(Published Thursday, February 8, 2007 10:49:17 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Mike DuPre' Gazette staff
CHICAGO-The sport-utility vehicle is in eclipse, and the eclipse is full for full-size sport-brutes if the products being touted by automakers are any indication.
Car shows such as the Chicago Auto Show regularly highlight the future with concept vehicles. But what automakers introduce as models for sale now or in the near term often lag behind the buying public's sentiment.
For years the Chicago Auto Show-which starts its 99th annual run Friday-showcased full-size SUVs, and for years the theme was the bigger, the better.
Automakers are not abandoning big sport-utility models. General Motors still depends on them for a big share of its pr ofits, and Janesville depends on them for a large share of its jobs.
Dodge shows off its revamped 2008 Dakota, one of the few full-size trucks at this year's Chicago Auto Show.
Associated Press
But the emphasis on the first day of the Chicago show's media preview showed the shift in automaker and consumer focus. Full-size SUVs were mentioned only in passing, if at all, or when a pesky reporter brought them up.
Dodge showed off a freshened mid-size Dakota pickup and two full-blown commercial trucks, but all the other model introductions Wednesday were for cars or crossovers.
Toyota unveiled its redesigned Highlander, an upscale mid-size sport-utility, but the SUV looked much more like a station wagon, a la the Chrysler Pacifica and Cadillac SRX, than a truck-based SUV.
And GMC, which was the one GM division that once sold nothing but trucks, is highlighting the crossover Acadia in its display on the show floor.
Toyota unveils the 2008 Highlander at the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday. The Highlander looks more like a station wagon, a la the Chrysler Pacifica, than a truck-based SUV.
Associated Press
In the continuing irony that is the automotive industry, a typical crossover such as Acadia looks like an SUV but has unibody construction like a car and is front-wheel drive when it is not all-wheel drive.
Mark Fields, Ford Motor Co.'s president for the Americas, observed that automakers relied on baby boomers to buy SUVs and minivans as they raised their families, but now the boomers' nests are emptying, and the parents are switching to crossovers.
Toyota thinks they also want carlike styling to go with carlike ride, handling and fuel economy but still retaining four-wheel drive and versatile cargo hauling. The new Highlander is bigger and more powerful than its predecessor but looks more refined than rugged.
Highlander is built on the same platform as Toyota Camry and Avalon.
"On the outside, Highlander moves away from the traditional styling cues of tough and rugged to a look and feel that is intelligent and advanced," said Don Esmond, Toyota's senior vice president of automotive operations.
"I think people want both the utility of a mid-size SUV but also driving sophistication," Esmond said. "In our product line, we can give you choices. If you want beefier, more rugged vehicles, we have 4Runner, Land Cruiser and Sequoia."
That also is the aim of GM with its new crossovers, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Outlook, all built off the same unibody platform that is exclusive to the midsize crossovers.
Acadia has at least one leg up on Highlander: When you sit in the Acadia's third seat, your legs are down in a normal seating position rather than jammed into your chest as they are in Highlander.
Acadia continues to look like an SUV, but its level of refinement and standard content is high.
A power lift gate, leather seats, stability control, antilock brakes and side and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on the SLT-2 model, which starts at $38,055, including delivery.
A double sunroof is available as an option.
GM also is bragging about the new crossovers' fuel efficiency. The three GM cousins share a 275-horsepower, 24-valve V6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, but Acadia is rated at 17 miles per gallon city and 24 mpg highway with all-wheel drive and 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway with front drive.
If you go What: 2007 Chicago Auto Show, the 99th edition of the annual automotive exposition.
Where: 23nd Street and Lake Shore Drive.
When: Friday through Sunday, Feb. 18. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily through Saturday, Feb 17. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18.
Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 7 to 12 and adults older than 62, and free for children younger than 6 when accompanied by a paying adult. Tuesday is Women's Day at the auto show, and admission for women is half price. Automakers will present special programs dealing with women and vehicles.
