Automakers mark 2006 a retro year for new models

[Mr.DJ]

Automakers mark 2006 a retro year for new models

by Albert Lin

This year’s Pittsburgh International Auto Show was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in the downtown area adjacent to the Strip District. Featuring over 40 carmakers and over 20 individual vendors, the show completely filled the two floors with the best and freshest models on the market today, along with some concept vehicles. There were plenty of offerings from the traditionally economical brands alongside an equal showing of luxury and exotic brands.

The Big Three (Ford, GM, and DaimerChrysler) presented their top-of-the-line vehicles, including a debut of Ford’s Shelby GT500 and Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06. Recent financial struggles for all three of these companies have not stopped them from releasing new vehicle lineups, but rather have encouraged them to make business re-evaluations and freshen up their offerings...

Chrysler Group’s exhibition showed off its new Dodge lineup, showcasing the new SRT Chargers. The SRT name indicates the in-house tuning division for Dodge on its high-performance vehicles. The SRT Chargers have rolled fresh off the assembly lines. The retro trend is again apparent with Dodge, as they brought back the Charger in 2005 as an affordable sedan and now have returned the car to its original racing glory with the Daytona R/T and SRT versions. These two manifestations put Dodge back into the muscle car category of the vehicle market and with the new Challenger concept, they are surely going places in 2006 and 2007. Let’s not forget the car that revitalized Chrysler. The 300C was displayed in full force with a Hemi V8 powerhouse and an upgraded DUB edition. The critically acclaimed model debuted in 2005 and has the looks of an expensive European brand, representing the affordablity of a sporty sedan. Experts on celebrity lifestyle DUB Magazine created a 300C with lots of bling, but the most exciting feature was the air-ride suspension (commonly called hydraulics), allowing drivers to adjust the ride height within seconds.

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Source: The Tartan Online
Volume 100, Issue 18
February 20, 2006
SCI/TECH - Albert Lin