Amid crisis, automakers look green in L.A.

Dan Carney • E-mail

The show, as they say in the Los Angeles entertainment industry, must go on. In the case of this year’s Los Angeles auto show, that means carmakers are touting their latest wares during a global economic crisis that threatens the very existence of the domestic auto industry.

Even ignoring the dour times, the Los Angeles auto show is traditionally more restrained than most, concentrating on the Birkenstock end of the product line rather than the Manolo Blahniks that take center stage at other shows.

That means a proliferation of practical, comfortable models designed to tread lightly on Mother Earth. They do this using an array of drive technologies including battery electric, fuel-cell electric, gasoline-hybrid electric, natural gas hybrid electric and a bevy of fuel-saving advancements for plain old gasoline internal combustion engine-powered machines.

Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan and Renault, addressed the industry’s environmental challenge in his keynote speech at the show’s opening.

“The World Wildlife Fund has pointed out that if China catches up to U.S. standards of consumption, it will require two planets to sustain our livelihood for the long run,” he observed.

Supplemental planets are in short supply, of course, and so in the interest of conserving resources on our solitary planet, Nissan rolled out the U.S. version if its Cube subcompact at the show.

An example of truth in advertising, the blocky Cube resembles the popular Scion xB, though Nissan’s original 1998 Japanese market box-on-wheels substantially predated the Scion. The cubist Cube is Picasso-esque in its styling, which has a different profile on the right side than the left. And as the Scion has done, Nissan hopes buyers will see the Cube as a blank canvas for their self-expression.

“In some ways the Cube is like the big cardboard boxes you used to play with as a kid,” explained Al Castignetti, vice president of sales for Nissan North America. “They could be clubhouses, race cars, forts, whatever your mood and imagination wanted at the time.”

No doubt some industry executives would like to climb inside and imagine they live in a market where consumers are still buying cars.

Mazda also used the Los Angeles show to introduce a new small car, the replacement for its popular Mazda3. The outgoing car continues to beat the likes of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla in comparison tests, but the new model promises to top it in every area. Mazda touts the upcoming car’s reduced aerodynamic drag, more advanced engines and a raft of luxury features as advancements over the current model.

Many other manufacturers showed new models and concepts that feature electric drivetrains. Ghosn explained Nissan’s measured pace in introducing electric models while other manufacturers are charging forward. 

“Do we think consumers will rush to buy an electric car as soon as it is available?” he asked. “No, probably not.”

There will be early adopters, of course, but mainstream customers are unprepared to pay for the high costs of developing and manufacturing such models, Ghosn said. But in time, as production volumes build, costs will fall, making them more practical for consumers. Scale will be a key factor in determining the success of green cars in the future, he noted.

Honda is chasing some of that scale with the U.S. debut of the Insight hybrid, which the company expects to sell in annual volumes of 100,000 units for a price starting at an accessible $20,000.

To help Insight drivers travel every mile possible for each gallon of gas, Honda introduced the Ecological Drive Assist System, “Eco Assist” for short. Eco Assist is a dashboard display that coaches drivers on fuel-saving behavior and provides a score represented by green leaves.

The Insight is one of the most important cars on show in Los Angles — it’s a reworked version of Honda’s original gas-electric hybrid that will be a direct competitor to Toyota’s highly popular Prius.

Detroit’s lone representative at the show, Ford Motor Co. no doubt winced at the sight of Honda’s Insight Eco Assist because they introduced a very similar system, called EcoGuide, on its new Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrid models. Ford’s midsized hybrid sedans lead the market in their ability to drive on electric-only power, which they can use at speeds up to 47 miles per hour. 

Most hybrids switch on their gas engines at 25 mph. The Fusion and Milan also enjoyed a substantial mid-life refresh, with updated exterior styling, improved handling, and replacement of their dismal shiny plastic cabin appointments with much nicer materials.

The company also boosted the efficiency of the conventional gas-powered Fusion and Milan models through measures such as use of electric power steering and automatic fuel shutoff when coasting.

Bringing something new to the market will help bolster Ford’s credibility among green consumers, according to Joe Phillippi, president of AutoTrends Consulting.

“It was a good move because they were a bit late with a hybrid car,” he said. “The fact that you can tootle around town largely on battery power until you hit some hills, when you’ve got that capability, that’s going to be very attractive to customers.”

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