North American International Auto Show highlights

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2009 opened to the press over the weekend and although the show isn’t open to the public until the January 17, it looks like a show packed full of exciting debuts and new models.Thanks to the downturn in new car sales, there are some notable absentees such as Nissan and Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Porsche and Land Rover; allowing niche manufacturers such as Brilliance and BYD to shine just that little bit brighter. Others took a more subdued approach to their stands at the show, to save on the expense of lavish product launch.Bob Lutz, GM vice-chairman of product development said; “All I know is we took about 50 per cent out of the cost of our stand,”“We took away a lot of the structures, such as salad bowl-shaped Saturn stands, and towers with holographic displays.”Despite the muted displays, this year’s NAIAS features plenty of highlights such as:Cadilliac Converj concept, extended range vehicle which uses Voltec technology which parent company, GM say can power the luxury coupe with ‘no compromise’. Able to travel 40 miles on electric power before resorting to using traditional fuel.Similarly Chrysler has a display of range extended electric vehicles or hybrids as they were always known before pretension overtook. The ‘ENVI-powered electric vehicles’ include the Dodge Circuit EV, featuring a range of 150-200 miles with zero gasoline consumption and zero tailpipe emissions.The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV, Chrysler Town & Country EV also delivers 40 miles of all-electric range – 400 miles total. The new Jeep Patriot EV adds to the range and uses an integrated small-displacement engine and electric generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed.Significantly, the GM new car parade included the Beat small car concept from 2007, which GM cheif, Rick Wagoner confirmed would be called Spark worldwide, and would replace the Chevrolet Matiz from next year.The Chevrolet Volt due to go on sale by the end of 2010 is one of the most anticipated electric vehicles.The Volkswagen BlueSport Concept offers sporting roadster style and stamina with the green credentials of a supermini at just 113g/km of CO2 and 65 mpg. It does 0-60 in 6.2 seconds and a four-cylinder 2.0-litre TDI engine which produces 180 PS and 258 lbs ft of torque from 1,750 rpm.  Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed dual clutch DSG gearbox and sees the Concept BlueSport go on to a top speed of 140 mph.The new edition Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT SJaguar new XKR and XFR models. The XFR is powered by the all-new supercharged 510PS (510bhp SAE) V8 with acceleration from 0-60mph in just 4.7 seconds making it the ultimate Jaguar sport saloon. A naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8, producing 385PS, powers other V8 XF models. The new generation of XK and XKR coupe and convertibles, with all-new V8 engines, deliver more power and performance with greater efficiency for 2010 Model Year. With interior enhancements, advanced lightweight aluminium body structure and a wider range of models, plus the new luxurious 'Portfolio' model, the new XK and XKR build on 60 years of legendary performance to deliver the best of everything Jaguar.And finally, the Kia Soul range.To find the best of what's available right now, search ContractHireAndLeasing.com.

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