Accelerate Mpls

2011 Audi A8

The Minneapolis Auto Show has finally arrived.  I must admit that I look forward to the show every year.  The show is not large compared to others and, in reality, many concept cars go to the larger shows and skip us.  The reason I like our show is it is local and I am on my own time.  I can go with my friends with no scheduled agenda.  The big shows like Chicago and Detroit are a lot of fun but this is just different having a show near home.

The show was busier then I expected.  I talked to quite a few people that noted how the attendance numbers were up from last year already on the second day of the show.  The economy is in a slightly better place and car sales are starting to pick up and the attendance at the show is reflecting it. I am guessing that Ford was a major sponsor this year as many new Taurus’s were strewn about outside of the entrances.  I overheard several consumers commenting on how they liked the look of the new Taurus and most didn’t even know what it was.

Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Concept

Some of the highlights included the special edition Synergy Green Camaro and the Silverado ZR2 Concept truck from Chevrolet.  Though many General Motors concept cars were missing, I was surprised to see the Cadillac Converj concept at the Cadillac Stand.  Ford had the new 2011 Edge along with the new 2011 Fiesta Sedan.  The updated 2011 Shelby GT500 Mustang was on the show floor with the hood open and, although the doors were locked, it was what was under the hood that was important.  Audi had the mighty R8 5.2 in a copper brown color with carbon fiber side blades.

2010 Audi R8 5.2

Some things I noted about the show: BMW, Porsche Infiniti were all absent.  While a few talked about Porsche, I’m not sure anyone noticed Infiniti was gone and the largest complaint of the show that I heard was “Where’s BMW?”  I spoke with one of the local BMW dealerships and they said that their research indicates that they do not sell enough cars by being at the auto show to warrant the expense. This absence just gave the competition such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz a chance to have BMW owners sit in their cars.  Another anomaly was Nissan.  They found it important to have the GT-R with a base price of $80,790 but not to have a 370Z, which starts at $29,990.  I was told that the reason was, “That is what they sent us…”.  Not a terribly good answer in my opinion.

Ross Testing the Man Step

I personally think many manufactures should take notes more from Ford.  They have been building terrific booths at the shows lately.  They engage the consumers and have a lot to look at, and I am not just talking product.  There are interactive games such as foosball and driving simulators not to mention the computers filled with information.

Overall the show was better then last year.  With more manufacturers in attendance and consumer attendance up, the atmosphere was a bit more upbeat.  The Minneapolis Auto Show’s tag line is “Your License to Dream” and I believe that is exactly what this show did for many consumers this year and with the products coming in the next year, I am sure next year will be even better for consumers.

Lexus finally took the wraps off the new LF-A super car this week at the Tokyo Motor show.  This car has been in development since approximately 2000 and the amount of man hours put into this project is staggering.  Most of the leaks, when it comes to specifications, were spot on if not close.  The car will be rear wheel drive with an all in house developed V10 engine sitting up front.  That V10 is a 4.8- Liters making 562 hp and 354 lb-ft will rocket the car 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.  Lexus says the top speed is 202 mph which is super car territory and tops that of many competitors.  Weighing in at 3,263 lbs, it is rumored that weight distribution is 48/52 front-to-rear which would explain why Lexus is boasting about the driving dynamics.  Another tidbit of awesomeness on this cake is the redline is a staggering 9000 rpm!  That helps explain the F1 sound coming from the LF-A flying around the Nurburgring all these years.  The inside is luxurious for a sports car and it has a trick gauge cluster.  The whole speedometer is digital.  When you hit redline the whole background turns red.

Last night on #carchat we had a open discussion about this car and it seems many people do not like it.  Keep in mind we are not the customer Lexus is going after with this vehicle.  Most of us are not rich and could not afford the $375,000 price tag associated with ownership.  The majority said it was ugly and that for the money they would rather buy other cars.  Many mentioned cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette Zr1 or the Nissan GT-R for the price and performance.  Fact is those aren’t exclusive cars when compared to this car, though they are both halo cars for each brand and in that regard they are similar to the LF-A.  I was definitely in the minority and thought it was a good looking car and truly love the sound of the V10 at full tilt from the videos leaked.  I feel the LF-A is definitely not a screaming value then again with only 500 units being made this will be a exclusive car.  The fact remains that while the price puts this car deep in super territory where the elite compete such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and others, what separates this car from those.  The separation comes with what Toyota/Lexus does best, reliability.  Super cars are not known for being super reliable.  This could be a new way to compete.  Without question Lexus/Toyota will be taking a loss on each car after all the years of development.  Then again can you put a price on a halo car that truly puts your brand in the spotlight with a super car even for a moment?  Lexus has not had a sports car nor a halo car to speak of.  Toyota just announced recently they want to be building fun cars again that stir the soul of the driver.  While that is not what they are currently known for this car might put a pulse to that statement.

Check this video by Lexus/Toyota listen to that engine.

Lexus has been teasing us with the LF-A concept for years in the auto show circuit. One year it was even a convertible version. It is finally time for the car to come to fruition. On October 21 Lexus will announce details on the production intent LF-A. Rurmors say that the production name end up as the LF-L though LF-A could still stick. Recently the car has been sighted testing on the Nurburgring in what is believed to be final production trim. The cars in the below pictures are barely wearing camouflage. Many rumors have been pegged the price anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000. This will be the first super car from Lexus and the competition is stiff. Sitting in the class with Lamborghini’s, Ferrari’s, Aston Martin’s, among others, means this car better deliver especially after this much time in development. Other rumors have mentioned the chassis which might be made of carbon fiber which would keep the weight hopefully under 3,500 pounds. It has been recently confirmed that it will be powered by a all new in house developed V10 pushing around 550 hp to the rear wheels. The transmission will probably be similar to the one in Nissan’s GT-R, a dual clutch automatic. The benefit of such a transmission is it can shift faster than a human could. That said it takes out some of the engagement of driving a sports car in this writers opinion. Recently a video was taken of the car leaving a gas station in Germany outside the Nurburgring. When the driver pulled out of the gas station he wasted no time in dipping into the the power and taking off. The crackle of the V10 is seriously reminiscent of a F1 car. See the video below. More details to come after the 21st until then I leave you with this video crank up your speakers because this is the first you’ll truly hear the crackle of Toyota/Lexus’s first super car V10!