Byline: Mark Phelan
Mar. 23--The windows of Manhattan's Jacob Javits Convention Center will rattle today as automakers crank up a brace of powerful performance cars and trucks at the New York A uto S how.
After several years when the New York show was a haven for fuel sippers like the Ford Escape hybrid gasoline-electric SUV, the focus shifts to fast-moving eye candy this year.
The new models range from sporty small cars like Ford's 450-horsepower-plus Mustang Shelby Cobra GT 500 and Cadillac's 440-horsepower XLR-V roadster to speedy people movers like the 415-horsepower Hemi-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Saab's 250-horsepower 9-3 Sport Combi station wagon.
Jeep also will introduce its eagerly awaited seven-passenger Commander SUV.
Ford will use the show to reintroduce its Special Vehicle Team, the engineering group that produces sporty derivatives of Ford cars and trucks. SVT has not introduced any new vehicles for several years, and there had been questions about the sub- brand's future.
The Shelby Cobra will go on sale next year as a 2007 model. It boasts a 5.4-liter 32-valve supercharged V8 engine, a six-speed manual transmission and upgraded brakes, shocks and springs to manage its prodigious output.
Ford will show the 390-horsepower Sport Trac Adrenalin concept, too. It's based on the next generation of the company's four-door midsize pickup.
The new Sport Trac will go into production next year, and the SVT-engineered Adrenalin model will follow within a few months.
The Adrenalin's sporty styling and attractive red and black interior are very close to the production model, but the concept has less ground clearance, Ford product boss Phil Martens said. The truck will offer a supercharged 4.6-liter 32-valve V8 and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Cadillac's 2006 XLR-V roadster is the latest model from the brand's V-badged performance line. It uses the same 4.4-liter supercharged Northstar V8 and six-speed automatic transmission as the upcoming STS-V midsize sedan. It will go on sale later this year.
Jeep will introduce its fastest vehicle ever and a larger seven- seat SUV at the show.
The 2006 Grand Cherokee SRT8 combines a 6.1-liter, 415-horsepower Hemi V8 with an all-wheel-drive system to accelerate to 60 m.p.h. in less than 5 seconds.
Jeep expects the Grand Cherokee SRT8 to compete with super SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne turbo.
The all-new 2006 Jeep Commander large SUV will roll off the same assembly line as the Grand Cherokee, at DaimlerChrysler's Jefferson Avenue assembly plant in Detroit.
The blocky seven-seat Commander marks a return to the angular design of Jeeps like the original classic Willys and the more recent Cherokee and Wagoneer. Jeep will offer three engines: 5.7- and 4.7-liter V8s and a 3.7-liter V6.
Chevrolet will show SS, or super sport, models of three vehicles -- the Malibu sedan, Malibu Maxx hatchback and Trailblazer SS.
All three use larger engines, beefier running gear and sporty trim to boost the appeal of Chevy's high-volume models.
The show marks the U.S. debut of three stylish European models.
Saab's 9-3 Sport Combi promises to combine the automaker's impeccable credentials for safety with spirited performance in a good-looking, versatile package.
BMW will show its all-new 3-series, the latest car to use the company's daring new look, and Mercedes-Benz will unveil the production version of the radical new R-class wagon that goes into production at its Alabama assembly plant later this year.
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