Something for everybody at New York auto show
By Verena Dobnik |
April 5, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TEENAGE car enthusiast Frank Vecchio stood in awe before a Rolls-Royce Ghost with a US$301,575 sticker price - admiring a detail he had seen only in a video game.
"Wow, it's even got a suicide door!" said the 15-year-old, referring to the rear-hinged car door of the 1930s gangster era.
If it flew open, it could catch air and blow away along with the driver - or it could be easily swung open to dispose of somebody, according to popular lore.
On Saturday, the New York International Auto Show offered everything from concessions to the recession, like the smallest car in the United States market, an US$11,900 Smart Fortwo, to the show's most expensive wheels, a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe costing a cool US$518,800.
The Phantom also comes with a safe, modern version of the suicide door, more politely called a coach door, and a personal concierge - available by phone to help with anything the owner needs, including travel plans and restaurant reservations.
About 100 Phantoms, taking several months each to handcraft individually in England, are now on US roads.
Nearby, a white Smart car off a French assembly line had letters painted on its door saying it comes with "half price parking in NYC."
And though crash tests show it meets US safety standards, Peter Greco says he wouldn't want his 20-something children to be driving the small two-seater car on an American highway.
"We're not there yet; we're not ready for this - as long as you have big cars like the Cadillac Escalade on the road," said Greco as he crawled out of the tiny vehicle. "It's not a good mix."
Despite the economy, there was plenty of pricey in-your-face flash and muscle at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
For US$115,000, a fully loaded Jaguar XJL Supersport is tricked out with an electronic button that boosts acceleration while automatically tightening the driver's seat belt. The base price of the XJL series is about US$80,000.
Hyundai touted a new twist on the four-wheel market: Apple's new iPad for a whopping US$50,000 - that is, with a 2011 Equus luxury sedan thrown in. The Equus doesn't come with an owner's manual. Instead, the instructions are displayed on the touch screen of the electronic tablet, which hit the nation's retail market on Saturday.
The thousands of visitors attending the show, which runs through Sunday, included everyone from families with small children climbing in and out of the multicolored, shiny machines to future buyers seriously eying 2010 models now on sale at dealers as well as 2011 cars not yet available.
Among next year's cars is the updated version of the Fiat 500 Sport, bringing back memories of Federico Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita" - meaning the sweet life - and seen in countless other Italian movies.
At the New York show, the iconic little Italian car sat under a sign that read: "It's time to reignite the American Dream."
"Wow, it's even got a suicide door!" said the 15-year-old, referring to the rear-hinged car door of the 1930s gangster era.
If it flew open, it could catch air and blow away along with the driver - or it could be easily swung open to dispose of somebody, according to popular lore.
On Saturday, the New York International Auto Show offered everything from concessions to the recession, like the smallest car in the United States market, an US$11,900 Smart Fortwo, to the show's most expensive wheels, a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe costing a cool US$518,800.
The Phantom also comes with a safe, modern version of the suicide door, more politely called a coach door, and a personal concierge - available by phone to help with anything the owner needs, including travel plans and restaurant reservations.
About 100 Phantoms, taking several months each to handcraft individually in England, are now on US roads.
Nearby, a white Smart car off a French assembly line had letters painted on its door saying it comes with "half price parking in NYC."
And though crash tests show it meets US safety standards, Peter Greco says he wouldn't want his 20-something children to be driving the small two-seater car on an American highway.
"We're not there yet; we're not ready for this - as long as you have big cars like the Cadillac Escalade on the road," said Greco as he crawled out of the tiny vehicle. "It's not a good mix."
Despite the economy, there was plenty of pricey in-your-face flash and muscle at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
For US$115,000, a fully loaded Jaguar XJL Supersport is tricked out with an electronic button that boosts acceleration while automatically tightening the driver's seat belt. The base price of the XJL series is about US$80,000.
Hyundai touted a new twist on the four-wheel market: Apple's new iPad for a whopping US$50,000 - that is, with a 2011 Equus luxury sedan thrown in. The Equus doesn't come with an owner's manual. Instead, the instructions are displayed on the touch screen of the electronic tablet, which hit the nation's retail market on Saturday.
The thousands of visitors attending the show, which runs through Sunday, included everyone from families with small children climbing in and out of the multicolored, shiny machines to future buyers seriously eying 2010 models now on sale at dealers as well as 2011 cars not yet available.
Among next year's cars is the updated version of the Fiat 500 Sport, bringing back memories of Federico Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita" - meaning the sweet life - and seen in countless other Italian movies.
At the New York show, the iconic little Italian car sat under a sign that read: "It's time to reignite the American Dream."
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