SECTION E Tuesday, February 19, 2013 • Northwest Herald Auto show promotes sales for area dealers CHICAGO – Facing the back wall of McCormick Place North, a Fisker Karma Eco Sport is parked inside a roped-off area. It was the only Fisker product at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show. With more than 1.1 million square feet of display area for the show inside the adjoining North and South halls of McCormick Place, the electric hybrid, one-speed transmis- sion Karma took up only the mea- surement of a large sedan. In this case, a sedan that is an inch wider than six feet and a length of 16 feet. A visitor to the 105th edition of the auto show had to search for this Karma, which happened to be an Eco Sport model. It was in a corral sharing space with other pricey luxury vehicles. The priciest of those vehicles included a $347,315 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a $497,285 Rolls Phantom drophead coupe, a $227,125 Bentley Continental convertible, a $325,000 Aston Martin DBRS9, a $150,745 Maserati Gran Turismo and a $237,324 Ferrari California 30. Most of those exotic luxury toys behind the ropes of the corral faced the show floor. The Karma Eco Sport faced the wall and that may have been due to its price tag. Henrik Fisker, the executive chairman of Fisker Automotive was asking only $116,000 for it. Fisker is fascinating for several reasons. First, Fisker co-founded a unique company. It is a company that produces an electric-hybrid car designed not for the mass market, but for the luxury class of buyers. Second, the company is in financial trouble. Its days may be numbered and the opportunity for the public to have seen a Fisker product may have ended with the closing of the auto show yesterday. But there is the local dealer’s sales lot and Fisker has one to visit. The handful of North American dealers includes Fisker of North Shore in Northfield. The dealership serves a potential clientele from Chicago as well as North Shore sub- urbs such as Evanston, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Wilmette, Lake Forest and Glencoe. Fisker dealerships are not the only ones looking for visitors. Dealers representing a more mass market clientele also would ap- preciate a visit. These are the 400-plus members of the Chicago Automotive Trade Association, sponsors of the show. With the clos- ing of the auto show, where more than 1,000 vehicles were on display, the sponsors hope their $5 million investment this year paid off. The payoff comes in increased traffic at Chicago-area dealerships and the days ahead will tell. “We get reports that after the show ends the dealers are so busy they cannot keep up with custom- ers coming into their dealerships,” CATA president David Sloan said. “The dealers see a substantial uptick in potential customers to their deal- erships and a big increase in sales.” Prior to the public opening of the auto show, Fisker spoke to an audience of 500 at a Feb. 7 luncheon sponsored by the Economic Club of Chicago in the fourth floor Vista room of McCormick Place South. The ECC annually invites automo- tive industry leaders to speak before the show opens its public doors. At the luncheon, Fisker did not once mention his company’s troubled finances. Instead, in a 30-minute talk and slide presenta- tion, he outlined the virtues of his company’s products, specifically the Karma. The virtues are economy, envi- ronmental and social. “There are a lot of people out there who are environmentally con- scious and who want a luxury car. We give them that,” he said. On that list of Karma buyers are actor and film producer Leo DiCaprio, who also is a Fisker investor, the Prince of Denmark, the Prince of the Neth- erlands, Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber and at least one oil sheik from Saudi Arabia. The Netherlands is a good market for Fisker as his vehicles are exempt from environ- mental or luxury taxes. The lithium ion battery-hybrid plug-in Karma can go weeks or months powered by two electric motors driving the rear wheels. Al- though there is a 9.5-gallon fuel tank, the four-cylinder gasoline engine does not drive the wheels. It is there to recharge the battery pack. In this it differs from the gasoline-electric Chevrolet Volt. The Volt’s gasoline engine kicks in automatically after a certain speed is reached to drive the front wheels. “The gasoline engine is not connected to any wheel in our vehicles,” Fisker said. “The Karma can go the first 40 or 50 miles before it has to be recharged and that is done by the gasoline engine, which acts as a generator. In fact, you might never have to plug (the Karma) in.” Since there are no planetary gears, the 5,600-pound Karma Sport can accelerate from 0 to 125 miles per hour in a seamless 6.7 seconds. Interior trim includes wood from California wildfires or ship disasters on Lake Michigan, recycled faux suede, and eco-friendly recylable upholstery. The entire roof is a solar panel, which can act as a source of electricity for the car. On the exterior, Fisker’s designs differ from other luxury nameplates. He put three luxury models, includ- ing a Mercedes-Benz, on the video screen. All wore flat body panels with little side, hood or rear deck differentiation between the three. “They look alike. It is hard to tell them apart,” he said. Then he put a Karma on the screen. It wore flow- ing indentations front to rear. “We gave it a sculptured look,” he said. “Our cars are different ... a new brand, a new design, a new technol- ogy.” Fisker emphasized there was a place in the automotive