As one of the industry’s fastest growing brands in 2007, Saturn clearly is plugged into the demands of our customers. With the slate of vehicles that Saturn debuted today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, I am convinced we will remain “plugged in” for years to come.
Great design and environmentally friendly technology have become hallmarks of the Saturn brand. When you look at the vehicles we introduced this week, you can see we are sticking with that winning formula.
The 2009 Vue Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid will provide at least a 50 percent increase in combined city and highway fuel economy while maintaining impressive performance and utility. We are going to keep working on improving the fuel economy numbers between now and the start of production, and we expect the city mileage to be really impressive.
General Motors Vice President for Global Design Ed Welburn just gave a speech unveiling the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Here are some highlights from his speech:
“As the design team was completing the development of the CTS sedan, the creative ideas continued to flow. Our designers had a great idea for a CTS coupe. The design quickly progressed from a hot sketch to a wonderful full-size clay model. It looked so good that we had to build it!”
“The CTS Coupe concept builds on the success of the CTS sedan, but is an expression of the ‘Art & Science’ design language that is even more dramatic. The body shape is crisp, lean, and has a lot of energy. The bold front end is straight from the CTS sedan and the rear is just as striking as the front. The rear has a strong centerline crease, and aggressive proportions and plan view sweeps.”
“The interior is based on the production sedan, but we used this opportunity to explore new materials, colors and finishes. I was so excited about the seat design that I had an extra seat designed to display as a piece of artwork at the Design Center.”
“In terms of performance, the CTS Coupe concept offers the flexibility to accept a broad engine range of gasoline and diesel engines for international markets.”
Click over to GM’s media web site for more information about the CTS Coupe concept, including a complete list of specifications and comments from the car’s designers. And check out Flickr for more photos of the CTS Coupe concept.
By Jan √Öke Jonsson
Managing Director, Saab Automobile
Saab is on the move.
I hope with what you have seen today that you agree.
Sixteen Swedish aircraft engineers showed the world their remarkable innovative spirit when they introduced its first automobile concept more than 60 years ago, now know as the Ur Saab.
That same innovative spirit endured when Saab introduced the industry’s first turbo-charged engine for regular cars 30 years ago.
And here we are today at the North American International Auto Show proudly showing our innovative Saab 9-4X BioPower Concept. Our ambition as you may know has always been to expand our global portfolio and, although realizing we’re not the first, I believe the timing is right to share with you our vision of what a premium Swedish Saab Crossover could look like.
By Carl Zipfel, Exterior Design Director
HUMMER Design Studio
Hello, my name is Carl Zipfel. I’m the Exterior Design Director of the HUMMER Design Studio. As you may know, the HUMMER HX concept vehicle debuted today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. On Jan. 16, I’ll be speaking at the Autoweek Design Forum. The theme of the forum is “Designed for Fun,” and the reason I was asked to be there is because I work with the team responsible for creating the exciting, new, fun designs for HUMMER.
The HX concept is a peek into the future possibilities for the HUMMER brand. There are a number of imperatives we’re working on: first, to build on our position of “Best in Class” off-road capable vehicles, evidenced by H3 and H3 Alpha stock-class victories at the 2007 Baja 1000 and the H3 Alpha’s recognition as Four Wheeler Magazine’s 2008 Four Wheeler of the Year; second, to continue to evolve the portfolio with fresh, exciting, relevant new designs; and third, to maintain our commitment to develop HUMMER’s global relevance — a brand that is available in 37 countries today.
Lutz with the 2008 North American Car of the Year, the Chevy Malibu, on Jan. 13
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
Moments ago, the North American Car & Truck of the Year were announced at the North American International Auto Show here in Detroit. I’m proud and pleased to tell you that the Chevy Malibu just won Car of the Year.
46 independent expert jurors - men and women who review automobiles for a living - judged the Malibu to be the best car available in North America. That’s honor enough, but then you have to remember that GM swept the awards last year with the Saturn Aura and Chevy Silverado. We’ve now won three of the past four awards handed out by this jury. I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to get this kind of validation from the experts – it’s proof that our efforts to bring the best cars and trucks on the planet to market are paying off.
Make sure to check back to FastLane this weekend for all things North American International Auto Show. We’ll post all of GM’s press conference videos right here, so stay tuned. And make sure to visit FYI on Saturday night for a video from GM’s Style event. -Alicia Dorset, blog editor
You might remember the Buick Riviera Concept that we wrote about last year here on FastLane. The Riviera will be at the North American International Auto Show this year, so if you’re going, make sure to check it out. If you can’t make it to the show, make sure to check out Flickr for an updated set of photos. -Alicia Dorset, blog editor
Cadillac enters 2008 carrying a lot of momentum, and in the coming days we’ll be taking some big additional steps that I’m excited to preview for you.
Cadillac will extend momentum in two of the world’s most influential venues. This week we introduced the Cadillac Provoq Concept at the massive Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
I’d like to thank those who posted their congratulations on the last post about GM taking four of the six finalist spots for North American Car and Truck of the Year. Your support and enthusiasm means a lot to us, and helps us “remain calm” as we wait anxiously for the winners to be announced Jan. 12, 2008, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Malibu, CTS, Enclave and Tahoe Hybrid teams deserve all the credit in the world; in my mind, they’re all winners.
