HHR for Europe?
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Some more news on this:
Detroit's cars pop in Europe
March 4, 2007
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
STUTTGART, Germany -- Cadillac, Cadillac, Cadillac. Chevrolet. Dodge. Ford.
I came to Europe to see new cars from Audi, Fiat and Maserati at the annual Geneva auto show, but a lot of Europeans are apparently looking forward to it for their first chance to kick the tires on new iron from Detroit.
For Europe, the Geneva show, which begins with media previews Tuesday and Wednesday, is the first big one of the year. It has served as the launching pad for new models, from fuel-sipping diesels to the 500-horsepower BMW M5. Trend-setting Italian designers like ItalDesign, Giugiaro and Pininfarina use it to stretch the limits of technology and style.
So what was the white Chevrolet HHR doing cluttering up the opening pages of the Geneva preview in the widely read German car magazine Auto Zeitung?
Sipping a cappuccino on Konigstrasse in Stuttgart's fashionable pedestrian district, I also saw photos of the 2008 Cadillac CTS, the aggressive Dodge Demon concept roadster and the high-performance supercharged Cadillac STS-V sedan and XLR-V roadster.
Five of the nine vehicles pictured were from Detroit designers and engineers.
Also hot
I'm still geeked about the new European models that will debut.
The Mini Clubman, a stretched, wagon version of the Mini Cooper with a small rear-hinged back door on the passenger side, is the latest in the flood of cool and practical little cars that began with VW's New Beetle and crested with models like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Scion xB and Chevy HHR.
Audi's A5 coupe will push VW's luxury brand into new territory, to compete with stalwarts like BMW's 3-series coupe, and I'll have my first look at the crisp new Mercedes-Benz C-class, which also hopes to challenge the benchmark BMW.
Ford will reveal the eagerly awaited sedan version of its Mondeo midsize car. The Mondeo station wagon drew raves -- and envious groans from Ford enthusiasts who wish they could buy the car in America -- at its debut during September's Paris auto show.
The sedan's sharp body lines, long hood, steeply raked windshield, fastback-style rear window and wheels-at-the-corners stance are the embodiment of Ford's new European design theme.
The Mondeo model line includes a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that produces 220 horsepower.
Ford's Volvo brand developed the I-5 engine, and Volvo will reveal its all-new V70 station wagon in Geneva.
Other high-end models to debut include the Maserati Gran Turismo luxury coupe and the 528-horsepower V12 Aston Martin Vanquish S.
Despite that abundance of local talent, the enthusiasm for Cadillac, Chevy and Dodge may be explained by the Turkish waiter who handed me a slice of takeout pizza on Konigstrasse.
"You're from Detroit? Motor City. Cars. Very good," he said, flashing a grin and a thumbs up.
Detroit's cars pop in Europe
March 4, 2007
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
STUTTGART, Germany -- Cadillac, Cadillac, Cadillac. Chevrolet. Dodge. Ford.
I came to Europe to see new cars from Audi, Fiat and Maserati at the annual Geneva auto show, but a lot of Europeans are apparently looking forward to it for their first chance to kick the tires on new iron from Detroit.
For Europe, the Geneva show, which begins with media previews Tuesday and Wednesday, is the first big one of the year. It has served as the launching pad for new models, from fuel-sipping diesels to the 500-horsepower BMW M5. Trend-setting Italian designers like ItalDesign, Giugiaro and Pininfarina use it to stretch the limits of technology and style.
So what was the white Chevrolet HHR doing cluttering up the opening pages of the Geneva preview in the widely read German car magazine Auto Zeitung?
Sipping a cappuccino on Konigstrasse in Stuttgart's fashionable pedestrian district, I also saw photos of the 2008 Cadillac CTS, the aggressive Dodge Demon concept roadster and the high-performance supercharged Cadillac STS-V sedan and XLR-V roadster.
Five of the nine vehicles pictured were from Detroit designers and engineers.
Also hot
I'm still geeked about the new European models that will debut.
The Mini Clubman, a stretched, wagon version of the Mini Cooper with a small rear-hinged back door on the passenger side, is the latest in the flood of cool and practical little cars that began with VW's New Beetle and crested with models like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Scion xB and Chevy HHR.
Audi's A5 coupe will push VW's luxury brand into new territory, to compete with stalwarts like BMW's 3-series coupe, and I'll have my first look at the crisp new Mercedes-Benz C-class, which also hopes to challenge the benchmark BMW.
Ford will reveal the eagerly awaited sedan version of its Mondeo midsize car. The Mondeo station wagon drew raves -- and envious groans from Ford enthusiasts who wish they could buy the car in America -- at its debut during September's Paris auto show.
The sedan's sharp body lines, long hood, steeply raked windshield, fastback-style rear window and wheels-at-the-corners stance are the embodiment of Ford's new European design theme.
The Mondeo model line includes a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that produces 220 horsepower.
Ford's Volvo brand developed the I-5 engine, and Volvo will reveal its all-new V70 station wagon in Geneva.
Other high-end models to debut include the Maserati Gran Turismo luxury coupe and the 528-horsepower V12 Aston Martin Vanquish S.
Despite that abundance of local talent, the enthusiasm for Cadillac, Chevy and Dodge may be explained by the Turkish waiter who handed me a slice of takeout pizza on Konigstrasse.
"You're from Detroit? Motor City. Cars. Very good," he said, flashing a grin and a thumbs up.
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Joined: 03-10-2007
Posts: 211
From: Ottawa, Ontario
Hmmm...
Chrysler sells the PT in Europe and if sales are respectable you can bank on GM to try to find a way to bring the HHR to that territory. As CH mentioned, the biggest problem could be the regulations regarding pedestrian safety (I think that is the biggie anyhow).
Seeing as the Delta platform underpins the Opel/Vauxhall Astra and Zafira lines I doubt there are any major hurdles to overcome. You would also think that the diesels they put in other Delta bodies could be used in the HHR. With low-sulphur diesel coming (or is it here already?) to NA it would be cool to see that appear as an option on both sides of the pond.
If GM does go for it I just hope the 2.2L Ecotec is an optional engine so some crazy Euro tuner company can make some go-fast goodies for us LS type here in NA!
Chrysler sells the PT in Europe and if sales are respectable you can bank on GM to try to find a way to bring the HHR to that territory. As CH mentioned, the biggest problem could be the regulations regarding pedestrian safety (I think that is the biggie anyhow).
Seeing as the Delta platform underpins the Opel/Vauxhall Astra and Zafira lines I doubt there are any major hurdles to overcome. You would also think that the diesels they put in other Delta bodies could be used in the HHR. With low-sulphur diesel coming (or is it here already?) to NA it would be cool to see that appear as an option on both sides of the pond.
If GM does go for it I just hope the 2.2L Ecotec is an optional engine so some crazy Euro tuner company can make some go-fast goodies for us LS type here in NA!