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DAY 1: BMW Enjoying
the inertia of another year of solid sales growth, BMW
enters 2007 on a positive note. Overall 2006 sales for the
German luxury maker rose three percent, with car sales
climbing more than nine percent. Contributing to the surge
in sales were the redesigned 3-Series sedans and coupes.
For 2007, a convertible version of the 3-Series should help
keep up the momentum. Not to be forgotten, BMW's
flagship 7-Series sedan gets some attention for 2007.
Introduced in Chicago, a line-topping Alpina edition joins
the roster as one of BMW's most exclusive offerings.
Click here
for more.
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2007 BMW
7-Series Alpina |
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DAY 1:
Chevrolet GM's Chevrolet division is
fighting back from its recent sales declines with a number
of high-profile concept cars and new product unveilings.
Following its news-making introductions of the production
2008 Malibu and Volt electric car concept at the 2007
Detroit Auto Show, Chevrolet introduced a pair of specially
trimmed Corvettes at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show: a Corvette
Racing commemorative edition of the 2007 Z06 coupe, and a
limited-production replica of the 2007 Indianapolis 500
Corvette convertible pace car. Click here for more.
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2007 Chevrolet
Corvette Pace Car Replica |
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DAY 1: Dodge After
a spate of new car and minivan introductions at the Los
Angeles and Detroit auto shows, the Dodge division of the
Chrysler Group used Chicago to correct a downward turn in
pickup truck sales. For 2006, sales of the brand's
Dakota compact pickup slipped almost thirty percent to
76,000. Hoping to reverse the trend, a freshened Dakota saw
light in Chicago. With tweaked styling and a substantial
bump in available power, the updated Dakota could be just
the thing to lure pickup buyers back into Dodge showrooms.
Click here for more.
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2008 Dodge
Dakota |
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DAY 1: Ford Ford
executives say the company is in the midst of its "Way
Forward" turnaround plan. Reversing its slumping
sales, however, is proving more difficult than the number
two domestic automaker thought. Calendar 2006 was one of
Ford's roughest, with the company losing $12.7 billion,
the largest loss in its 103-year history. Officials now say
things aren't going to get better in 2007, as they
expect an already shrinking market share to further
dwindle. At the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, the company
announced that it is renaming the Ford Five Hundred and
Mercury Montego large sedans, as well as the midsize
Freestyle SUV for the 2008 model year. Five Hundred is now
the Taurus; Freestyle is the Taurus X; and Montego is the
Sable. Click here for more.
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2008 Ford
Taurus X |
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DAY 2: Kia
Kia is coming off of its best sales month ever. The South
Korean automaker sold over 30,000 vehicles in the month of
December, capping off 13 years of consecutive sales growth.
January continued the trend with 22, 524 vehicles sold. At
the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, the group took the wraps off
the Rondo Concept SX and announced production plans for the
Soul, a concept that debuted less than two years ago. Click
here
for more.
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Kia Rondo
Concept SX |
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DAY 2:
Maserati Many luxury automakers would be
pleased to sell 2100 cars in a week, or even a month for
that matter. Italian maker Maserati, however, is happy to
sell that many cars in an entire year, and that's
exactly what they did in 2006. Its dealer network is
growing, both in North America and abroad. Also expanding
are the depth and breadth of product available in order to
appeal to a larger audience of discerning shoppers. After
announcing subsidized leasing at the 2007 Detroit Auto
Show, the company announced at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show
that it is now offering certified pre-owned vehicles. Also
on display was the very limited edition GranSport MC
Victory. Click here for more.
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Maserati
GranSport MC Victory |
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DAY 2:
Nissan Perennially the number three Japanese
automaker in U.S. sales behind Toyota and Honda, Nissan has
enjoyed sharply rising volume in recent years--until 2006,
that is, when sales dipped 2.2 percent. Efforts to reverse
the slide resulted in a series of redesigns and new
releases on the car side for the 2007 model year. For 2008,
Nissan focuses its attention on trucks. Changes to its
heaviest hitters result in a longer Titan, a stronger
Pathfinder, and a more refined Armada. Click here for more.
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2008 Nissan
Titan |
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DAY 1: Pontiac
Sales at General Motors' Pontiac division slipped a
worrisome 10.6 percent in 2006. GM hopes to reinvigorate
interest in the brand by focusing on performance-oriented
rear-wheel-drive vehicles. At the 2007 Chicago Auto Show,
Pontiac unveiled a show car version of the 2008 G8, a
rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan. The G8 is the first North
American application of GM's new global rear-wheel
drive platform developed by Holden, GM's Australian
subsidiary. Click here for more.
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2008 Pontiac
G8 |
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DAY 1:
Saturn Saturn sales were up 6 percent in 2006
and GM's most-changed brand hopes to keep the momentum
rolling with the introduction of the all-new Saturn Astra.
Called a smash hit in Astra's hometown of Europe by GM
executives, Opel sold over half a million Astras in Europe
last year. The compact, unveiled at the 2007 Chicago Auto
Show, marks the end of Saturn's complete product
turnover that started with the introduction of the
Saturn Sky roadster 20 months ago. Click here for more.
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2008 Saturn
Astra |
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DAY 2: Scion
Toyota's youth-market division enjoyed a 10.6 percent
sales increase in 2006, despite a virtually unchanged
product line. Two new Scions are on the way soon. At the
2007 Chicago Auto Show, Scion unveiled the second
generation of the boxy xB subcompact, along with the xD,
the replacement for the 2004-2006 xA subcompact 4-door
hatchback. Scion says the 2008 xB will arrive in
dealerships in April, and the xD will follow in August.
Click here for more.
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2008 Scion
xB |
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DAY 1:
Toyota Toyota sales keep climbing. Even in a
U.S. market where sales were down 2.6 percent in 2006,
Toyota prospered. For the first time ever, Toyota Motor
Sales U.S.A. Inc. bumped DaimlerChrysler out of third place
in the annual sales race. Toyota has claimed 15.4 percent
of the U.S. light vehicle market. In the month of January,
Toyota overtook Ford for second place and some analysts
expect Toyota to finish second overall in 2007 annual
sales. At this year's Chicago Auto Show Toyota will
unveil the 2008 version of its popular Highlander crossover
SUV. Click here for more.
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2008 Toyota
Highlander |
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DAY 1: Volkswagen
With numerous new or redesigned models, Volkswagen saw
sales increase almost five percent in 2006. The Jetta was
redesigned and its sibling, Golf hatchback, gave way to a
familiar name, the Rabbit. The performance-oriented GTI
version of the Rabbit drew rave reviews, and now VW is
introducing an even hotter model, the R32. The last R32
earned the respect of the tuner car crowd, and the new R32
promises to do the same. Click here for more.
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2008 Volkswagen
R32 |