"Call me Dave," says the man behind the wheel of the already gray, but well-groomed one Ford Fusion. The heating is running at full speed, it is bitterly cold in Detroit, even when the snow clouds have moved on. "We are freezing and others are talking about global warming," he smiles, adding seriously: "The new president is right if he doesn't believe in climate change." The Ford is Dave's private car, drives for the Uber taxi service and currently often has the Cobo Hall on the banks of the Detroit River as its destination. This is the home of the big auto show, which is not that big this year. Many well-known names are missing: among others Porsche, Jaguar, Ferrari, Mitsubishi, but also Tesla. For the electrical pioneer from California, Detroit is a symbol of the old car world.
Dave is not a radical, calls himself a rational man. "A lot of people think like me," he says. Donald Trump will fix it and free the domestic auto industry from many annoying environmental regulations of its predecessor. Dave collects $ 18 to ride the empty streets of thousands of potholes compared to other cities in the United States. The next order is already on his monitor. Uber drivers are very busy at the fair. The driving service, which is not approved in Germany, is booming all over the USA.
The three large US corporations that, with the exception of Ford, were facing bankruptcy eight years ago and were only able to survive with government aid, are experiencing a sales boom. At that time, they undertook to stand up to the competition from Asia and Europe with smaller, more environmentally friendly vehicles. Suddenly there was a Ford Fiesta or the small Chevrolet based on the Opel Corsa in the USA. The new Chrysler owner Fiat even launched the Fiat 500, which today looks like a toy car next to a large Dodge pickup from the same company.
When strolling through the booths of the US manufacturers, there is not much left of the disarmament in the engine compartment: Although the engines under the huge hoods have become smaller, thanks to turbo or ecoboost technology, performance has increased across the board. Like the new Ford F 150, for example. Almost unknown in Europe, the large pickup is the best-selling car in the USA. If it is renewed, it is about as important as the premiere of a new VW Golf for us. Although the giant will also be available with a diesel for the first time, top-of-the-range engines remain a five-liter eight-cylinder with around 400 hp. Small six-cylinder engines are also available, but they also send a good 300 hp and more to both axles. After all: Ford announced in Detroit that the F 150 and also the sports car Mustang will soon be launched as a hybrid (gasoline engine plus electric motor).
And then Ford has some good news for Mr. Trump: The SUV legend Bronco, which was discontinued 21 years ago (it was also sold in Germany for a short time), will be reissued in 2020 as another SUV and of course produced in the Detroit area. The F 150 also rolls off the assembly line there. So Ford will be spared the punitive tariffs that the new strong man threatens all the companies that sell US models built abroad in the home country.
General Motors, the largest US manufacturer, is planning a new factory in Mexico via Twitter. It also has something new to offer in Detroit: The large SUV Chevrolet Traverse, for example, which features a 224 kW / 305 hp six-cylinder turbo. The smaller two-liter turbo also has a remarkable 187 kW / 255 hp to offer. General Motors also has the great sedans from Cadillac, Donald Trump's declared favorite brand. Thanks to its 6,2-liter eight-cylinder engine and compressor, the CTS-V delivers an impressive 477 kW / 640 hp. The same engine is also used in the SUV giant Escalade. However, without a compressor and with "only" 313 kW / 420 PS.
The bird in the PS race is shot down by a new American sports car company, the president of which is manager veteran Bob Lutz, who has already been on the executive floor of all three US corporations. It was only because of the many cancellations by well-known manufacturers that VLF Automotive managed to get a seat at the Detroit Motor Show. The four-door coupe sedan Destino V8 has the eight-cylinder of the Chevrolet Corvette super sports car under the hood (469 kW / 638 hp) and costs the equivalent of over 200.000 euros. The other model can top that: the two-seater Force 1 V10 sports car boasts an 8,4 liter ten cylinder and 548 kW / 745 hp. Its price is the equivalent of a quarter of a million euros. There is no performance data from the huge SUV of the new company. But an eight-cylinder always fits under the sheet of the monster. The VLF X-Series was given the dubious honor of being the ugliest car at the show. Not nice, but definitely "great".
So the US manufacturers are entering the first year of a new era, which Donald Trump specifies. Confident and still unsettled. Will the President keep his promise and boost the economy through tax cuts? Or will he really punish any company that exports jobs from the United States to low-wage countries? This question is discussed more intensely between the stands than any exciting new vehicle. (Peter Maahn / SP-X)
