Detroit Auto Show: The Best, The Worst of Show
January 22, 2008
By Jane Nakagawa
The 2008 Detroit Auto Show makes me think of Japan, in that it is the tale of two cultures.
It’s common to hear stories of how easy it is for young foreigners in Japan to fill their apartments with TVs, rice cookers, and a myriad of other consumer electronics that middle-class Japanese have thrown away. This is because the Japanese are eager to own the latest and greatest thing, and even if something doesn’t need replacing, they have no problem getting rid of it.
Conversely, Americans are more practical. There is something buried deep into the psyche of every red-blooded American that makes us believe, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The pickup truck has been the number-one selling vehicle for over 10 years, but signs of a breakdown in its appeal are starting to show, and there was evidence of it on the floor of the Detroit auto show.
Maybe It’s Time for a New Car
Camper shells and extended-length truck cabs begat the modern day SUV, and so the Chevy Suburban became the badge of honor for every hard-working Baby Boomer mom. But gas prices spiraled upwards, Iraq reminded us of how dependent we are on foreign oil, and Al Gore scared us about global warming. Finally, something much closer to home happened. The Echo Boomers – those kids that used to sit in the back of these large SUVs – got their driver’s licenses.
Americans still prize functionality and practicality, but with this new breed of car buyers, needs and desires are bound to change. As manufacturers scramble to satisfy every niche, the utility segment – everything from pickup trucks to minivans to luxury SUVs – is evolving to suit this new generation before our very eyes.
Are the Manufacturers Paying Attention?
In Detroit, we saw two major trends affecting the utility market. The first one is that the crossovers are becoming more personal in attitude and coupe-like in body style. The second trend is that manufacturers are trying to fill the gap that mini pickup trucks left behind with new vehicles that have a big attitude in a small package.
These two trends may actually be playing out in the same garage. As the kids become independent and drive their own vehicles, the parents are getting their style mojo back. So we have new trucks parked next to stylish, car-like crossovers.
10 Best of Show
The BMW X6 takes the function of a sport-utility and tries to give it some style 
like a coupe. The mix of BMW cues, a fastback roof and SUV size is a little clumsy, but it’s so well executed you can’t help but like it. Compare with the Provoq and LRX.
The Cadillac Provoq Concept is another example of SUV functionality 
becoming stylish. Cadillac has come a long way from the angry, hateful Evoq and now leads the way in redefining an unabashedly American aesthetic with this great look.
The Chrysler’s ecoVoyager Concept is still a minivan, but it’s less about dirty 
diapers than maximized interior volume and minimized exterior size, plus an electric powertrain. So why are we now stuck with the clunky-looking new Dodge Caravan?
The Ford Verve Concept is a warm, beautifully styled alternative to the cheap-
and-cheerful theme of current entry-level cars. But it’s sooo European, you have to wonder if Americans will buy it. Oh well, at least it’s not retro.
The Honda Pilot Prototype is like a guy wearing a white T-shirt -- too honest 
to wear a logo and yet so utterly without pretense that he makes a big statement anyway. That’s why the grille looks so contrived. Ditch the grille; stick with the white T-shirt.
The Hummer HX Concept is just a cut-down H3, but it’s also a good example 
of an American brand determined to be relevant while maintaining an iconic look and feel. Actually this is a mini-truck, not a cute-ute. Small trucks look good these days.
The Land Rover LRX Concept is the European equivalent of the Cadillac 
Provoq, an SUV turned into a beautiful coupe. Sexy in a Euro way, meant for a smart woman trading in a family car for something personal but practical. A great luxury look.
The Mitsubishi Concept-RA is a beautifully styled high-performance coupe, a 
clear gesture to the next Eclipse. Too bad it’s such a bad concept. We need a sport coupe that will appeal to a real guy, not his iPhone-toting girlfriend.
The Suzuki X-Head in appeared in Tokyo looking like the offspring of Optimus 
Prime (you know, the leader of the Transformers), yet it creates a new class of functional pickup, a convergence between the mechanical and the electronic.
10 Worst of Show
The Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept might not have been so disappointing had we 
not seen the Provoq. Stuck in the angry Evoq past, it’s a CTS hatchback. In the words of Cadillac’s advertising, when you turn this car on, it fails to return the favor.
The Dodge Ram invented the big-truck look, but now it’s slid back into the 
two-tone 1980s. Sure, we know people still need to tow horse trailers. But do they have to look like it’s drudgery? Dodge once led the way in truck design, but it's lost its direction.
