Buick Verano, VW Passat, Hyundai Veloster Generate Detroit Show Buzz, Edmunds.com Reports
By Michelle Krebs January 25, 2011By Mark Holthoff
The doors to the 2011 North American International Auto Show closed Sunday night, after a record 735,370 visitors passed through them over its 10-day run.
The large and enthusiastic crowd got to see vehicles ranging from a near production-ready Honda Civic Concept to a couple of eco-friendly supercars from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, and much in between.
So when all was said and done, which vehicles generated the most buzz on Edmunds.com and which ones prompted Edmunds' visitors to dig deeper into the vehicle's details online?
The results might surprise you.
By the Numbers
Edmunds.com analysts studied which vehicles unveiled at the show drove visitors to dig for more detail on its car shopping Web site.
The completely redesigned Chrysler 300 saw a near doubling of purchase consideration. On Jan. 11 - the day after the Chrysler 300 was showcased to media in the Motor City - 16.9 percent of shoppers researching vehicles in the large car segment checked out the 300. By comparison, just one week earlier, consideration for the model was only at 8.2 percent.
Two luxury car brands also enjoyed an uptick in consideration on Edmunds.com
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After the auto show kicked off, 13.6 percent of shoppers researching vehicles in the midrange luxury car segment looked at the Audi A6, up from a low of 7.9 percent earlier this month.
The BMW 6 Series, meanwhile, peaked at 12.7 percent consideration within the premium sport car segment after seeing levels around 8.0 percent the previous week.
On a somewhat less scientific basis, analysts looked at which models generated the most buzz among our members who wrote comments in Edmunds' Forums and on Edmunds' enthusiast site, Inside Line.
Here are those results:
2012 Buick Verano
(113 comments so far)
Top buzz goes to this new Chevrolet Cruze-based offering, which slots in at the bottom of Buick's overall lineup, both in price and size. Many members find the car "quite handsome" or at least "pretty good looking," and they "dig the interior" which "looks very well refined and upscale." Others are impressed with its value at an estimated $22,500 base price.
Member stingray454 tells us, "A luxury compact is supposed to offer a nice luxurious interior, lots of features, decent fuel economy, and a reasonable price. To that end, the Buick Verano delivers on all counts."
Of course, not everyone agrees. Some deride the rear bodywork as "frowny" and "frumpy," noting that the "chrome eyebrows over the taillights have GOT to go." Member ergsum says, "Verano wins the angriest looking rear-end award."
And quite a few are disappointed at the reported power and fuel economy estimates of 177 horsepower and 31 mpg highway. "If GM really wants Buick to be a legitimate Lexus competitor," writes jm1212, "it is going to need to have more powerful engines that get better fuel economy."
Still others wonder why Buick is even bothering with the model, including carpaul1 who complains that "while Regal and LaCrosse are indeed entries with their own unique appeal," the Verano is just "rehashing something that exists across the street for thousands less," suggesting instead that a "coupe of some type would appeal to the sophisticated crowd Buick wants to go after."
But at least one member is completely smitten, promising that "I have found my new car" and telling the naysayers to "leave Buick to the younger crowd" - which is perhaps the highest praise that Buick could have hoped for.
Admiration for Verano, however, did little to move the needle of purchase interest on Edmunds.com. Shopping consideration for the car remained flat at a scant 0.6 percent within its segment.
(102 comments so far)
VW built up anticipation surrounding its so-called New Midsize Sedan - NMS - by keeping it tightly under wraps for months leading up its Detroit unveiling, so when it was finally revealed to be, simply, the next iteration of the familiar Passat, not everyone was thrilled.
In fact, initial comments call it "boring," "bland" and "snoretastic." As member zrated puts it, "'Vanilla' is good ice cream, but bad car design."
But it doesn't take long for others to come to the Passat's defense. "A little boring," admits stovt001, "but clean, crisp, and classic too." Member f1ndler likes how "it doesn't ask for attention but at the same time it makes me want look at it." And bemanix88 flat out calls it "a damn good looking car."