world for a niche company such as his. When questioned, he refused to disclose how many vehicles his company had to sell annually to become economi- cally viable. He did say that China could become a big market. “In Shanghai, the motorcyles have gone from gasoline to electric,” Fisker noted. The change came almost overnight, he added. Cars might be next. To reduce reliance on oil-based gasoline or diesel, electric vehicles are a wise option for people and countries, he said. Even so, most of the 1,000 vehicles on display at the Chicago show were of the gasoline or diesel variety. Sharing floor space in the North wing were Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Hyundai as well as more expen- sive nameplates such as Cadillac, Lexus, Acura, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Infiniti and Volvo. In the South hall were Ford, Toyota, Honda, Ram, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Nissan, Mini, Volkswa- gen, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Scion, Subaru and Kia. Most manufacturers offer hybrids and electrics, but their bread and butter are the vehicles that run on fossil fuels and that can be natural gas as well as oil-based propulsion systems. Take the Ram ProMaster commercial CNG van. “It is the only CNG truck in North America,” bragged Fred Diaz, president and chief executive officer of Ram truck brand as he introduced the 2014 com- mercial vehicles at press days prior to the show’s opening. The manu- facturer assembles compressed natural gas pickup trucks, which are powered by a 5.7-liter V8 engine, at a plant in Saltillo, Mexico. The commercial vans, which have 750 dealers in the United States, are based on the Fiat Ducato small commercial van. Fiat and Ram are under the Chrysler Group um- brella. The 2014 Ram vans get power from a 3-liter gasoline, 280-horse- power Pentastar V6 or an optional 3-liter, four-cylinder 174-horsepower diesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Wheelbases measure 118, 136 and 159 inches. The Ram ProMaster van also will be built in Saltillo. Diaz said the cargo vans come in 13 trim levels and are front-wheel- drive. “We are the only ones who offer a full-size van with front-wheel- drive,” he said. See AUTO, page E7 Jerry Kuyper REVIEWS CHICAGO AUTO SHOW RECAP Photo provided A GMC Terrain was on display at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show.
Transcript
SECTION ETuesday, February 19, 2013 • Northwest Herald
Auto show promotes sales for area dealersCHICAGO – Facing the back wall
of McCormick Place North, a Fisker Karma Eco Sport is parked inside a roped-off area. It was the only Fisker product at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show.
With more than 1.1 million square feet of display area for the show inside the adjoining North and South halls of McCormick Place, the electric hybrid, one-speed transmis-sion Karma took up only the mea-surement of a large sedan. In this case, a sedan that is an inch wider than six feet and a length of 16 feet.
A visitor to the 105th edition of the auto show had to search for this Karma, which happened to be an Eco Sport model. It was in a corral sharing space with other pricey luxury vehicles. The priciest of those vehicles included a $347,315 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a $497,285 Rolls Phantom drophead coupe, a $227,125 Bentley Continental convertible, a $325,000 Aston Martin DBRS9, a $150,745 Maserati Gran Turismo and a $237,324 Ferrari California 30.
Most of those exotic luxury toys behind the ropes of the corral faced the show floor. The Karma Eco Sport faced the wall and that may have been due to its price tag. Henrik Fisker, the executive chairman of Fisker Automotive was asking only $116,000 for it.
Fisker is fascinating for several reasons. First, Fisker co-founded a unique company. It is a company that produces an electric-hybrid car designed not for the mass market, but for the luxury class of buyers. Second, the company is in financial trouble. Its days may be numbered and the opportunity for the public to have seen a Fisker product may have ended with the closing of the auto show yesterday.
But there is the local dealer’s sales lot and Fisker has one to visit. The handful of North American dealers includes Fisker of North Shore in Northfield. The dealership serves a potential clientele from Chicago as well as North Shore sub-urbs such as Evanston, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Wilmette, Lake Forest and Glencoe.
Fisker dealerships are not the only ones looking for visitors. Dealers representing a more mass market clientele also would ap-
preciate a visit. These are the 400-plus members of the Chicago Automotive Trade Association, sponsors of the show. With the clos-ing of the auto show, where more than 1,000 vehicles were on display, the sponsors hope their $5 million investment this year paid off. The payoff comes in increased traffic at Chicago-area dealerships and the days ahead will tell.
“We get reports that after the show ends the dealers are so busy they cannot keep up with custom-ers coming into their dealerships,” CATA president David Sloan said. “The dealers see a substantial uptick in potential customers to their deal-erships and a big increase in sales.”
Prior to the public opening of the auto show, Fisker spoke to an audience of 500 at a Feb. 7 luncheon sponsored by the Economic Club of Chicago in the fourth floor Vista room of McCormick Place South. The ECC annually invites automo-tive industry leaders to speak before the show opens its public doors.
