Full Article: http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinside ... -47332.htm
By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News
Is retro so last year? Chevy will find out with HHR
DETROIT -- After the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Ford Thunderbird, do Americans really want another retro-styled car from Detroit?
General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet division is about to find out when the HHR goes on sale later this year.
It resembles a cross between a 1949 Chevrolet Suburban and the current Chevy SSR roadster. While its styling is retro, the HHR is also part of a new generation of boxy, functional and affordable vehicles like the Honda Element and Toyota's Scion xB that defy categorization.
Even General Motors Corp. vice chairman Bob Lutz can't quite describe it.
"It's one of those things where you don't really know what to call it," Lutz said.
It was Lutz who oversaw the development of the popular PT Cruiser, which resembles a 1920s-era gangster getaway car, before leaving Chrysler Corp.
The HHR -- which stands for Heritage High Roof -- debuts Wednesday at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.
HHR shares a basic platform with the new Chevrolet Cobalt small car, but has been beefed up to handle higher cargo loads.
Both the production and tuner-version of the HHR will be airlifted from Los Angeles in time for the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Hall in Detroit, which opens to the public Jan. 15.
The five-seater will officially be classified as a light truck but falls under the growing category of crossover vehicles, meaning it combines attributes trucks, SUVs and cars.
GM hopes to sell about 100,000 HHRs annually after they reache showrooms late next summer.
"If you look at the Malibu and Impala, they're very good, very sensible vehicles that provide excellent value," Lutz said. "But you could argue Chevy needs one or two vehicles that provide some emotional appeal."
It's a risky move. Chevy's SSR, an eye-catching roadster pickup with a 390-horsepower Corvette engine, is languishing on dealer lots. GM recently said it would idle a plant in Lansing for five weeks because of weak demand for the SSR.
Joe Barker, sales analyst for Farmington Hills consultants CSM Worldwide, admires the HHR's styling, but he questions GM's decision to give it a retro design four years after the PT Cruiser's entry into the marketplace.
"HHR runs the risk of being a copycat product," said Barker. "It likely would have greater market potential if its styling was more conventional."
Going retro, Lutz admits, is always a risky play since the vehicles can quickly lose their novelty.
"The trick with these cars is after three or four years, when there are lots of them on the road, then what do you do?" he said.
To maintain customer interest in the PT Cruiser, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group introduced turbo-powered and convertible versions. With some help from incentives, PT Cruiser sales rebounded about 9 percent last year.
Ford debuted its retro-styled Mustang in 2004 and plans to show a convertible version at the L.A. auto show. It also plans a high-performance Mustang SVT Cobra.
GM is already think about variations on HHR. It plans to show off a "tuner" version of the vehicle to give it a radically different look. Los Angeles-based West Coast Customs -- known from the MTV show "Pimp My Ride" -- is customizing the HHR.
Chevrolet wants to demonstrate how well the HHR can be customized as more consumers personalize their vehicles, said Clay Dean, GM design director for small and midsize cars. GM also wants to attract buyers in California, the nation's biggest vehicle market and a hotbed of customizing.
"West Coast (Customs) talks to people GM doesn't talk to," said Dean. "It's an important culture and we have to be there and learn from it."
GM had one request for West Coast Customs: "Shock us," Dean said.
The shop chopped the roof off the $1.5 million prototype and lowered the vehicle by 3 inches, said Ryan Friedlinghaus, owner and CEO of West Coast Customs.
The door handles were shaved, a huge sunroof was installed and a mesh grille was substituted for the standard grille.
Other changes included the installation of a center exhaust system, replacing the standard 17-inch wheels with 20-inch Giovanna wheels and Pirelli tires, and a new touch-screen computer that operates the instrument panel and audio and video systems. A center console houses four 7-inch monitors.
Given the HHR's expected starting price of about $23,000, Friedlinghaus predicts the vehicle could be a hit with his customers in much the same way as Toyota's Scion vehicles.
"The younger market can get the car and can tinker with it for not a ton of money," Friedlinghaus said.
