2001: A Showroom Odyssey
The 2001 model year is upon us and, after a blockbuster of a millennial year for cars and trucks in 2000, it might seem at first glance that the auto industry is taking a breather.
Auto makers, after all, already have discovered the youth market, the pent-up demand by aging baby boomers for larger and more luxurious vehicles, the growing interest in safer and environmentally sane cars and trucks, and the wired generation’s need for connectivity.
They have learned the lesson of the 1970s and ‘80s and, with rare exception, no longer are ignoring the buyer’s need for style and statement: Design is integral to most new-vehicle development these days, not an afterthought.
As the model year turned from ’99 to ‘00, the news was in technology, sportiness, niche marketing and the shift in the growing truck segment toward car-based crossovers that sacrifice a bit of utility and off-road ability for smoother ride and improved handling.
So what’s new?
This year--with more than half the new models already introduced--the message, clearly, is that more is better.
On the whole, the industry comes to the table in the 2001 model year with more technology, more safety features, more crossover trucks, more sport-utility vehicles with third-row seating, more sporty and performance models, and more efforts to launch vehicles that appeal not to the masses but to relatively small groups of special-interest buyers: so-called outdoor actives; harried commuters; luxury lovers; speed demons; wired information junkies; and the environmentally conscious.
As Ronald L. Zarrella, North American president for General Motors Corp., puts it, auto makers are in competition “for the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of an increasingly fragmented set of customers.”
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The good news for consumers is that the industry, though riding high in a year that probably will see an all-time sales record of close to 18 million new passenger cars and light trucks, is girding for an economic slowdown. That means that product planners, even though under pressure to come up with new and better vehicles, have to do so while keeping a lid on prices.
“The industry really is very volatile now,” said David Cole, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Automotive Transportation.
“Sales are high, but margins are very low,” he said. “And the real price of a vehicle keeps falling in relation to the content that the auto makers are providing for competitive reasons. . . . So customers are getting more for their money.”
On the safety front, 2001 brings more models with multiple air bags. Among these are standard systems from Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and other luxury makers that provide side air bags for both front and rear passengers that protect them from head and torso injuries. Audi is the latest to add a ceiling-mounted air-bag curtain that provides a barrier between occupants’ heads and the upper sides of the vehicle’s cabin.
In addition, anti-skid or vehicle-stabilization systems are trickling down into the mid-price ranges from the luxury segment. These systems use complex sensors to determine when a car is about to skid and send that information to a central computer. The computer, in turn, automatically applies brake and engine controls to help keep the vehicle from spinning out of control, whether on loose or slippery surfaces or when pushed too hard into a corner by an overzealous driver.
At least two models--the Chevrolet Corvette and the Plymouth Prowler--now come with run-flat tires as standard equipment. Others offer run-flats as options.
Improved versions of these stiff-sidewall tires, which can go 50 to 75 miles without air, provide a more comfortable ride and are thus more likely to appear in less sporty models in the future. French tire maker Michelin, in fact, has developed a system it calls PAX that uses a specially designed tire-and-wheel combination to provide run-flats with the ride characteristics of standard radial tires. Cadillac’s 2003 Evoq luxury roadster will use the PAX system as its standard tire-wheel offering.
More and more auto makers are adding consumer electronics--from flip-down video entertainment systems in minivans and sport-utility vehicles to in-dash navigation systems, voice-activated cell phones and powerful audio systems with multi-disc CD changers and sound quality that equals or betters that of expensive home systems. Another technology advance just around the corner: two-way in-car e-mail.
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One way the industry is managing the seemingly impossible--providing more for less--is through advances in automotive engineering and manufacturing processes that have made it possible to develop several models from a single platform. That’s the industry term for the design and basic components of the underpinnings of a vehicle.
Platform sharing results in huge development and production savings.
Thus, the 2001 Acura MDX is an SUV-styled wagon built on the popular Honda Odyssey minivan platform. The 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser employs the Neon compact car platform. The recently arrived Pontiac Aztek “lifestyle” vehicle is built on the same GM minivan platform as the Pontiac Montana--though it’s safe to say that the Aztek’s love-it-or-loathe-it styling is based on no template anyone has seen before. Ford’s 2002 Thunderbird will share a platform with Lincoln’s LS luxury sedan, introduced last year, and Jaguar’s S-Type, introduced in 1999. And the list goes on and on.
