Wednesday, March 13, 2013

2013 Minneapolis Auto Show: Initial Thoughts

Well, another year, another auto show--or so that's how it's supposed to go; as time wears on, I become less and less interested in new cars, and more interested in classics. But there are a few cars I'm looking forward to seeing in the metal. I'll start with my high hopes, and work my way down the line. The list isn't very long, but it seems to have changed drastically from last year, in a good way.

I am looking forward to seeing the refreshed 2013 and 2014 Chrysler/Fiat lineup; debuts here include the refreshed Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup, including the first-ever diesel for the US-Market, and the Fiat 500L crossover that will do battle with the Mini Countryman. Hopefully, the convertible Abarth will make an appearance, too. The big news with Chrysler/Fiat is the introduction of the SRT Viper; yes, it's been covered in depth in various cars magazines, but I have not seen it yet, and I would really like to.

The GM side of things is a bit iffy this year; the Corvette hasn't come out for sale yet, so I doubt it will be there; shame, really, because I am anxious to see it in person. Likewise for the all-new Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks. Other than those two, I don't really see anything from GM as being all that noteworthy--oh wait! A new Impala! Ew, no thanks.

Ford has stunned me with the Fusion, and obviously the Mustang; unfortunately, both cars are big sellers and are seen frequently; I can't really think of any Fords that are leaving me filled with wantage and excitement, sadly. Ford is just.. you know what to expect from them, and they don't really deliver any surprises. 

On the imports side of things, I will come out of the woodwork and say my opinions of new BMWs and Mercedes have almost reversed since last year; I quite adore the new BMW 6 lineup, and I am eagerly awaiting seat time in a Gran Coupe. I don't care for many of BMW's other offerings, as they're just "meh" to me styling-wise. Mercedes has gone the way of the dodo as far as I'm concerned; the ML, the GL, the SL, and CLS are all just boring to look at now, and the CLA is just wierd. Maybe that'll change, maybe it won't.

I still have a strong soft sport for VW group, though, and I am looking forward to seeing an R8GT (yeah right), but really, I am anxious to look at the new Q5; I am also quite looking forward to the refreshed VW CC, and on the Porsche side of things, I want to see any of the new Porsche variants, including the more potent version of the 991.

There are tons more I can touch on, but I don't want make this super long. I am eagerly looking forward to this year's auto show, and I can't wait any longer. Any bets on how many pictures I'll take?

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