The Dodge Zeo Concept is what happens when you overlook the way the utility
segment is evolving. Alternative powertrains are cool, but they should be in cool wrappers, not some kind of shape stolen from something else.
The Ford Explorer America Concept looks like somebody took a belt sander 
and scoured all the rough edges off an old Explorer. Apparently Chevy SUVs look great, because why else would Ford copy them? There's no concept to this.
The Ford F-150 makes me think back to the Mighty Tonka of five years ago, a 
great concept that reminds us that this boring truck has nothing to say. How can you make a truck that looks even less authentic than a Toyota Tundra?
The Jeep Renegade Concept is sheer laziness, a half-hearted attempt to 
create a new utility vehicle. Sticking a badge on an overwrought dune buggy won't get it for the Echo Boomers. Bring those designers in from the volleyball court and teach them to drive.
The Lexus LF-A Roadster is stuck in angry-land like the old Cadillac Evoq. To 
compete successfully in the luxury arena, you have to elicit desire. This random collection of ducts and swoops lacks confidence. It's Jackie Chan, not James Bond.
The Lincoln MKT Concept wants to be a Buick Enclave, a large luxurious
crossover. A good idea, but the slab-sides, slit-like windows and goofy grille of Lincoln’s past don’t bring the right kind of sedan feel to what is really a family package.
The Mazda Furai might appeal to motorsports fans, but the styling aesthetic is
more like the bizarre melted architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Here’s a wrinkled front end in desperate need of a need of a face lift – literally.
The Toyota Venza is just a swollen station wagon, completely old and tired in
this era of smart sedans with slim, couple-like roof lines. Just because you’re a loyal Camry owner, you don’t have to smell like Vitalis cologne. Is this why Jim Press left?
Jane Nakagawa, formerly of Nissan North America, covers design topics for AutoObserver.
Posted by at 4:40 AM under Commentary | Comments (15) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
"Stuck in angry land"? Spoken like a female designer. Agressive looks are a plus to males. Perhaps Cadillac and Toyota should put a flower vase in and call it a day.
Josh
Posted by: Josh | January 22, 2008 at 8:50 AM
Let me get this straight--the plain vanilla, boxy, innovation-free Honda Pilot gets a 'best' while the stunning CTS Coupe (Autoweek's and Eyes on Design's best concept) gets a 'worst'? I agree with Josh--'masculine' designs apparently come off as 'angry' to female designers. Oh, and Chrysler's beetle-like EcoVoyager--it's very much not a minivan, with only room for four and no interior reconfiguration.
Posted by: adb | January 22, 2008 at 9:13 AM
Jane, I understand where you are coming from regarding your list, but I have to disagree with two vehicles, the Honda Pilot and Cadillac CT-S coupe. The Pilot is just unattractive. It's not just plain, it's just ugly. In terms of styling, there are so many other vehicles in its segment that are head turners. The next generation Pilot has rental car written all over it.
On the other hand, the CT-S coupe is absolutely stunning. Far more visually appealing than the IS, 3-Series, and the C-Class. It's very aggressive and masculine which is missing in its competitors. I see great market appeal for it and the entire Cadillac lineup.
Posted by: Mikey | January 22, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Just IMO.......
The Honda Pilot? And BMW X6 on the "Best List". Is that for real? The X6...."Takes the functionality of an SUV".....and gives you none of it! And, how do you really separate the Pilot and Explorer, putting one on the best list and the other on the worst? It looks like the designers cheated off each other in study hall!
The gorgeous CTS on the "Worst List"?! GM finally is giving us a string of stylish and arse-kicking vehicles, and this one continues that. So does the Riviera concept, which is mysteriously missing from this totally bizarre list. The ooohs and ahhhs I heard while trying to steal a closer glimpse of this vehicle through the throng of people on Saturday.... spoke for themselves. (And my trek to the front of the line was worth the time).
What exactly makes "smart sedans" ones with "slim, coupe-like roof lines"? Mainstream sedans and wagons are about functionality, not making an image statement. While the Venza isn't my cup of tea, I think it makes sense for those who actually DO want a wagon and not a CUV/SUV. From what I understand, the Venza is actually similar in size to an Outback or Volvo XC70.
Design doesn't exist in a vacuum, and that is the only perspective from which I can assume this article was written.