“The day of the large-volume vehicle is probably over--unless you have perfect execution,” said Wesley Brown, an industry analyst with Nextrend in Thousand Oaks.
“The Accords and Camrys and Tauruses are the standards,” he said, “and the prospects for a competitor to come in and take over that middle part of the market are pretty slim, so everyone is working around it.”
But that’s not a bad thing.
The result--and the story for 2001 and beyond--is greater variety and selection.
“There’s a lot more choice than ever for consumers,” said Jim Hossack, vice president of Tustin-based AutoPacific Inc. “Last year was big, in terms of new models being introduced, but there are probably more being introduced in 2001.”
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Park and Click: Autos on the Web
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Acura https://www.acura.com Aston Martin https://www.astonmartin.com Audi https://www.audiusa.com BMW https://www.bmwusa.com Buick https://www.buick.com Cadillac https://www.cadillac.com Chevrolet https://www.chevrolet.com Chrysler-Plymouth https://www.chrysler.com Daewoo https://www.daewoous.com Dodge https://www.4adodge.com Ferrari https://www.ferrari.com Ford https://www.ford.com General Motors https://www.gm.com GMC https://www.gmc.com Honda https://www.honda.com Hummer https://www.hummer.com Hyundai https://www.hyundaiusa.com Infiniti https://www.infiniti.com Isuzu https://www.isuzu.com Jaguar https://www.jaguarcars.com Jeep https://www.jeepunpaved.com Kia https://www.kia.com Lamborghini https://www.lamborghini.com Land Rover https://best4x4.landrover.com Lexus https://www.lexus.com Lincoln https://www.lincolnvehicles.com Lotus https://www.lotuscars.com Mazda https://www.mazdausa.com Mercedes-Benz https://www.mbusa.com Mercury https://www.mercuryvehicles.com. Mitsubishi https://www.mitsucars.com Nissan https://www.nissan-usa.com Oldsmobile https://www.oldsmobile.com Panoz https://www.panozauto.com Pontiac https://www.pontiac.com Porsche https://www.porsche.com Qvale https://www.qvaleauto.com Rolls-Royce/Bentley https://www.rolls-royceandbentley.co.uk Saab https://www.saabusa.com Saleen https://www.saleen.com Saturn https://www.saturncars.com Subaru https://www.subaru.com Suzuki https://www.suzukiauto.com Toyota https://www.toyota.com Volkswagen https://www.vw.com Volvo https://www.volvocars.com
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2001-Model California International Auto Show
When
Today, 2 to 10 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where
Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim
(714) 765-8950
Tickets
Adults (16 and older), $8
Senior citizens (55 and older), $5
Children 7-15, $4; ages 6 and under, free
Children 15 and under admitted free with paying adult Sunday
Discount coupons: https://www.autoshowusa.com/anaheim, or see today’s Times
Attractions
* 2001 models, including Acura MDX SUV, BMW 325 all-wheel drive, Honda Civic sedan and coupe, Hyundai XG300 sedan and Santa Fe SUV, Porsche 911 Turbo, Saturn SUV, Saleen S7 sports coupe, Subaru Outback VDC wagon, Toyota Sequoia and Highlander SUVs and Tacoma Double Cab pickup
* 2002 models, including Ford Neiman Marcus Edition Thunderbird, Chevy Avalanche pickup-SUV and TrailBlazer SUV, Buick Rendezvous minivan-SUV, Mercury Mountaineer SUV
* Concept vehicles, including the Chevrolet SSR, a sports roadster-pickup combination
* Five Chrysler PT Cruiser image cars
* Fifty cars featured in Hot Rod magazine
* Aftermarket concept cars from last week’s Specialty Equipment MarketAssn. trade show
* Classic and exotic cars
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Marque by Marque
* We catalog the 2001s from A (Acura) to V (Volvo), with all the other major brands in between. G3
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Times staff writer John O’Dell covers the auto industry for Highway 1 and the Business section. He can be reached at john.odell@latimes.com.