At the luncheon, Fisker did not once mention his company’s troubled finances. Instead, in a 30-minute talk and slide presenta-tion, he outlined the virtues of his company’s products, specifically the Karma.
The virtues are economy, envi-ronmental and social.
“There are a lot of people out there who are environmentally con-scious and who want a luxury car. We give them that,” he said. On that list of Karma buyers are actor and film producer Leo DiCaprio, who also is a Fisker investor, the Prince of Denmark, the Prince of the Neth-erlands, Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber and at least one oil sheik from Saudi Arabia. The Netherlands is a good market for Fisker as his vehicles are exempt from environ-mental or luxury taxes.
The lithium ion battery-hybrid plug-in Karma can go weeks or months powered by two electric motors driving the rear wheels. Al-though there is a 9.5-gallon fuel tank,
the four-cylinder gasoline engine does not drive the wheels. It is there to recharge the battery pack. In this it differs from the gasoline-electric Chevrolet Volt. The Volt’s gasoline engine kicks in automatically after a certain speed is reached to drive the front wheels. “The gasoline engine is not connected to any wheel in our vehicles,” Fisker said. “The Karma can go the first 40 or 50 miles before it has to be recharged and that is done by the gasoline engine, which acts as a generator. In fact, you might never have to plug (the Karma) in.”
Since there are no planetary gears, the 5,600-pound Karma Sport can accelerate from 0 to 125 miles per hour in a seamless 6.7 seconds.
Interior trim includes wood from California wildfires or ship disasters on Lake Michigan, recycled faux suede, and eco-friendly recylable upholstery. The entire roof is a solar panel, which can act as a source of electricity for the car.
On the exterior, Fisker’s designs differ from other luxury nameplates. He put three luxury models, includ-ing a Mercedes-Benz, on the video screen. All wore flat body panels with little side, hood or rear deck differentiation between the three. “They look alike. It is hard to tell them apart,” he said. Then he put a Karma on the screen. It wore flow-
ing indentations front to rear. “We gave it a sculptured look,” he said. “Our cars are different ... a new brand, a new design, a new technol-ogy.”
Fisker emphasized there was a place in the automotive world for a niche company such as his. When questioned, he refused to disclose how many vehicles his company had to sell annually to become economi-cally viable. He did say that China could become a big market. “In Shanghai, the motorcyles have gone from gasoline to electric,” Fisker noted. The change came almost overnight, he added. Cars might be next. To reduce reliance on oil-based gasoline or diesel, electric vehicles are a wise option for people and countries, he said.
Even so, most of the 1,000 vehicles on display at the Chicago show were of the gasoline or diesel variety.
Sharing floor space in the North wing were Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Hyundai as well as more expen-sive nameplates such as Cadillac, Lexus, Acura, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Infiniti and Volvo.
In the South hall were Ford, Toyota, Honda, Ram, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Nissan, Mini, Volkswa-gen, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Scion, Subaru and Kia.
Most manufacturers offer hybrids
and electrics, but their bread and butter are the vehicles that run on fossil fuels and that can be natural gas as well as oil-based propulsion systems. Take the Ram ProMaster commercial CNG van. “It is the only CNG truck in North America,” bragged Fred Diaz, president and chief executive officer of Ram truck brand as he introduced the 2014 com-mercial vehicles at press days prior to the show’s opening. The manu-facturer assembles compressed natural gas pickup trucks, which are powered by a 5.7-liter V8 engine, at a plant in Saltillo, Mexico.
The commercial vans, which have 750 dealers in the United States, are based on the Fiat Ducato small commercial van. Fiat and Ram are under the Chrysler Group um-brella. The 2014 Ram vans get power from a 3-liter gasoline, 280-horse-power Pentastar V6 or an optional 3-liter, four-cylinder 174-horsepower diesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Wheelbases measure 118, 136 and 159 inches. The Ram ProMaster van also will be built in Saltillo.
Diaz said the cargo vans come in 13 trim levels and are front-wheel-drive. “We are the only ones who offer a full-size van with front-wheel-drive,” he said.
See AUTO, page E7
JerryKuyper
REVIEWS
CHICAGO AuTO SHOw RECAP
Photo provided
A GMC Terrain was on display at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show.
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.comPage 2 • Tuesday, February 19, 2013
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The van has nine “best-in-class” citations from automo-tive analysts. The sliding side doors open wide enough for a front-end loader to place or take out cargo. The front driver and passenger seats can swivel from a dashboard control.
Representative vans were in the Ram display area at the auto show.
