My trip to NYIAS

[z28luvr01]

My Report on the NYIAS

April 22, 2006

by z28luvr01

On saturday afternoon I made the trip to the Jacob Javitz center for the New York International Auto Show. Believe it or not, it's the last weekend of the auto show season. You couldn't tell that from the massive crowds of people at the event, however. I'll present my account here. Some of the photographs didn't come quite as nice as I would have liked, and I apologize for that.

As soon as visitors enter the Javitz center, they're greeted by a collection of cars whose combined value many of us will never see in a lifetime:

The first exhibit I ended up seeing is the Lincoln-Mercury exhibit. It wasn't as dead as one would assume, but in many cases you could walk right up to the cars and sit in them. The MKZ sedan concept was pretty interesting looking in person. I think it's the best looking of the Volvo-based Ford triplets. The MKX (formerly the Aviator) is another story. Here's a shot that pretty well depicts my opinion - if only the can were a few feet taller and wider:

Near the MKX and MKZ was the Milan. I've seen a couple of them on the road (inlcuding one with a canvas roof), but none of them caught my eye like this one. Perhaps it's the clean, shiny black, but I could see myself buying one if I absolutely needed a car like this.

Next up was the Ford exhibit. Desptie being out of production, and old news, the GT still drew quite a crowd. The spokesperson still uses the same speech that they used when the GT was first introduced...that it's the only car that can beat the Italians at their own game. I think Z06 drivers would have something to say about that. Anyway, I took a couple of unusual shots of it, mainly because I was somewhat intrigued by the baffles underneath the car directing the airflow.

The Ford Reflex was there. They used the same gunmetal color that they use for all their concepts (see the Super Chief, later). Not a bad looking little car. Productionized, it would make an interesting Focus replacement.

[z28luvr01]

The final Ford worth taking pictures of was the Shelby GT500. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of the Mustang at all, but performance-wise this one sets the bar pretty high for the Camaro when it comes out. I respect that, but I'd still never buy one

The Shelby GT-H was also there. If you thought the GM stamp was bad, wait 'till you see this car. Adorned on the fenders is a lovely yellow and black Hertz badge!!

Next up was Buick. My father fell in love with the Lucerne, and he's seriously considering one to replace the Intrigue. I'm a fan of the car, too, but I'd rather drive something smaller. We sat in a white diamond pearl CXS, and I don't recall sitting in a seat that comfortable, ever. I hope he gets one of these.

The Enclave was pretty nice looking in person as well. Unfortunately, I got no pictures of it, but I have to say wow. If this is where Buick is going stylistically, they have nothing to fear.

Pontiac was just behind Buick. Four Solstices were there, including the yellow GXP and the Club Sport racer. The two standard cars were mobbed and there was no chance of sitting in one or getting a picture. The GXP is amazing, though.

[z28luvr01]

Just behind the Solstices was one GTO, a red '06 with the sport appearance package. I didn't get any pics, but I was able to sit in it. I'm told I look good behind the wheel in it, and between that and the fact that the cockpit fits me like a glove, my decision as to what second car I get (when the 'balt is paid off) just might have been made. Or maybe it just got muddier. I haven't figured it out yet. Either way, I wouldn't mind having one registered in my name.

Next to the GTO was a few G6s. They had a gorgeous blue hardtop on the turntable. Electric blue is by far my favorite G6 color. The trunk space doesn't look terribly scarce, but I'd highly recommend only trying to insert/remove items while the top is up. Here's why:

A few more shots:

Tucked all the way in the corner of the Pontiac exhibit was the G6 GXP show car. I surely hope GM takes the lack of interest from the crowd (absolutely no one was near the car) as an indication that they should go back to the drawing board for the production GXP. It seriously looks like something you'd see at a "Hot Import Nights" show. Pontiac doesn't need this car in its current form.

[z28luvr01]

Now comes Chevrolet, and the part of the exhibit that I'd been waiting for since 2002. The Camaro display was roughly in the center of the exhibit, in the center of the floor. The turntable was packed with people. Fortunately I was able to make my way towards the front for some clear shots of it. It is absolutely breathtaking. Thank you Scott Settlemire!!! In person it doesn't look retro at all. I see some touches from all generations, and the surfaces mimic my favorite aircraft, the F-22 Raptor. The interior isn't even as bad as its made out to be. Aside from the gauges, the HVAC setup, and the copper/orange accents, it certainly looks production doable. The spokeswoman, who my father remembered as the same one who did the SSR a couple of years ago, did everything she could not to say that it's got the green light. She said something like "The decision as to whether or not a concept is built usually depends on the reaction from the public. Well, see for yourself. Look at all the people at the display right now. We've also gotten millions of questions about the concept through our website, most of them requests to produce it". I now leave this to all of you to put the pieces together.

[z28luvr01]

Near the Camaro were a couple of GMT900 Tahoes and an Avalanche (my personal favorite GMT900 so far). According to a spokesperson, the Avalanche should be in dealerships in 3-4 weeks. The new shape is rather slimming. You can't really tell how big the new trucks are until you get up really close to them. The interiors are fantastic. Fit and finish is excellent and everything has a quality feel to it.

[z28luvr01]

Next up was the HHR and new Aveo. I wouldn't be ashamed to be the owner of either of these. The Aveo is a BIG step up from the current car, and it's arguably the most attractive car in the segment.

Here's a "new" Monte SS...the only portion of the car that actually is new.

The Saturn exhibit was next. The Skies, much like the Solstices, were covered in people. I did manage to snag a few pictures of an Aura. It's not bad looking at all. The wheels need to go, and the saddle leather/grey combo is a bit much for me, but it gets points for trying to be different.

