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4B MONDAY, JAN. 14, 2008 DETROIT FREE PRESS | WWW.FREEP.COM2008 DETROIT AUTO SHOW

Ford Motor Co. ExecutiveChairman Bill Ford said thatFord is on track to reach profit-ability in 2009 despite hiccupsin the economy.

“That’s still our goal,” he toldreporters after the unveiling ofthe new Ford F-150 Sunday.

He said that while the econo-my is a concern, the automakeris in much better position toweather economic ups anddowns. He credited CEO AlanMulally for his leadership andfor bringing costs under con-trol.

Along with the F-150, Fordalso unveiled its new small-carconcept and a concept for thefuture of the Explorer fran-chise.

A sporty new subcompactcar, suspended in air with ca-bles, slowly descended throughacrowd of smoke onto the stageat Cobo Arena.

After the rouge-red car land-

ed, Ford executive Jim Farleyunveiled the Verve conceptwith a simple message: “Verveis our future.”

After 10 years without a sub-compact model below its Focusmodel, Ford is getting ready tobring its hot, sporty small carsto the United States, after hav-ing success with them in Eu-rope for years.

The new small car won’t hitshowrooms until 2010.

Ford also showed a hatch-back version. Hatchbacks havebeen popular in Europe, but

less so in the United States. SoFarley encouraged customersto give Ford their thoughts onthe new hatchback. The vehiclewould be sold in the UnitedStates if Ford receives the rightcustomer response.

Ford is relying on cars likethe Verve to help differentiateits truck-dependent lineup inthe future. Last year, Ford’ssales in the United States fell12% compared to 2006.

Another part of that changeis a unibody version of the Ex-plorer SUV.

Ford unveiled the roundedand contemporary-looking Ex-plorer America concept, whichshowcases the engineering ad-vances Ford will use to boostthe fuel economy of future vehi-cles.

From lightweight body con-struction to turbocharged di-rect-injection engines, the Ex-plorer America relies on avail-able technologies instead of thefuturistic drivetrains manyconcept vehicles claim to use.

Combining direct gasolineinjection and turbochargingproduces a 2.0-liter four-cylin-der that produces 275 horse-power and a 3.5-liter V6 gener-ating 340 horsepower. A car-like unibody chassis, six-speedautomatic transmission, light-weight materials and energy-efficient accessories like elec-tric power steering would boostfuel economy 25% to 35% versusthe current Explorer.

Contact SARAH A. WEBSTER atswebster@freepress.com.

Photos by WILLIAM ARCHIE/Detroit Free Press

Ford executive Jim Farley introduces the new Ford Verve Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday.“Verve is our future,” said Farley, Ford’s group vice president of marketing and communications.

VERVE JOINS THE LINEUP

Down the road, Fordsees profits in 2009

By SARAH A. WEBSTER

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERFord has hadsuccess with itshot, sportysmall cars foryears in Europe.The Verve won’thit U.S. show-rooms until2010.

Honda will launch a roomier,boxier version of its Pilot SUVthis spring, showing the proto-type of the 2009 model Sundayin Detroit at the North Ameri-can International Auto Show.

“The Pilot’s pioneering for-mula improves for 2009 by en-hancing its combination of re-finement and efficiency witheven more traditional SUVstrengths,” said John Mendel,executive vice president ofAmerican Honda. “A powerfulexterior design communicatesstrength and allows for morespace inside.”

Honda said the third row ofthe redesigned Pilot will haveenough knee room for an“above-average-sized” adultmale. It will offer a V6 enginewith a new generation of tech-nology called “variable cylindermanagement,” which can cut

back to 4- or 3-cylinder modesfor improved fuel efficiency.

The Pilot, made at Honda’sLincoln, Ala., plant, peaked in2006 with sales of 152,154 vehi-cles before falling 23% in 2007to 117,146.

The midsize SUV segment,where the Pilot competes, hasbeen declining, but Mendel pre-dicted growth for the Pilot.Some customers still want theroom, higher seating and tow-ing ability these SUVs provide,he said.

