Japanese brands carry lacklustre LA

If ever the automotive world needed a fillip it's now... But alas, the morale boost failed to materialise at the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
 
Billed as one of the up and coming shows of the international calendar, save for its sheer square metreage, this year's event had less to offer the dedicated auto-insider or new car fan than 'lower echelon' shows like our own Australian International Motor Show. Indeed, even with the absence of the key German brands, Sydney had more 'oomph' in 2008 than California's largest car show.
 
General Motors and Chrysler both declined the invitation to present at the show. With bosses Rick Wagoner and Bob Nardelli fronting the US Congress in an effort to secure $25b in loans, the brands displayed their wares but their stands were ghost towns compared to others. GM's Volt was 'old news' at LA, as were Chrysler's EV versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Voyager minivan. The rumoured debut of the production version of the new Cadillac CTS coupe didn't materialise and looks to have been carried over to Detroit (in January).
 
It was left to Ford, therefore to uphold the local automakers' honour. Yet even the Blue Oval was unconvincing -- it officially unveiled the 2010 Mustang not at the show but rather at a combined US press and owners soiree the night before the event opened.
 
The new pony car looks good, but things are still not well in Ford's rear-wheel drive world. With Alan Mulally also in Washington courting the Government, Ford of the Americas boss, Mark Fields, was the ranking officer.
 
Fields declined to talk to the Aussie press about the future of Falcon, leaving it to the company's Executive Director Communication for the Americas, Jennifer Flake, to state plainly: "We have no decision to announce at this point -- we have the global rear-wheel drive program on hold. Our decision is no decision..."
 
The main focus of Ford's LA presentation was the latest US-only model, Fusion -- a 'medium' car built to take on the US-built Camry and Accord. The two US-built cars were labelled "foreign" opposition by Fields.
 
Launched in four and six-cylinder petrol versions and a new hybrid variant, the clumsy-looking Fusion is one overseas market product Ford Australia can do without.
 
Even the Europeans seemed to keep LA uncharacteristically low key. Thus it was left to three important new production models from Nissan, Mazda and Lexus and a wild concept car from Honda to provide the only real interest.
 
Though its upmarket co-brand Infiniti lifted the sheets on its stylish new G37 cabrio, Nissan's 370Z is significantly more important -- in the USA and around the world.
 
We've already outlined the key features of the 370Z (more here) but we can add, now having seen and touched the car, that it has all the potential to win new friends for the brand. While the GT-R is Nissan technical tour de force, in reality, this is a much more important car in terms of affordable credibility.
 
Mazda's LA debutante is arguably even more important. The new 3 follows the 6's lead and is an evolution of the current model -- both in terms of styling (funky nose aside) and platform/mechanical manipulation. One in three Mazdas sold globally is a 3. As downsizing trends start to bite in the USA, it gives the carmaker a ready made opportunity.
 
In the USA Mazda will offer both 2.0 and 2.5-litre petrol fours but no diesel. Look for the to-be-released turbodiesel and both petrol engines to come Down Under. The 2.5 looks set to power the next SP model... SP25 anyone?
 
And never fear, though only the sedan version was shown at Los Angeles, there is a hatch on the way. It will be released at the Bologna show in Italy in December. Look out for more details on the 3 from our international launch drive in the next few days.
 
Lexus too lifted the lid on one of its key volume models. Twenty years after the carmaker first debuted its logo at LA, the big chrome L was taking pride of place on the all-new RX softroader. Launched in V6 petrol 350 and V6 petrol/hybrid 450h versions, the new RX doesn't quite hit the road with the attitude the Tokyo concept car exhibited, but rather builds on the existing RX theme. In this third generation, there's more differentiation between the 350 and 450h models and both cars feature a significant step up in standard equipment.
 
The new RX's interior is also a departure for Lexus and introduces the company's first iDrive/MMS man/machine interface. There's a new rear double wishbone suspension (for better ride and packaging) and extra safety features like the wide angle side view monitor from the LX570 and Hill Start Assist.
 
The RX goes on sale in the USA in February 2009. Lexus Australia will quickly follow suit. A measure of the importance of this car to the local operation is the fact Lexus Australia held a simultaneous unveil of the car in both 350 and 450h versions in Sydney (more here).
 
Honda's new hybrid Insight provided a green backdrop at LA -- at least in its fresh from Paris concept form. But there's was no doubting the star of the Big H's stand -- a pocket-sized concept labelled the RC Sport.
 
With almost mini-Gallardo looks, the three-seater RC Sport is intended to highlight the potential and flexibility of Honda's V Flow hydrogen fuel cell technology.  Says Honda: "the FC Sport is configured to accommodate a custom-formed high-power fuel cell stack, located between the rear seats, and a battery pack placed low in the middle of the vehicle."
 
Developed by the Advanced Design Studio of Honda R&D America in California, while Honda is not making any performance claims for the RC Sport, the vehicle is proof positive that green doesn't have to mean slow, or boring... We'll watch this space with interest.

To comment on this article click here