Atlanta's auto show

By Karl W. Ritzler

From a little bit of Soul to a Cadillac station wagon, the 2009 Atlanta Journal-Constitution International Auto Show has a sprinkling of new vehicles that tend to be smaller, more efficient and utilitarian.
Perhaps it’s an answer to the hard times the auto industry – and the entire country – are facing. But Detroit – and Stuttgart, Tokyo and Seoul – are showing 2010 models and concept cars that are greener and more useful than many of the gee-whiz, techo-packed, horsepower-breathing vehicles of the past.
Here are some highlights from the show, which is sponsored by the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association:

Kia
Georgia’s newest car company – Kia is building its first assembly plant near West Point – is showing off the 2010 Soul, which is arriving now in dealerships.
“It’s all about personalization,” said Michael Sprague, director of marketing in the United States.
That’s the same tune that Scion played in introducing the xB several years ago, and the Kia Soul is one of many new vehicles joining the chorus.
It has the same two-box shape and a long list of options as Kia’s answer not only to Scion but also the Honda Element and the Mini Cooper.
As for the new car factory, Sprague said production is expected to start near the end of this year and hit a total of 300,000 vehicles a year at peak capacity. But what they will build is still hush-hush.
It might be an all-new crossover utility vehicle called the Sorento overseas, but which will likely get a different name here because Sorento is already taken. It also could be Kia’s new compact sedan, the Forte, or even the Soul. Most likely is the new CUV.

Ford
Ford will continue to redo its lineup in 2010 and into the future, said John Felice, marketing manager for Ford.
At the top of the list in the company’s redesigned flagship, the Taurus full-size sedan (see story below). Added to the Taurus stable is an all new, top-of-the-line SHO version designed especially for the driving enthusiast.
Also on the calendar are the new Lincoln MKX crossover; the redone Ford F-150 pickup truck, still a top-seller despite the economy; two new hybrid versions of popular models, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan mid-size sedans; and a redesigned 2010 Ford Mustang.
The Taurus SHO -- for Super High-Output – gets a 3.5-liter twin turbocharged V-6 Eco-boost engine. A 3.7-liter Eco-boost powerplant will be available in the all-new Lincoln MKT crossover.
But the future looks smaller. Lincoln is showing the C concept, a global small car platform that looks like it would fit inside some of those big ol’ Lincolns from the ‘50s.
The concept even showed “suicide” back doors among the more high-tech gadgetry and sleek seats that look like they belong on the deck of a beach house.
It is equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder Eco-boost engine that is designed to deliver 180 hp and 43 mpg.

Cadillac
It’s the return of the station wagon.
The 2010 Cadillac CTS is being shown in wagon form – Cadillac officials still won’t use the term “station wagon,” but they will say “sport wagon.”
The company squared off rear end of the CTS sedan, creating 25 cubic feet of cargo space, double the sedan’s trunk space, behind the back seat. And it’s powered by a more fuel-efficient 3.6-liter V-6 with direct injection. The price premium is about $1,500.

Honda
The Insight is back.
Fortunately, it’s not the odd-looking, two-passenger hybrid that was among the first alternative-fueled vehicles on the road.
The new Insight looks suspiciously Prius-like, has four doors and the proportions of a real car while still getting 40/43 mpg. Prices are expected to start around $19,000 and peak out around $21,000 in three trim levels.
Unlike the Prius, though, Honda has front-loaded most of the batteries to increase the trunk space.

Infiniti
Infiniti is showing off a beauty – the G37 convertible.
The drop-top version of its splendid G37 coupe has all the power in the 325-hp V-6, and it is redesigned from the A-pillar back to add rigidity without messing up the stylish lines found in the coupe. A clamshell trunk stores the top more compactly, leaving a bit more room for cargo.
Infiniti hasn’t forgotten the amenities, adapting both the audio and climate control systems for a convertible.
Speakers are placed in the front-seat headrests, and microphones in the speakers listen for road noise, then adjust the sound. It’s more like surround sound than earphones, an Infiniti spokesman said.
The climate-control system also senses the wind, car speed and temperature and adjust both heat and air conditioning to maintain the right mix of temperature and fan speed.
It will launch in June, and estimated pricing is in the mid-$40,000s.

Nissan
Nissan joins the Scion copiers with its Cube.
One display at the auto show was the top-of-the-line Krom (like chrome, but not too sparkly) Cube.
The swing-open tailgate is an added twist to the asymmetrical rear window. The vehicle has been available in Japan since 1998, but is just coming to America.
The Krom, said a spokesman, is the wild side trim level. It’s aimed at the young, aftermarket-hungry buyer. It will be priced at $19,000 and up, while the base Cube will start at $13,000. They will be available in May.

Read Karl’s auto show overview story and a profile of MAADA Academy graduate Arvind Sarathy in the official auto show guide.