seems like a strategic disaster. After all, cheap credit and petrol prices has fuelled the SUV fever running rampant across the motorised world. The momentum for SUV mania is built on strong engineering. Utility vehicles used to be a trade-off: In exchange for a higher riding position and a bit more safety, consumers sacrificed driving dynamics and mileage.
However, SUVs today are built largely like cars, with lightweight metals and efficient engines allowing them to perform almost as well as lower-slung siblings, both on the road and at the fuel pump.
Car executives aren’t dense, despite what Dieselgate may suggest.
However, when it comes to SUVs, they know something most people in a dealerships don’t: Drivers in large part buy the machines that car companies want them to buy.
Lately, most of the newest models have been SUVs. New models make the most money, eat up advertising budgets, and get prime position on showroom floors.
In short, the SUV boom is to some extent self-propagating. “There’s definitely a bit of a chicken-and-egg thing there,” said Drew Slaven, vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz USA.
However, down in the trenches, things are beginning to change. Mercedes dealers have recently asked the company to “take the foot off the pedal” with SUV marketing, Slaven said. At the Mercedes stand in Detroit this week, less than one-third of the vehicles were crossovers or utilities.
Most executives don’t expect the traditional car to make a roaring comeback, at least not right away. Cadillac is rushing to build a small SUV, for example, while BMW designers are crunching on a massive one.
What they do expect is for the decline in saloon and coupé sales to slow. More broadly (and regardless of geopolitics), drivers who want to stand out will eventually drift from the SUV lane. Tastes change.
“There is always a counter-swing,” said Scott Keogh, president of Audi of America. Volvo, for example, rolled out an opulent saloon last year. And while no stranger to the SUV market, the automaker’s Detroit offering this year is an estate, the V90.
There’s also a bit of game theory involved. Car companies committed to saloons and coupés are expecting the field to thin, making room for some new blood.
Sure, the auto business will eventually cede to Uber-driving robots and ride-sharing Google pods, but there’s a lot of money to be made in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Lexus and Kia were the centre of attention at the show, with the Japanese luxury brand introducing the latest — and hugely important — iteration of the flagship LS model, while Kia shared some of the headlines with a new production-ready GT model: The Stinger.
The fifth generation of the LS was one of the main talking points, with Lexus promising that the new car would cause as many ripples in the luxury car market as the original did in 1989.
As a rival for the likes of the Mercedes S-Class, the BMW 7 Series, and the Audi A8, the Lexus LS promises a much greater level of driver engagement than previous versions, thanks largely to a lighter chassis and a brand new V6 engine which replaces the outgoing V8.
Addressing that new powerplant, Lexus tells us the all new twin-turbo 3.5-litre unit has been designed specifically for this car and that it was developed through the company’s F1 technology. The engine is, says Lexus, indicative of a more dynamic approach being taken by the company and will offer V8-level power without sacrificing fuel economy, while also minimizing noise and vibration.
Drivers will be able to tailor powertrain response and feel by choosing from Normal to Sport to Sport+ modes and we are told that just enough of the exhaust note can be heard to enhance the sporty feel.
The new LS will also feature the first-ever 10-speed automatic transmission for a luxury saloon, which is a torque-converter automatic, yet with shift times that rival those of dual-clutch transmissions. Lexus says the wide bandwidth afforded by 10 closely spaced ratios is ideal for all forms of driving, helping to provide an optimal gear for all conditions.
Shifting via paddles is available, yet many may prefer the advanced electronic control system, which anticipates the driver’s input. The system chooses the ideal ratio by monitoring the acceleration, braking and lateral-g forces.
“The LS is the flagship of the Lexus brand,” said chief designer Koichi Suga. “More than any other model, it embodies the history and image of Lexus and serves as a symbol for everything the brand stands for.”
Following the ‘Yet’ philosophy that has been passed on since the first-generation LS, Lexus says it created a design offering the room and comfort of a prestige three-box sedan, yet with the stylish silhouette of a four-door coupé that holds stronger appeal for younger luxury customers.
The unique rendition of the spindle grille mesh, with a texture that seemingly changes in different light, is the result of both intense CAD development and hand-adjusting thousands of individual surfaces.
Lexus says creating a new standard of flagship luxury is not simply a matter of adding more features. Inspired by the ‘omotenashi’ (roughly translated as ‘hospitality’) principle, Lexus
sought to instil the new LS cabin with luxury that welcomes and envelops the occupants while treating the driver like a partner.
Elsewhere at the show, Kia created more than a few ripples with its new GT car, the Stinger. A five-passenger fastback sports saloon poised to redefine a segment populated by European automakers, the Stinger promises to be the company’s highest-performance production vehicle.
“Unlike any Kia that has come before it, the Stinger really is a dream car for us, and here today in Detroit, that dream is now a reality after years of commitment and hard work from a passionate group of designers, engineers and executives around the world,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, Kia Motors America.
“From its GT concept-car origins to the years of tuning and refining on the legendary Nurburgring circuit, no detail was too small to be obsessed over, and the result is simply stunning,” he added.
The Kia Stinger design was overseen by Peter Schreyer, Kia Motors’ chief design officer, and his talented team of designers in Frankfurt. Ride and handling development were looked after by Albert Biermann, head of High-performance development and his group of engineers in Korea and at the Nurburgring.
Two turbocharged engines will be available: A two litre four cylinder and a 3.3 litre V6. The standard 2.0-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder Theta II engine produces an estimated 255bhp at approximately 6,200 rpm.
The Stinger features a second-generation eight-speed rear-drive automatic transmission. First offered in the K900 luxury saloon, the gearbox rewards drivers with crisp shifts and maximised fuel efficiency.