“We see a fair number ofcustomers who either demandor require that capability,”Mendel said.

Honda also showed off theCR-Z, a gas-electric sports carhybrid concept that made itsNorth American debut.

Honda plans to offer theFCX Clarity, a fuel-cell vehicle,to a limited number of custom-ers this summer for three-yearleases at $600 per month.

HONDA

Pilot growsroomier, yetsaves on gas

Photos by KATHLEEN GALLIGAN/Detroit Free Press

A prototype 2009 Honda Pilot was introduced at the auto show Sunday.The version available this spring will be made in Alabama.

Honda says the Pilot’s third-row seating will have enough knee room foran “above-average-sized” adult male.

By JOE GUY COLLIER

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

dai Vice President John Kraf-cik, was benchmarked againstthe Mercedes E-Class and Lex-us GS by its engineers, but willbe priced significantly lower, inthe range of the Chrysler 300 orPontiac G8.

“It’s difficult to see a singledriving theme at this show,”Krafcik said Sunday, notingthat much of Toyota MotorCorp.’s exhibit touts its greeninitiatives, but also includes a“big hulking Sequoia,” an SUVwith a 5.7-liter, 32-valve V8 en-gine.

Ford Motor Co., whilespending its pyrotechnics bud-get on the unveiling of the 2009F-150, also teased an arena fullof automotive journalists Sun-day with the snappy Verve con-cept, a forerunner of a smaller-than-Focus small car that willprobably arrive in the UnitedStates in 2010.

New Ford marketing chiefJim Farley also talked upFord’s new Eco-boost system ofdirection-injection and turbo-charging that will give a rangeof Ford powertrains a fueleconomy boost.

Another example of the oddconfluence of big and brawny

with clean and green was Gen-eral Motors Corp.’s HummerHX concept, a smaller, cuter,lighter, more efficient versionof the huge Hummers of yester-year.

“You know we’ve come fullcircle when we’re showing aHummer with a V6 that runs onbiofuel,” said Mark LaNeve,GM’s vice president of NorthAmerican sales, service andmarketing.

GM will offer a hybrid gaso-line-electric engine in its ChevySilverado later this year, with a4.5-liter diesel engine to followin 2009.

And Chrysler LLC Co-Presi-dent Jim Press, after unveilingthe new Dodge Ram as a herd ofcattle milled about outside Co-bo Center, said a Cummins tur-bo-diesel, which would repre-sent up to a 25% improvementin fuel efficiency, is coming forthe new truck.

“We don’t have to maketrucks small” to be environ-mentally responsible, Presssaid.

Contact TOM WALSH at 313-223-4430 or twalsh@freepress.com. Busi-ness writer Sarah A. Webster con-tributed to reporting for this column.

WALSH � Color this carshow green and brawn

From Page 1B

So, two of the most impor-tant vehicles revealed at theDetroit auto show Sunday —the 2009 Ford F-150 andDodge Ram — are full-sizedpickup trucks that, relativelyspeaking, consume a lot ofgas.

That doesn’t mean that thegreen movement underfoot inAmerica’s auto industry is allbunk, or even a contradiction.At every turn, automakers aretrying to push their environ-mentally friendly agenda,even when it comes to heavyhalf-ton trucks that tow fifth-wheels and trailers.

In fact, the race is on whenit comes to turning America’smost favorite pickup trucksgreen, said Michael Omotoso,senior manager for global po-wertrain at J.D. Power andAssociates. “Whoever is firstwill have the advantage,” hesaid.

General Motors will offer ahybrid gasoline-electric en-gine in its Chevy Silverado lat-er this year, with a 4.5-literdiesel engine to follow in 2009.

Mark Fields, Ford’s presi-dent of the Americas, saidFord hopes to get its diesel tomarket on the F-150 “as soonas possible.”