By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News
Is retro so last year? Chevy will find out with HHR
DETROIT -- After the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Ford Thunderbird, do Americans really want another retro-styled car from Detroit?
General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet division is about to find out when the HHR goes on sale later this year.
It resembles a cross between a 1949 Chevrolet Suburban and the current Chevy SSR roadster. While its styling is retro, the HHR is also part of a new generation of boxy, functional and affordable vehicles like the Honda Element and Toyota's Scion xB that defy categorization.
Even General Motors Corp. vice chairman Bob Lutz can't quite describe it.
"It's one of those things where you don't really know what to call it," Lutz said.
It was Lutz who oversaw the development of the popular PT Cruiser, which resembles a 1920s-era gangster getaway car, before leaving Chrysler Corp.
The HHR -- which stands for Heritage High Roof -- debuts Wednesday at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.
HHR shares a basic platform with the new Chevrolet Cobalt small car, but has been beefed up to handle higher cargo loads.
Both the production and tuner-version of the HHR will be airlifted from Los Angeles in time for the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Hall in Detroit, which opens to the public Jan. 15.
The five-seater will officially be classified as a light truck but falls under the growing category of crossover vehicles, meaning it combines attributes trucks, SUVs and cars.
GM hopes to sell about 100,000 HHRs annually after they reache showrooms late next summer.
"If you look at the Malibu and Impala, they're very good, very sensible vehicles that provide excellent value," Lutz said. "But you could argue Chevy needs one or two vehicles that provide some emotional appeal."
It's a risky move. Chevy's SSR, an eye-catching roadster pickup with a 390-horsepower Corvette engine, is languishing on dealer lots. GM recently said it would idle a plant in Lansing for five weeks because of weak demand for the SSR.
Joe Barker, sales analyst for Farmington Hills consultants CSM Worldwide, admires the HHR's styling, but he questions GM's decision to give it a retro design four years after the PT Cruiser's entry into the marketplace.
"HHR runs the risk of being a copycat product," said Barker. "It likely would have greater market potential if its styling was more conventional."
Going retro, Lutz admits, is always a risky play since the vehicles can quickly lose their novelty.
"The trick with these cars is after three or four years, when there are lots of them on the road, then what do you do?" he said.
To maintain customer interest in the PT Cruiser, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group introduced turbo-powered and convertible versions. With some help from incentives, PT Cruiser sales rebounded about 9 percent last year.
Ford debuted its retro-styled Mustang in 2004 and plans to show a convertible version at the L.A. auto show. It also plans a high-performance Mustang SVT Cobra.
GM is already think about variations on HHR. It plans to show off a "tuner" version of the vehicle to give it a radically different look. Los Angeles-based West Coast Customs -- known from the MTV show "Pimp My Ride" -- is customizing the HHR.
Chevrolet wants to demonstrate how well the HHR can be customized as more consumers personalize their vehicles, said Clay Dean, GM design director for small and midsize cars. GM also wants to attract buyers in California, the nation's biggest vehicle market and a hotbed of customizing.
"West Coast (Customs) talks to people GM doesn't talk to," said Dean. "It's an important culture and we have to be there and learn from it."
GM had one request for West Coast Customs: "Shock us," Dean said.
The shop chopped the roof off the $1.5 million prototype and lowered the vehicle by 3 inches, said Ryan Friedlinghaus, owner and CEO of West Coast Customs.
The door handles were shaved, a huge sunroof was installed and a mesh grille was substituted for the standard grille.
Other changes included the installation of a center exhaust system, replacing the standard 17-inch wheels with 20-inch Giovanna wheels and Pirelli tires, and a new touch-screen computer that operates the instrument panel and audio and video systems. A center console houses four 7-inch monitors.
Given the HHR's expected starting price of about $23,000, Friedlinghaus predicts the vehicle could be a hit with his customers in much the same way as Toyota's Scion vehicles.
"The younger market can get the car and can tinker with it for not a ton of money," Friedlinghaus said.
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