Cars Are Stars At North American Auto Show

The North American International Auto Show is off to a start in Detroit, with awards for the top models and a new look at luxury.

What's notable is that after 10 years featuring trucks and SUVs, Detroit television station WDIV said, this year,m cars are the stars of the show.

Pontiac showed of its new Solstice, while Ford displayed its latest offering, the replacement for its Taurus line, the Ford 500.

"We're going to stay focused on doing a good job on trucks and SUVS, but in addition, it is the time in the cycle to bring out some new cars. That's where our share has been weaker than trucks," said Rick Wagoner, chief executive officer of General Motors.

Pontiac rolled out its sport G6 Monday at the auto show.

The Big Three appear to be fighting back hard in the car market, where it they had given up a lot of those sales to Japanese automakers.

Award Winners

Among top award winners at the show were the world's first mass-produced, hybrid-power car and America's top-selling pickup.

The Toyota Prius was been named 2004 North American Car of the Year and Ford's F-150 took home the 2004 North American Truck of the Year honor.

Ford Division President Steve Lyons says the F-150 pickup clinched the award with a new design in its 27th year of production.

Such awards have been given annually since 1994 by automotive journalists from the United States and Canada. They scrutinize each vehicle's design, safety, handling and innovations. The judges also consider driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

New Luxury

Also at the show, Aston Martin will world premiere the DB9 Volante, which will be one of the fastest sports cars on the road. The convertible will reach 60 mph in less than 5 seconds and top out at 180 mph. The hand-built car will be available as a coupe in Spring 2004 and the Volante will be available in Autumn 2004.

Volvo's new S40 and V50 sportswagon promise to be the safety leaders in their class, according to a news release. Both are engineered with a steel structure that can absorb the brunt of an accident. The vehicles are part of Volvo's Intelligent Vehicle Architecture. The S40 will be available in March and the V50 will be available in Summer 2004.

Jaguar is re-styling its popular S-type. The sedan has been extensively re-worked and refined for a more athletic, contemporary look, the company says. Among the S-type's new features are the use of lightweight aluminum rather than steel for the hood, which gives improved weight distribution and handling balance.

The auto show also offers a glimpse at future luxury cars that will be faster, conserve more fuel and adjust to drive on almost any condition. The Jaguar RD-6 concept car features an updated clean diesel engine which will allow it to accelerate faster and make the car 40 percent more fuel-efficient.

Land Rover's first concept car in 55 years, the Range Stormer, touts all-new technology that allows the driver to adjust to nearly any terrain possible. With just the turn of a dial, the driver can adjust the SUV's engine, suspension, traction and other features according to the road conditions.

Automakers will display more than 60 new and concept vehicles at the show, which runs through Jan. 19. More than 6,000 journalists from more than 50 countries are on hand.