Omotoso said that Fordwill eventually offer a 4.4-literV8 diesel for its light-dutypickups in 2010. And ChryslerPresident Jim Press said aCummins turbo-diesel, whichwould represent up to a 25%improvement in fuel efficien-cy, is coming for the newDodge Ram.

“We don’t have to maketrucks small” to be environ-mentally responsible, Presssaid.

The automaker also plansto offer a hybrid Hemi enginein 2010, Press said.

Michael Levine, editor ofPickupTrucks.com, told theFree Press that customers arehungry for a diesel in the light-duty pickup segment.

Both he and Omotoso sug-gested diesel will eventuallybe the preferred fuel-efficien-cy route for pickups, eventhough hybrid pickups couldrepresent substantial effi-

ciencies. That’s because die-sels are known for providing alot of torque, which assists intowing, and as much as 30%improvement in fuel economy.

“Whoever brings that die-sel to market first on the half-ton is going to have a linearound the door,” Levine said.

Omotoso, though, notedthat these technologies comewith a premium, usually rang-ing from $5,000-$6,000, andit wasn’t yet clear how muchpickup customers are willingto pay to save money in thelong-term — even with gasprices hovering over $3 a gal-lon.

“It remains to be seen whatkind of premium the manufac-turers can charge in the light-duty segment.”

He said automakers willhave to “convince customersthe payback period won’t betoo long.” Before the dieselsget to market, some automak-ers are trying incrementaltechnologies to improve fueleconomy.

Ford, for example, will of-fer a six-speed transmissionon its trucks, as well as Eco-Boost, a new technology thatcombines gasoline injectionand turbocharging.

That will give Ford enginesmore power with less fuel.

Toyota’s A-BAT conceptpickup, which is short for “Ad-vanced Breakthrough AeroTruck,” features a four-cylin-der, gasoline-electric hybridsystem in a much smallermodel.

The funky, trapezoidal-shaped vehicle seems to be ameaningful demonstration inguilt-free trucking, at a timewhen even the nation’s largesttrucks are contemplating howto go green.

Autoweek has labeled theA-BAT a “Prius pickup.”

Given the 2020 CAFE stan-dards, Omotoso said, custom-ers should expect automakersto pay more attention than ev-er to the efficiency of theirleast-efficient vehicles, espe-cially high-selling pickups.“They just haven’t felt theneed up until now.”

Contact SARAH A. WEBSTERat 313-222-5394 or swebster@freepress.com.

NEAR FUTURE FOR PICKUPS

Diesel playslarge rolein truckefficiency

BY SARAH A. WEBSTER

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Jack Hollis, vice president ofScion for Toyota Motor SalesUSA, said he expects U.S. salesfor the Scion brand in 2008 to bein the range of 130,000 to 140,000vehicles, the same or slightlyhigher than last year.

The measure of Scion’s suc-cess, though, remains its abilityto attract young buyers, Hollis

said Sunday in an auto show in-terview with the Free Press. Toy-ota finds that 58% of Scion buy-ers are younger than 35.

“Our goal has always beenfrom day one … to bring in thisnew mindset, people who havenever shopped Toyota, and keepthem in the family,” Hollis said.

Scion, first brought to theUnited States in 2003, began itssecond generation last year. Itlaunched a redesigned xB, a boxy

hatchback that looks a bit like atoaster on wheels. It also intro-duced the all-new xD, a compacthatchback, to replace the outgo-ing xA.

Scion sales dropped 24.8% in2007 to 130,181 vehicles as themodels reached the end of theirlife cycle. But the redesigned xBhas quickly risen, up 13.7% in De-cember compared to the previ-ous version.

Scion does not have a new or

redesigned model for 2008, butspecial edition versions of the xB,tC and xD are planned, Hollissaid. Each will be released in vol-umes of 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles.The special edition xB, the GoldRush Mica, is on display at theDetroit show.

Scion is studying whether toadd a compact truck to its line,Hollis said, though a truck wouldgo against the original intentionsfor Scion.

Scion is ready to rebound with young buyersBy JOE GUY COLLIER

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER