Detroit Auto Show stays positive in tough times

With the eyes of a nation on the auto industry, the North American International Auto Show (Jan. 17-25) in Detroit is an indicator of what's to come.

The future is the big question and one could spend all day guessing, or we could instead focus on the here and now. But here's the No. 1 question we get: "So, what was the mood of the show?"

Let's take a look at the happenings and you can decide for yourself.

Despite the aura of around-the-globe financial doom and gloom, the event pressed on (media days began Sunday) with several manufacturers decidedly upbeat and others deciding not to participate at all.

Nissan, for one, was conspicuous in its absence, which is puzzling. Nissan has a couple of new models for 2009 and getting them in front of the public -- and the media -- is how you sell them. It seems like an oversight, but, obviously Nissan either thinks that the benefits do not outweigh the costs (how do you put a dollar value on exposure, though?), that its marketing dollars are better spent elsewhere, or that there's not enough cash to do it right.

Nissan's absence is in stark contrast to a show just a few years ago where a three-story backpack took center stage to the beat of jungle drums. Two climbers rappelled the face and, once their feet hit the ground, they ran into the backpack and drove out in a Nissan Xterra sport ute.

The mood was certainly upbeat with the European automakers, despite their significant sales declines of late. Audi showed up with a Sportback concept that will likely become the new A7, a sedan with a fastback rear section to make it look more like a sports car. Volkswagen had one of the best designs of the show with its two-seat Concept BlueSport roadster with its turbo-diesel engine tucked in behind the passenger compartment. Very slick, indeed, but you'll notice that neither of these vehicles are hybrid gas/electric or electric powered. It seems that declining fuel prices have taken the urgency out alternative-fuel propulsion for some manufacturers. Audi is reporting that its hybrid Q5 and Q7 have been pushed back, most likely also because of the belt tightening (due to slower sales) that limits available development money.

Still, that didn't stop Honda or Toyota from unveiling their next-generation gas/electric hybrids. The new Toyota Prius is bigger and gets better fuel economy (by a claimed 8 percent or so) than the current model, while the Honda Insight looks to be the new category price leader. Interestingly, the freshly minted second-generation Insight uses an internal combustion engine that has the same displacement as the original Insight, not to mention a helper electric motor with the same 13-horsepower rating as before. Just how "the same" is it? We'll find out and get back to you. As yet another sign of just how low key some of the product launches were, there was quite literally no presentation for the Insight. No fanfare. No hype.

The vehicle that seemed to catch a lot of people off guard was the Chrysler 200C EV, a beautiful concept that the company plans to put into production sometime in 2010. The interesting part is that it's a "plug-in" hybrid with a similar arrangement to the Chevrolet Volt, even when it comes to the operating range. For example, the 200C EV boasts the ability to travel about 40 miles on electricity alone before a small gas engine jumps in to provide juice to run the electric motors, thereby extending the range to about 400 miles. Sound familiar? These claims are strangely similar to those being made by General Motors Corp. with regard to the Volt. True to its word, Chrysler was the epitome of no-frills attendance at this year's show. A year ago, cattle were herded down the streets of Detroit to welcome the arrival of the new Dodge Ram. This year, the cars were merely parked on the show floor. However, Chrysler did show that it's working on alternative-fuel products and brought along several vehicles that have been converted to electric use.

Ford might just be the manufacturer to watch and for several reasons. It has the option of bringing over several compact European models to pad out its product portfolio, its new Fusion hybrid apparently beats out the Toyota Camry hybrid in terms of fuel economy, the new Taurus sedan is a real looker, the new Ecoboost series of engines (a claim of V-8 power and fuel economy in a V-6) made its debut in the Lincoln MKS sedan and there was the flashy Lincoln MKT wagon. And don't forget that Ford apparently doesn't need government loan money (unlike Chrysler and GM) to make the bottom line add up.

Obviously there's much more to this auto show and what you take away in terms of mood is largely subjective depending on your perspective. Low key or not, there's plenty to crow about and I remain steadfastly optimistic on the future, even if there are a few hills to climb along the way.

Rhonda Wheeler is a journalist with Wheelbase Communications, a worldwide supplier of automotive news, features and reviews. You can e-mail her by logging on to www.wheelbase.ws/mailbag.html.