New York • As is usual, the Big Apple’s annual auto show attracted everything from the sublime to the ridiculous and managed to touch, quite literally, everything between the extremes.
At one end of the spectrum was the Terrafugia Transition, a two-seat plane with four wheels, turn signals, a 100-horsepower Rotax engine and folding wings. Its format begs the obvious question — is it a road-going aircraft or a car with wings? The best answer is that, in true Jetsons fashion, it’s a $279,000 flying car — switching from plane to car takes less than a minute. The push-style propeller gives the Transition a top speed of 185 kilometres in the air and 110 km/h when humming along the highway. It is surprisingly fuel efficient, burning 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the air and 6.7 L/100 km on the street. These numbers would give it just more than 1,000 km of air distance from its 87-litre tank. When it’s time to fill up, the Transition can pull into a regular gas station. It’s a neat idea, but something that’s difficult to see gaining much traction — or air — any time soon.
What would an auto show be without an award, in New York’s case the 2012 World Car awards? The Volkswagen up! edged the BMW 3 Series and Porsche 911 to win this year’s World Car of the Year. As the name implies, the panel of jurors come from around the world. However, to have a realistic shot at winning the top award, the car in question must be available in most parts of the world. As such, something such as the all-new Dodge Viper would have a hard time winning because it’s primarily a North American vehicle.
The Range Rover Evoque was awarded the World Car Design of the Year, while the 911 scooped the Performance Car award. Finally, it was a diesel — the Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEfficiency — that won the World Green Car award. It bested the Ford Focus Electric and Peugeot 3008 Hybrid. As with the overall winner, it is hardly a surprise given the European clout (26 of the 64 jurors are based in Europe) and the fact that half of the cars sold on that side of the pond are diesel-powered.
As is the norm, every manufacturer at the show featured alternate power technology. Certainly, one of the best-looking cars to be revealed was the Infiniti LE Concept, a car based on the Nissan Leaf (and, when it comes to fruition, it will be built alongside the Leaf). At almost five metres long, the LE is a true mid-sized sedan that features seductively swoopy lines. As with the Leaf, the concept features a 134-hp electric motor and 24-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack. The combination promises a driving range of around 160 km. Inside, the use of a large iPad-like touchscreen, which is part of the advanced infotainment system, speaks to the future of interior design.
This aspect also featured heavily in the 2013 Cadillac XTS, which will be one of the first vehicles to employ the Cadillac User Experience (CUE). The heart of CUE is an eight-inch LCD touchscreen. The home page resembles a smartphone’s screen with large icons. The futuristic nature of the system is found in its proximity-sensing ability. As the user’s hand approaches the screen, the icons magically appear. It also delivers haptic feedback — the icons on the screen pulse when pressed to acknowledge the input, which helps to keep the driver’s eyes on the road. Of course, it would not be complete if it did not mimic a true tablet in that it recognizes many familiar hand gestures — tap, flick, swipe and spread. This extension allows the driver to scroll through lists and zoom in on the map in one simple motion.
The biggest disappointment at this year’s auto show was the electric pavilion. Here, showgoers and journalists alike could take a number of electric/extended-range vehicles out for a spin. The cars up for test included the Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi iMiEV, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius plug-in. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the array of test cars. However, the “drive” route was an absolute farce. The participants got to drive around an indoor L-shaped track. The problem was the length of the test — the longest straightaway measured all of about 60 metres, meaning a driver might manage to put a mind-numbing 25 km/h on the speedometer before returning to walking speed.
If the aim was to promote the electric car as a viable mode of urban transportation, this exercise did not cut it. In fact, it could be argued that it served to underscore the whole range anxiety issue. Allowing the test mules to be taken for a spin in one of the busiest cities in the world would have provided a much more valuable insight into the viability of the electric car. I understand the logistics of turning hoards of people loose in test cars to prowl New York City, but what a crock.