Posted by: JC | January 22, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Thank you all for being passionate about cars!
A couple comments regarding "angry" cars. Just like in sports, I think there is more than one way for vehicles to communicate "aggressive" and "masculine". Its easy to say that a football player is aggressive and masculine. But so are basketball players and even cyclists; Michael Jordan or Lance Armstrong don't look like football players but few would dispute that they are aggressive and masculine. As for styling that looks angry - I believe that strong, confident, aggressive designs never come off as "angry", but incomplete concepts with stereotypically "masculine" cues do.
As for the CTS, I am a huge fan of the new Cadillac styling. This is why I was disappointed with the coupe...I think they are refining the look with the Provoq, and I just didn't see that in the CTS. But most of all, I was disappointed with the bodystyle - it just seemed like a two door sedan to me. But I concede that I am standing alone on this one.
I also see that I am "out-standing in the field" on the Pilot. But Honda has a way with freaking people out at first and then their products kind of grow on you - the Ridgeline and Element come to mind. And no, I don't think these cars are aggressive or masculine.
Finally, do any women read AO?!
Posted by: Jane | January 22, 2008 at 2:51 PM
Jane, I'm trying to get your former colleagues in my department to read AO regularly!
Posted by: Mikey | January 22, 2008 at 3:53 PM
You're deeply alone Jane. In fact, you're the cheese. If anything, the Provoq is too rounded.
Posted by: JOn | January 22, 2008 at 4:08 PM
Good response post, Jane, thanks for the follow-up :)
Posted by: JC | January 22, 2008 at 5:13 PM
You're right about the new Dodge Ram- it's more of an evolution than
a revolution. I would have prefered to see it take shape as the Power
Ram concept circulating a couple of years back.
Posted by: GeorgeWendell | January 22, 2008 at 6:25 PM
Jane's referrence to Cadillac's intial, angular-not-resolved styling as angry instead of masculine was an obvious slip but thankfully was quickly pointed out by a few angry respondants compensating for a lack of masculinity.
It's about time that the car industry presented a balance so that the mid-to-high range segment had more choice for those that aren't interested in driving the 'common ground'. Thanks Jane for representing a broader picture. NPI
Posted by: Q | January 22, 2008 at 10:41 PM
These comments remind me of a 2001 speech to the Automotive News World Congress delivered by General Motors’ very macho vice chairman, Bob Lutz. Commenting on that year’s crop of very angular, aggressive and, yes, angry concept cars, he said. “Many of them are all-out weird. It’s as if the designers are no longer designing for the public, but rather for each other, trying to be evermore off-the-wall than the competition… that look like a whole family of angry kitchen appliances: demented toasters, furious bread machines, and vengeful trash compactors (or even compactees). Then there are the assemblages of mere steel tubes, leather, and plastic—they look like exercise machines.”
Posted by: Michelle Krebs | January 23, 2008 at 4:41 AM
It is obvious that there is a very lucrative market segment out there for the 17-24 year-old male. Companies successfully targeting this segment make billions; Hollywood proves that every summer. However, there is a growing segment to which the article speaks which includes the sophisticated, the stylish, and the eco-conscious. Even the 24 year-old male grows up eventually. I wonder how car companies will respond to the writer’s issue: "Maybe it’s Time for a New Car" for a generation that is growing up quickly.
Posted by: Sam | January 23, 2008 at 11:38 AM
I'm trying to understand the basis of these judgments. Dice or magic 8-ball???? Jane completely contridicts her/him self using only personal preference to judge. X6 and Provoq Good, Venza bad. Same reasoning to make each arguement. Go back to Nissan, your opinion means nothing!
Posted by: D | January 24, 2008 at 8:36 AM
The comments about the Furai are just plain idiotic. It is one of the most beautiful and original designs in years--a true benchmark. If you don't get that then there is something wrong with you.
Posted by: Dang3R_z_0_n_e | January 24, 2008 at 10:07 PM
Great discussion, here.
I have to side with Jane on the "angry masculine" vs. new expression. Where is the innovation in design? We're looking at the manipulation of old design ideas here, not pushing the envelope on exterior style aesthetics. It would be great to see a great new way of suggesting powerful, edgy masculinity that didn't involve a retooling of an 80's Lamborghini poster.
That being said, I'm with the group on the Caddy, Jane. Although the back 2 thirds look a bit like some Nissan concepts.
Posted by: Jason Gingold | January 29, 2008 at 3:50 PM