[z28luvr01]

No introduction necessary:

Next was a brief detour in the Dodge exhibit. Compared to the Camaro, the Challenger's audience was nowhere near as big. I'm not sure how I feel about it now that I've seen it in the flesh. It does look like a slightly modernized version of the original, but at least it doesn't have the droopy, melted snout of the Mustang. Pus, the Challenger gets the distinction of being the subject of my best photos of the show. So I'll call it a draw. Camaro is still tops, though :AH-HA_wink:

[z28luvr01]

After Dodge, we made our way over to Cadillac. I honestly started to get a little frustrated here. Something about the sight of little kids treating an XLR-V and STS-V like a jungle gym really bothered me. I had tried waiting in "line" to sit in the STS-V, and finally had a chance, when a kid no more than 7 years old runs around to the other side, gets in on the passenger's side, jumps the console, and lands in the driver's set. I said "Enjoy" to him, shut the door, and left. I did manage to get a couple of pics of it though.

The V series Cadillacs are hot in person. If I ever "make it" and society dictates that I get an expensive sedan, I know where my money's going. Now, where's that SRX-V?

Next was downstairs. Mainly trucks, SUVs, and minivans were on this floor. Dodge had the Rampage and the Charger police cruiser.

Next comes the Super Chief concept from Ford. It's over 20 feet long, about the same length as the current F250. It's powered by a 6.8 liter V10. Basically it's a styling mule for the next big trucks. How do I know this? Well, my father asked three questions to the spokesman standing by the truck, and the man gave him three one sentence answers in robotic fashion. Considering my dad was pretty enthusiastic about the truck, the guy should have at least pretended to be more interested in giving him information.

[z28luvr01]

Downstairs had more GMT900s, including an Avalanche in white and a Yukon XL. The Escalades were also there, but they were on an inclined pedestal and I couldn't get any good pics of them.

And I think that about does it for the pics.....oh wait, no it doesn't. Here are two of the best engines in the world.

Some observations:

As far as presence at the show, GM and Ford are really behind the game. DCX has a much better presentation for all of their brands, many of which actively involve the showgoers. They had NASCAR video game simulations, "vote for your favorite Charger color and receive a wristband" booths, and the whole "Camp Jeep" setup in the north pavilion. In contrast, the other two companies seemed to be there only because they were obligated to, and offered little in the way of involving the visitor. When asking for a GTO brochure, I was handed a card and told, "Fill this out and we'll send you one." Chevy at least had a Camaro brochure and poster handy, but that was the exception, unfortunately, not the rule at the GM exhibits.

Toyota was clearly getting the hype machine going for the new Camry. Specimens of every color and trim level were on the floor. But noone cared, apparently. In fact, most of the foreign makes were rather dead.

The SSR still draws a crowd, even though it's out of production. They had a silver example that had the entire interior all chromed out. It looked fantastic,even better than the billet aluminum. Oh wait, here's one more pic.

This one had a badge between the seats with the words "Final Production Run" on it. Man, if the sticker was just a few thousand lower, things might have been different. A gently used one is on my list of potential second cars.

I think that about does it. Thanks for reading and putting up with the lengthy load times and overabundance of pics

[bobo]

Nice pictures and write-up. Was the Navigator there?

[Mr.Krinkle]

very nice presentation.

good pics, too. sorry about the little snot nosed punk that jumped your chance at the sts-v.

if i ever hit the mega millions, that car is surely on the list.

[Ravenfreak13]

In the super chief pic there is a ford cargo van on display..wtf

[Sixty8panther]

Was that yellow Solstice GXP hot or what?

I wanted to dry hump the rear quarter.

The G6 HT conv. has goofy proportions,

which is sad since it's the closest thign to a

pillarless HT that GM has right now.

BTW, notice how Dodge was right next to

Honda and Toyota & Chevrolet were side by

side....? The Chevy rep. told me that was a

first. Sleezy toyota logo made it into 75%

of people's pics. of the Camaro.

[corvette_dude729]

Hey z_28luvr, I was at the auto show on Sunday! Did you happen to notice anything about the Sky or Aura that seemed very strange to you?

[z28luvr01]

Nice pictures and write-up.  Was the Navigator there?

Yeah, the Navigator was there, just to the left of the MKX. I wasn't impressed at all. It's as bad as it looks in pictures, like someone took an Expedition and bought $1500 in chrome accessories from JC Whitney. The Escalade is much more tasteful.

[z28luvr01]

Hey z_28luvr, I was at the auto show on Sunday!  Did you happen to notice anything about the Sky or Aura that seemed very strange to you?

I didn't get too close to the Sky becasue people were all over it. They did have it plastered on nearly every billboard from Penn Station to the Center (about four blocks). The Aura had fewer people around it than I would have liked to see.

Did you see the people wearing Saturn sandwich boards outside? I really felt sorry for them. It was cold, windy, and rainy on Saturday, which wasn't as bad as Sunday.

[corvette_dude729]

Oh, if you would have sat in the Aura and Sky you would have noticed the lack of quality in the interior materials.

[ZL-1]

The trunk space doesn't look terribly scarce, but I'd highly recommend only trying to insert/remove items while the top is up. Here's why:

Thanks for the pics!

Trunk access with the top down doesn't look all that easy. The Opel Astra Twin Top has a mechanism to raise the top a few inches when you open the trunk, allowing better access when the top is down. Maybe the G6 top can receive such an upgrade soon.

Edited April 24, 2006 by ZL-1

[AmericanMuscle]

Very nice pics, thanks for sharing.

I'm orgasming over the Camaro, but then again, who isn't?

Is that long ass silver thing a gas pedal in the light blue Ford GT? Or is it a foot rest? That would be a histerical gas pedal!