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Category: Cool stuff

Acura to offer XM NavWeather

As every car manufacturer hurries to offer some sort of interactive navigation system, Acura announced at the Chicago Auto show it will start using XM's NavWeather in its 2009 RL.

This is the first car to come with the new system that incorporates weather information in the navigation map. Many vehicles have local weather stations you can listen to, but this let's you see the weather down the road.

Using this and XM's traffic service will mean your digital map will come to life, warning you about potential delays and bad weather.

Pricing for the system, which, no doubt, will include a monthly fee, was not announced -- though I would expect it to leave you with a monthly bill of $15 to $20 including the regular XM services.

Category: nopick

Sausage rivalry

Organizers of the Chicago Auto Show continued on their mission to knock Detroit from its auto show pedestal.

The highly competitive Midwest Auto Media Association thinks it should be the nation's top auto extravaganza. The group takes every opportunity to point out the ways it bests Detroit, from its amenity-filled downtown to it's top-notch convention center. They added another item to the brag list this morning's breakfast kickoff - joking that journalists at the Detroit show are forced work on empty stomachs.

GM's North American Chief Troy Clarke stopped short of endorsing Chicago over Detroit, but noted to the crowd that he always "endorses a hearty breakfast."

Category: nopick

Malibu making inroads?

GM says its made-over Malibu sedan is helping the automaker crack the coveted California market.

Automakers have long drooled over trendy, high-income West Coast demographcs, but Detroit's Big Three have traditionally struggled to win over import buyers in the region.

The Malibu is too new to know whether the well-received car will make a significant difference in the long term.

But Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said today that, since the Malibu launched in November, about 14 percent of sales are coming from GM's Western region, up from just 7 percent of the old models.

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Category: Mitsubishi

Doors: How about more flare/flair?

Gull wings and other oddly-hinged doors show up in a few production cars and lots of concepts. Neat concept but not many show up in your everyday set of wheels.

I'm guessing it's the parking problem. Doors that swing wide looks as if they need a have acre to open, although engineers should be able to work that out. Here's a Mitsubishi version at the auto show.

I've driven a Delorean. The doors aren't quite as dramatic when seen from the inside. Mostly a chick magnet. Or guy magnet.

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Category: Star of the Show

What's your favorite at the auto show?

If you've been to the auto show - or read about it or seen it on TV - you probably have a favorite vehicle or two.

The Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram trucks got a lot of attention, but maybe the Cadillacs or BMWs are more your style.

You can vote on your favorite new production model or choose your favorite concept car unveiled during the Detroit auto show in our auto show Cybersurveys. Which alternative fuel, hybrid or electric concept captured your attention the most? The Fisker Karma? The Saturn Flextreme? Vote here.

If you need a refresher on the vehicles or won't be able to make it to the show this year, check out our complete auto show coverage at detnews.com/autoshow.

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Category: Ford

Heads up navigation makes sense

The more I look at it, the more interior of the Ford Explorer concept makes sense. It emphasizes navigation and traffic information with an oversized dash display including that dramatic compass in the middle.

When you think about, a car is about getting from Point A to Point B. So why no oversized navigation help, as opposed to the tiny screens of the typical GPS? Call it Rambo approach to tooling around.

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Category: General Motors

Chevy Beat: Nice looking microcar

The Chevy Beat is one of those concepts that might have a shot at niche market. A 1.2 leter engine is hooked to an automatic transmission.

If that sounds familiar, you're right. The now defunct Chevy Metro had a 1.0 liter engine in the three cyclinder model, and a full 1.3 liter in the 4 cyclinder version.

I've logged a few miles in a Metro, which get 44 miles a gallon highway, and about 40 mpg mixed driving. Chalk it up as basically a 60 mph machine for short commutes.

The Beat's a lot better looking and is expected to be loaded with high end technology.

But on the other hand, you can buy a used Metro for about $3,000.

By way of comparison, Tata Motors recently introduced the Nano, a 0.623 liter, 2 cylinder gem that goes for $2,500 new. It won't meet U.S. safety specs. But the U.S. could help the green movement by granting exceptions to such microcars, letting families accept their own level of risk.

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Category: Rolls-Royce

Rolls Royce: Traditional good looks

For all the hoopla at the auto show, some of the classics are, well, still classy. The new Rolls doesn't get a lot of ink. But if you want to ride the rode less taken, the Rolls is the way to go.

The elegant front, pictured here, says "I've got money." Plus there's plenty of room for, say, a mayor to take his girlfriend to the movies. Or executive staff.

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Category: Cool stuff

Smart Car's got the buzz

There are a lot of "maybe" cars at the auto show, but the Smart Car is rolling out for real. No doubt about it, it's small. Reminded me of the old Isetta, one of the world's more successful microcars.

But the Smart Car is a lot more machine, bigger and capable of highway speeds where he Isetta was not. Parking will be a snap. The styling is different and it's getting a lot of attention at the show.

Little cars often have a tough go e.g. Chevy Metro. But Smart Car has a buzz about it, like the early Volkswagen bugs. In Kansas City, for example, 300 cars have been pre-sold and there's a 10-month waiting list.

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Category: China

'Detroit Fish' inspires 'How's your drainage?'

This bright yellow car is the "Detroit Fish" an amphibious vehicle from a Chinese company. The specs include this line: "Drainage: 1,200 kilograms." I've no idea how that compares to the drainage on, say, the F-150.

Nor am I entirely clear on exactly what drainage is. Perhaps displacement, vis a vis the performance on water.

Anyway, it's an unusual electric machine, running on 48 volts, a sister ship to another Chinese entry called A Piece of Cloud.