New York Auto Show Preview: Hybrids, Minis, & Muscle Cars

Hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, and 21st century twists on the muscle car are the stars at the 2007 New York International Automobile Show, which gets under way this weekend and runs through April 15.

Helping to show off the car models on the floor of New York City's Jacob Javits Convention Center were many more real-life models than have been seen at such a gathering in a number of years. The positioning of attractive young ladies as eye candy is undeniably anachronistic -- seemingly better suited to Detroit than to the likes of New York City -- but perhaps politically correct sensibilities are being jettisoned this year in the interests of enhanced commerce.

That would be understandable, given the challenge facing the domestic auto industry. A few days before the show began, automakers' sales figures for March were released. GM, Ford, and Chrysler were all down (4%, 9%, and 4.1%, year-over-year, respectively), while Toyota, Honda, and Nissan showed healthy gains (11.7%, 11.3%, and 7.8%).

Nevertheless, Ford president and chief executive Alan Mulally attempted to maintain an optimistic tone in a briefing with reporters at a show preview breakfast last Wednesday.

Sure, "nearly one-third of our salaried workforce is in the process of leaving us," Mulally said. And: "It [will be] hard for the next couple of years."

But when a reporter asked Mulally whether there was a morale problem at Ford, he was ready with a response which revealed his sly sense of humor. Mulally turned to the table where his executive team was seated and inquired: "I don't know; is there?" Nope, no morale problem here.

As for Mulally himself, while it's too early to tell how successful his restructuring efforts will be, his personal morale must be good: He earned $28 million in compensation in his first four months on the job.

On the technology front, Mulally pledged that Ford was committed to "lead[ing] with alternative fuels and alternate power sources." He further noted that Ford will have refreshed 75% of its product line by 2008.

Indeed, Mulally characterized his mandate -- he was brought in from Boeing to lead Ford out of its current fix -- as "restructuring this company to meet the lower demand and [this] different product mix." In theory, that new mix will be characterized by a move away from big trucks and SUVs and toward a fleet of smaller vehicles powered by a mix of gas, ethanol, hydrogen fuel cells, and electricity.

In practice, though, Japanese automakers such as Toyota and Honda remain well ahead of Ford and GM when it comes to taking alternative vehicles beyond the concept stage and actually selling them in volume.

For example, Ford's big introduction at the show wasn't an alternative vehicle but rather a so-called "crossover" called the Flex. All the rage these days, crossovers are bigger than a car but smaller than the minivans they're intended to displace.

To be fair, Ford does sell gas/electric vehicles, most notably the Escape Hybrid. At the show, the future tilt was toward hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Mulally told a mischievous anecdote about demonstrating a hydrogen car at the White House, and having to prod President Bush away from the vehicle's hydro port, where he was poised to plug in a power cord, toward the correct alternating current receptable.

Ford's hydro concept vehicle is called the Airstream. On the outside, it looks like a slightly more jellybean-like realization of a minivan. However, the interior is Star Trek enough that it seems unlikely the vehicle will move all that quickly from Ford's labs to its showrooms.

More market ready may be Chevrolet's Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle. GM's most popular marque plans to build 100 units of the car this year, to test the viability and market acceptance of hydrogen power in the midsize sport-utility segment.

For the near term, gas/electric will remain the nexus of alt.car activity. This year, going green may mean no longer having to say you're sorry. Lexus showed the first such hybrid power train I've seen that didn't look like it was sacrificing comfort or power in the name of fuel savings (as does the Toyota Prius).

No auto show is complete without nods toward raw horsepower, and it's here that the New York event really excels. NASCAR showed its "Car of Tomorrow," which isn't a future vehicle but rather a universal platform intended for use in the Nextel Cup Series. XM Satellite Radio had its logo all over a race car, which was among the winners at the recent American Le Mans Series race in Florida. And racing legend Carroll Shelby was on hand at the preview to unveil his latest Mustang, the GT500KR.

There also were numerous luxury offerings, ranging from Aston Martin's V8 Vantage Roadster -- a car Daniel Craig's James Bond could love -- to new Jaguars and Bentleys.

For upwardly mobile aspirants without as much of a budget, or much space, there's the Mini Cooper. Now made by BMW but inspired by the decades-old British design, the car has become a popular sight on New York City streets. It looks even better indoors, shined up and undented by encounters with the Big Apple outside.