Many people around the world are looking forward to the New Year, but none more so than those in Detroit's auto industry. In the current competitive environment, January gives carmakers a chance to reset their gauges and hope the upcoming 12 months are better than the previous 12. But there's also a big element of risk. Will the new models sell as well as the old? Which will be flops? What is the competition doing better?
The 2008-09 crop of new cars looks extremely promising. Among the most unusual new cars will be the Tesla Roadster, which, despite its race-car looks, is battery-powered, and the tiny Smart Fortwo, which looks like it should be battery-powered but isn't.
Several turbocharged models also have enthusiasts waiting impatiently this year, including the big and posh Bentley Brooklands and the pocket-rocket Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
What all these cars have in common is that they are just about guaranteed to be fun to drive, based on experience with their respective brands and how they stack up on paper. Some are 2008 models, some are 2009s, and some model years haven't been announced yet. Some new cars already have a firm price tag even though they're not on sale yet, but most won't until immediately before launch.
Muscle-Car RevivalMuscle-car revivals are an obvious trend this year, including all-new versions of the Chevrolet Camaro from General Motors, the Dodge Challenger from Chrysler, and the Ford Mustang Bullitt.
The Mustang is named for Bullitt, the 1968 movie best remembered for an extended car chase, in which Steve McQueen drove a green Mustang GT. The new Ford Mustang Bullitt has a similar color scheme to the movie car, including a menacing, blacked-out grille. It's the latest of several special-edition Mustangs. Ford Motor kicked off the current retro wave when it redesigned the Mustang in 2004.
The return of the HemiThe bad guys in the famous Bullitt chase scene drove a Dodge Charger. Dodge resurrected the Charger in 2005, but has not played up the Bullitt association, probably because in the movie, the bad guys and their Charger crash and burn.
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The 2008-09 crop of new cars looks extremely promising. Among the most unusual new cars will be the Tesla Roadster, which, despite its race-car looks, is battery-powered, and the tiny Smart Fortwo, which looks like it should be battery-powered but isn't.
Several turbocharged models also have enthusiasts waiting impatiently this year, including the big and posh Bentley Brooklands and the pocket-rocket Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
What all these cars have in common is that they are just about guaranteed to be fun to drive, based on experience with their respective brands and how they stack up on paper. Some are 2008 models, some are 2009s, and some model years haven't been announced yet. Some new cars already have a firm price tag even though they're not on sale yet, but most won't until immediately before launch.
Muscle-Car RevivalMuscle-car revivals are an obvious trend this year, including all-new versions of the Chevrolet Camaro from General Motors, the Dodge Challenger from Chrysler, and the Ford Mustang Bullitt.
The Mustang is named for Bullitt, the 1968 movie best remembered for an extended car chase, in which Steve McQueen drove a green Mustang GT. The new Ford Mustang Bullitt has a similar color scheme to the movie car, including a menacing, blacked-out grille. It's the latest of several special-edition Mustangs. Ford Motor kicked off the current retro wave when it redesigned the Mustang in 2004.
The return of the HemiThe bad guys in the famous Bullitt chase scene drove a Dodge Charger. Dodge resurrected the Charger in 2005, but has not played up the Bullitt association, probably because in the movie, the bad guys and their Charger crash and burn.
link
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