[bluestinger66]

As an actual car fanatic, I had a very enjoyable day viewing the lastest the industry has to offer us, whether I am in the targeted demographic or not.
I arrived early on Wednesday to pick up my generously provided CarFanatics credentials then proceeded to stand in a thousand foot long line waiting to enter the breakfast.
Awards from AC Neilsen and JD Power were presented in a typical awards show fashion. Neilsen Co,. with the help of one of the hamsters from the KIA ads, awarded Lexus with best recurring ad, Acura recieved best luxury ad, Toyota was presented with best Spanish language ad, and Chevy with Ad of the Year for the spot titled "Salute".
Next. JD Power presented their new "Most Improved Overall Quality" award on which they spent entirely too much time presenting a powerpoint with poorly designed graphics and too many pages detailing how they determined the winners. Essentially they took their five main survey results over the past three years, combined the scores, then eliminated any brand not above the average mark, then chose a mainstream and luxury class winner. The Mainstream Award went to MINI, while the Luxury Award was presented to Cadillac.
Afterwards was a speech from the president of the Greater NY Auto Dealers Association which actually presents the NYIAS. He spoke about regional economic impact and employment numbers and the recent growth of the industry in general. Interesting at the time, but nothing I care to remember in detail.
Carlos Ghosn was next, talking about his experience turning Nissan around and the future of the Renault-Nissan alliance. Interestingly, the alliance sold a combined 8+ million cars worldwide, a fact I didnt realize.
Did you know that Carlos Ghosn is the star of a Japanese comic book about his work at Nissan?
Me either...
It was a humorous moment when he disclosed that the comic outsold his non fiction book on the same topic by 3:1.
I exited the hall after the speech and during the final question of the Q&A ( I was far from the first person to leave).
Oh, the food was OK. More coffee and OJ would have been nice, though.

The Chevy Impala premiere was next on the agenda.
Oddly, GMs main display was away from everything else at the show past all the escalaters that led to the various levels and past where Jeep had their Ride Along track outside.
Outside the entrance was a Camaro with exxagerated hood trim that evokes the look of the early SS hood trim as well as a very exotic green pearl candy apple paint job that was so deep it looked like it went all the way back to Detroit... and a very lonely model.

I caught up with Rev and his friend Garry just inside the entrance to the GM area where the 130R and 140S were displayed.
I think we all agreed that the 130's driveline should go under the 140's bodywork.


As you walked down the steps to the GM area, the ATS was to your left, and the XTS to your right.
In person, the ATS does not have the MB feel that comes across in pictures. Thats a good thing because it has a great presence that is all Caddy. I'll revisit the XTS later




We made our way past the other GM brands on display to catch the Impala launch, but we were a bit late after checking out the ATS.
If you thought it was going to be great going on the press days to miss all the crowds, you would have been disapointed. At least with the press conferences, it might as well have been a public day. Garry got some shots over the throng of automotive press that surrounded the presentation, but thats because he brought a nice camera... on a steek.
Once the actual speeches were done we got a chance to look closer at the Impalas they had on display.
I can tell you this about the car, as an owner of a fully loaded version of the current generation, the difference in materials is dramatic. Where my car has soft touch textured plastics this one has much higher quality plastics and , I'm guessing, faux leathers. The black on silver trim doesnt pretend to be wood like Chevies of yore, though I dont doubt they offer something that does. The seats are at least a magnitude greater in quality of leather and support. They are also surprisingly firm in their cushoining compared to my car.










I looked closer at the XTS as we headed out towards the rest of the show areas


The materials here were considerably better than the new Impalas, and while the interior layout was similar to the Impala, the details and positioning were different as was the equipment.
The seats were just as supportive as the Impala, but also softer. The designs were more in line with the CTS and ATS.
The center stack and dash didnt look like prettier versions of a Chevy or Buick.
I wish I had gotten some shots of the interior, but we were heading towards the BMW area for that PC.

[jspookss]

:2thumbsup:

[Brown_Pride]

Will there be more photos to come?
I'd like to see the BMW and Mercedes-Benz exhibits please.

[bluestinger66]

Note the title BP, it is pt1... dont they teach reading comprehension on the west coast?
I didnt get any at the MB display, in fact when I did pass by it, I saw nothing of any interest that hasnt already been plastered all over the web. I would have liked to see the A class concept, but I didnt notice if it was there. Perhaps they shouldnt have been directly across from Lambo...
Also, I was bouncing around the place with the intent to catch what I missed on Thursday, but wednesday night I was stricken with a migraine headache that kept me up all night and I wasnt about to catch two buses and walk from the Port Authority terminal to the Javits Center feeling like that. My goal was to enjoy myself, not torture myself.
I got some shots of the BMW display though. I dont have time to post them until later tonight. My demographic has to work until 11PM today...

[jaybird]

I hope you got some great pics of the low quality plastic in the BMW 3-series

Also, nice write up! I agree with your comments about the ATS. Seeing it in person gives you a whole new feeling for the car.

[ALUX]

[MOPAR74]

:2thumbsup:


Good review, im glad everyone is starting to see and understand what I talked about with the ATS and XTS