Vans were popular entities at the auto show with Ford and Nissan devoting a lot of square footage to their dis-play. At last year’s auto show, Nissan introduced a newly designed, 12-passenger full-size cargo van, the NV3500. This year the compact NV200 was the featured van. The NV200 is a cargo van designed for small business owners. With 122.7 cubic feet of stor-age space, it has sliding side doors, a 53-inch cargo height and panel doors. The load floor height is 19.5 inches. More than 40 countries have had this van available, but it is coming to the U.S. market. This 2013 model is being sold at a base price of $19,900 excluding delivery charge. It is designed to hold a cargo weight of up to 1,500 pounds.
Nissan Motorsports, also known as NISMO, brought revamped Nissan products to the show. A revised Juke and 370Z were on display. NISMO ups the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine horse-power from 188 to 197. There are style tweaks as well such as smoked headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels and pinstripes. Transmissions are manual or continuously variable. The 350-horsepower V6 engine in the 370Z does not change but there is more colorful trim inside and outside. NISMO joined other popular models, such as the Sentra and Al-tima, at the Nissan display.
Ford Motor Co. brought two of its brand-new models to the show, a 2014 Transit full-size van and a fullsize pickup truck called the Atlas. The Atlas will be the future look of the F-150. Ford not only had the Transit on display as a finished model, but also showcased a cutaway frame of the vehicle. Floor-to-ceiling height inside the van is either 72 inches or 81.5 inches. Height depends on model se-lection as there are various of-ferings of wheelbases, engines and cargo possibilities.
Also among the 75 vehicles in Ford’s display area were the new Transit Connect Wagon and redesigned Tran-sit Connect city van.
The show featured world and North American intro-ductions.
Five automakers had three tracks for testing vehicles. They were Toyota, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat and Jeep. Since Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat are part of the same company, they shared a track. Jeep also is a part of Chrysler Group but had its own track.
As in past years, Jeep’s track included driving at a 30-degree angle, riding over a field of boulders and climbing a steep 18-foot, 35-degree hill.
Jeep hires industry person-nel to drive the Wrangler, Compass, Patriot or Grand Cherokee through the course. Troy from Arizona was one
of the hired drivers who was interviewed while guiding a Wrangler over the course. “I’ve been doing this for years and it always is fun. It never gets old,” he said. Prior to helping out in Chicago, Troy was at the Philadelphia show in January. “It was the first time Jeep had set up the track for Philadelphia,” he said. “The show patrons really loved it.”
This is the ninth time a Camp Jeep track has been featured at the Chicago show. Toyota’s track tested the agil-ity of its vehicles.
Missing this year was the Ram track. At the 2012 show, patrons could ride along with a driver over a course that showed off the positive char-acteristics of the pickup truck. If the Ram track was missing, Chrysler Group had another track for show patrons. It was the city track. Less challeng-ing than Jeep’s track, it was designed for the Chrysler 200 and 300 and Town & Country, Dodge Charger, Challenger and Dart and the Fiat 500 Abarth and Sport. Show visitors chose the vehicle of choice and went for a ride.
People at the show also had the opportunity to see numer-ous accessories and auto-related exhibits, competition vehicles and project, antique and collector cars. Special appearances and events take place every day.
Unofficial estimates put total attendance at more than one million for the 10 days of the show. There will be an-other show, barring the end of the world, in 2014. Fisker may or may not make an appear-ance, either facing a farthest wall or not. It depends on solvency issues being solved.
If participating in the 2014 show, Fisker can increase its display area to make room for are two other trim levels of the Karma that did not make it to this year’s event. They are the $102,000 Eco Standard and an Eco Chic with a start-ing price of $115,000.
There are other Fisker products in the pipeline. Pro-duction on a less expensive ($55,000 estimate) Atlantic model has been shelved pend-ing public or private financ-ing or a combination of both. Two other models, a Surf and Sunset, remain on the draw-ing boards.
Fisker Automotive is in financial difficulties. The remaining half of a $529 million federal loan from the Dept. of Energy has been withheld. The company that provided Fisker batteries, A123 Systems of Waltham, Mass., declared bankruptcy in October. Although a Chinese company bought the bank-rupt provider of electronic components, the purchase is being examined by congress for security reasons. Without batteries and cash, Fisker Automotive’s future remains problematic, according to automotive industry sources.
For future show informa-tion, visit www.chicagoauto-show.com or call 630-495-2282.
If you missed the Chicago show, one is coming up near-by. Following on the heels of the CAS is the Feb. 23-March 3 Greater Milwaukee Auto Show at the downtown Delta Center. Daily hours and ticket prices vary.
For information, call 414-908-6000.
Photo provided
Ford’s display at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show included a cutaway to show the frame work of a newly introduced Transit cargo van.
• AUTOContinued from page E1
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.comPage 8 • Tuesday, February 19, 2013
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