Green & Mean

The Age

Saturday January 19, 2008

Joshua Dowling

US makers may have embraced the electric car but horsepower also had a share of the limelight at the 2008 Detroit MOTOR show, reports Joshua Dowling.

WHEN General Motors product boss Bob Lutz announced "Now we're going to switch from green to mean", you could almost hear the thousands of journalists crammed into GM's corner of Cobo Hall at the Detroit motor show breathe a sigh of relief. After a day of "electric this" and "plug-in that", North America's car makers showed they still know how to build performance cars and big trucks.

GM unveiled a high-performance Cadillac sedan that, by its calculations, is the fastest four-door on the planet - even outpacing the mighty BMW M5. The company also whipped the covers off the hottest Corvette ever built.

Sadly, neither are coming to Australia because they're not available in right-hand drive.

But these cars beg the question: how can Detroit car makers have it both ways? On day one, Dodge unveiled shiny new pick-up trucks, and on day two, proudly displayed three electric concept cars with its fellow brands Chrysler and Jeep.

The reality is, for the time being, US car makers don't have a choice. Demand for performance cars, four-wheel-drives and pick-up trucks remains strong as long as petrol is relatively cheap.

But it won't be like this for much longer. Now that US regulators have announced strict new fuel-use targets (an average of 6.7 L/100 km by 2020, which is 26% less thirsty than the current average of 8.5 L/100 km), car makers know a switch to more economical vehicles is not negotiable.

Europe is poised to announce its fuel economy targets later this year. Australia doesn't have any - yet.

IN THE not-too-distant future, US car makers will have to price their gas-guzzlers higher to discourage sales so they don't exceed their Corporate Average Fuel Economy targets.

That's why there were at least a dozen electric concept vehicles on display this year, plus some significant performance cars and compact soft-roader concepts that provide a glimpse into cars of the near future.

But first, a quick lesson on electric-car shorthand. Most electric cars can travel a nominal distance of about 60 kilometres on battery power alone (until battery technology improves) between recharges. Which is why car makers have adopted small, often three-cylinder engines that recharge the battery that powers the electric motor. These have been quickly dubbed "range extenders".

Then there are regular petrol-electric hybrids, which have a more conventional engine (such as a four-cylinder, as is the case with a Toyota Prius) mated to an electric motor.

The subtle difference is that future "plug-in" electric hybrids depend mostly on electric power, whereas today's petrol-electric hybrids still depend mostly on petrol power.

Here are the Detroit highlights.

CHRYSLER ECOVOYAGER

Chrysler unveiled a small family concept car with a battery-only driving range of 64 kilometres, which, combined with hydrogen power, could travel almost 500 kilometres (emitting only water vapour from its tailpipe) between refills.

It accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds - about the same as the average small car.

Hydrogen, however, is a less likely alternative source of fuel because it is difficult to create and store, and there is no infrastructure in place to support a significant population of such cars.

JEEP RENEGADE

Jeep showed electric power was no barrier to going off-road by displaying a concept version of the Renegade. Combined with a small, three-cylinder diesel "range extender" that powers a generator that recharges the battery, it has a total combined driving range of 640 kilometres between refills and recharges.

SAAB 9-4X AND CADILLAC PROVOQ

The 9-4X (left) is Saab's answer to the booming luxury soft-roader market. The vehicle shares its underpinnings with the Cadillac Provoq concept (right). Both are coming to Australia in about two years.

The Cadillac concept was powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, but the real thing is likely to have a choice of V6 petrol and diesel power.

The Saab concept was closer to reality, powered by a light-pressure, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo engine that can run on E85 fuel (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% regular unleaded).

Both the Saab and Cadillac soft-roaders are likely to cost more than $80,000 when they arrive in Australian showrooms in late 2009 or early 2010.

FORD VERVE

This is a thinly disguised version of the new Ford Fiesta sedan, which we should see in Australia in about two years. The three-door version of the concept was shown at the Frankfurt show late last year.

Of all the concept cars at Detroit this year, the Verve is closest to reality.

Small cars usually don't get much of a look-in at Detroit, but Ford predicts sales of small cars will increase by 25% over the next four years.

The Verve's design was overseen by former GM stylist Martin Smith, who is credited with penning the current Astra, among others.

SATURN FLEXTREME

This is GM's environmentally friendly brand in the US, but it has a close affiliation with cars from GM's European brand Opel. So take this concept to be a clue to how the next-generation Holden Astra might look.

Under the fancy bodywork is GM's answer to a Toyota Prius-style of hybrid, except it combines a 1.3-litre turbo-diesel engine with an electric motor. GM says it can achieve 55 kilometres of diesel-free driving.

Two battery-powered Segway personal scooters neatly stow in the back, recharging while the car is on the move.

HUMMER HX

The interior of this car was created by former Holden designer Andrew Smith, who now heads GM's advanced styling studio in Detroit. He also oversaw the exterior design.

The HX is Hummer's answer to the Jeep Wrangler and a sign that Hummer isn't only about big 4WDs. The real thing is about four years away but the concept had cool touches to keep the imagination going in the meantime - such as an onboard camera behind the rear-view mirror so you can record off-road adventures and watch them when you get home.

The concept was powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine (the same used in the Holden Commodore) modified to run on E85 fuel (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% regular unleaded).

CORVETTE ZR1

This is the fastest, most powerful (and most expensive) Corvette ever built. GM is so proud of the supercharged, 6.2-litre V8 engine it has put a clear plastic window in the middle of the carbon-fibre bonnet so you can see the top of the supercharger. The company hasn't quoted acceleration times, but engine chief Tom Stephens (who owns 15 muscle cars, mostly Corvettes) said it is "frighteningly fast".

It has massive carbon-ceramic brakes that are the same used on two of the fastest Ferraris ever made. The front discs are from the extremely rare and quick Ferrari FXX track car, while the rear discs are same as those on the front of the Ferrari Enzo.

It's due on sale in the US later this year with a likely price of $100,000.

CADILLAC CTS COUPE

Much like the Holden Monaro was born from a labour of love (designers worked after hours to create a Commodore coupe), the Cadillac CTS coupe concept was a skunkworks project. It is based on the underpinnings of the CTS sedan and is not approved for production - yet.

The transition from concept to reality may not be far away. If it happens, it would likely come to Australia - in about three or four years.

FORD EXPLORER AMERICA

It might look futuristic but this Explorer concept had some realistic technology under the skin, such as cylinder shutdown when the 3.5-litre V6 "eco-boost" engine is not under load.

Ford says the technology can lead to a fuel saving of up to 20%.

Significantly, this Explorer concept has a car-like, one-piece body. Previous models were "body on frame" vehicles. The change will save weight and likely diminish the Explorer's off-road potential. However, Ford research has shown few Explorer owners actually explore beyond the city limits.

DODGE ZEO

The Zeo (which stands for Zero Emissions Operation), a small, four-seat hatchback, has the longest battery-only driving range of all the electric cars unveiled at Detroit this year.

The question is, will it work? Dodge claims the Zeo concept, made from lightweight aluminium, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than 6 seconds (about as fast as a Holden V8) and, incredibly, has an electric-only driving range of 400 kilometres.

Electricity is provided by multiple batteries under the floor and power is delivered to the rear wheels by a 200-kilowatt electric motor.

© 2008 The Age

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