WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Coming away this week from the North American International Auto Show, we thought it lacked the big buzz that could be felt in 2006. It was our feeling, shared by some of the other reporters present, that there were fewer really "buzzworthy" cars. It also seemed there weren't as many press conferences. Budget cuts?
Herewith some quick-hit observations for our readers:
The Camaro convertible (in dealers as a 2009) was stunning, tricked out in "Hugger Orange."
When we asked one GM official if there were any plans for the return of the Firebird, we were told that the design team is hot to do a new 'bird. "It is something that we are studying," the official said. Our guess, and it's only that, is that GM will bring the Firebird back once the initial Camaro demand slows down.
Roger Penske was a delight to talk with about the tiny Smart fortwo that will come to these shores in '08. He's confident there's a market here for the tiny "city car."
Is Rick Wagoner heading to the top of the auto world? GM still faces many hurdles, but we can tell you the man is upbeat, uses the word "profit" and his company came out of the Detroit show's press days with a lot of good feeling. If Wagoner pulls GM out of the swamp, he deserves worldwide praise -- and celebrations in the street.
J.C. Mays, Ford's design whiz, is one heck of a car guy to interview. And despite all of his design work over the years, he said he still has days when he can't believe that someone would pay him to do what he does -- "a kid in a sandbox" was the term he used. We thought the Mays-inspired Lincoln MKR, with its retro style grill, was very impressive. Ford simply has to figure out a way to make this 415-horsepower, twin-turbocharged Lincoln (read: hot rod).
Rolls Royce's "drophead coupe" (another way to say convertible) raises the bar for luxury with its polished aluminum hood and teak wood around the outside of the rear seats. They'll will only crank out about 1,000 of these a year, each retailing for more than $400,000.
And kudos for Hyundai. It's feeling brash enough to call the new small SUV concept with the retro-looking doors, and we do not make this up, the Hellion. Under the hood is a 3.0-liter, V6 diesel.
No one drove a vehicle through a plate glass window this year, as in 2006.
Downtown Detroit, based on the number of people on the sidewalk, remains a ghost town, surrounded by decaying warehouses and windowless, abandoned factories. Yet right now, the Motor City's fittingly the center of the auto world again, playing host to what's still a first-class show.
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