Members are also impressed with the car's interior, noting that it "looks surprisingly upscale," and they're happy that here "cost cutting isn't as obvious as in the Jetta." At an estimated base price of $20,000, the Passat is, most agree, "a lot of car for the money."
Though some continue to insist that the overall styling is the equivalent of "automotive Ambien," the strongest critiques stem from VW's decision not to include its well-liked two-liter, turbo four-cylinder among the Passat's engine choices. According to jacarig, this leaves buyers "either stuck with the (comparatively) crappy 2.5 I5 or the really nice 3.6 V6."
Some speculate that behind the decision may be VW's desire not to compete quite so squarely with stable mate Audi A4. Alternatively, member jondiaz surmises that "the 2.5 is a lot more reliable, and probably what they need to sell with an all-new model from an all-new manufacturing facility" (the automaker's new Tennessee-based plant, where the car will be built).
But there's little evidence that members are anything other than thrilled with the news that the Jetta's efficient turbodiesel mill will also be available here, enabling so-equipped Passats to achieve a bladder-busting 800-mile range.
In the end, it's fair to say that this new Passat does not live up to everyone's highest hopes, but, as member threem notes, its critics may well be "underestimating the number of people who want a gimmick free, crisply styled, somewhat grownup" sedan - a sentiment that VW of America execs would no doubt readily embrace.
In addition, the Passat reveal in Detroit did boost shopping traffic on Edmunds.com for the car. On the day it was revealed to the media, the Passat climbed to 6.2 percent consideration in the midsize car segment from a low of 3.3 percent the previous week.
2012 Hyundai Veloster
(87 comments so far)
While Hyundai's latest model hasn't garnered the most comments of the show so far, it's definitely getting the most enthusiastic ones.
Though a few members reject its looks as "over-styled" and "trying too hard," most find it a "sexy and unique" design that "looks really cool." In particular, they "love the extended sunroof/rear glass" and "the center-mounted exhaust pipe" and are equally impressed by its estimated 40 mpg highway rating.
The Veloster fares well against one of its main competitors, the Honda CR-Z, in the eyes of our members, who tell us that "this is more like what the CR-Z should have been" and also that "if it really gets close to 40 mpg, it would demonstrate the how pointless the CR-Z's hybrid drivetrain is" (since the Honda achieves just 37 mpg highway).
They also give kudos to Hyundai for offering a dual-clutch automatic transmission rather than a traditional automatic or a CVT. "The CVT is a big turnoff for me in the [Nissan] Juke," notes bankerdanny.
There are some complaints. Members debate whether the Veloster's styling is derivative, comparing it to the European-market Citroen DS4 and again to the CR-Z -- though the latter point is ultimately declared moot when one member points out the Veloster concept debuted first.
Also, a few mention that the base motor, at 138 horsepower "seems pretty weak." But others are quick to counter that "the Veloster is intended to be a 40 mpg sports coupe as opposed to a legitimate sports car." Several also note that a more powerful turbo version is due out later.
And, because it never hurts to have a promising prospect in the right demographic, perhaps the best compliment of all comes from member street_king1, who pledges, "I hope to get this car after I graduate."
As with the Buick Verano, the unveiling of the Veloster didn't do much for shopping consideration on Edmunds.com, which climbed only slightly to 1 percent in the compact car segment.
Enthusiastic Show Goers
As the couple dozen staffers from Edmunds.com and its various sites, including AutoObserver.com and Insideline.com noted, the mood during media days was noticeably more upbeat than it had been in a few years. Auto company executives, while cautious, anticipate a far better year this year than they've seen in awhile.
Show visitors also apparently were more optimistic, as demonstrated by the record numbers that turned out for the show and show visited Edmunds.com during the show. During the week of Jan. 9 -- when new models were introduced to the media -- Edmunds.com saw a surge in overall traffic, the highest levels seen on the site since August 2010.
From the 2011 North American International Auto Show, that's the word on the street.
Mark Holtoff is Edmunds.com manager of customer support.
Photos by manufacturers
1 - Chrysler 300
2 - BMW 6 Series Convertible
3 - Buick Verano
4 - Volkswagen Passat
5 - Hyundai Veloster
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