Auto Shows (Page 56)

There is a time when technology transitions have to communicate a collective summary message; and this year’s The Battery Show in Novi, Michigan showed many forms of intelligent energy management, but the overall systems message still left as many questions as answers.

The 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed theme, which will take place from June 28th- July 1st, is “Young Guns – Born to Win.” The theme will highlight drivers, riders, designers and engineers whose immense talent and insatiable thirst for speed shocked the establishment, immediately vaulting them into the spotlight.

Before there ever was an EcoBoost engine, Ford sold tons of F-150 trucks as fleet vehicles with engines that were far more gas guzzling. Now, ALTe is ready to convert many of those trucks with its proprietary ALTe Green Box as shown at The Battery Show 2011.

So far, Ford Motor Company has offered up a look at the F Series pickups, the Explorers, the Foci and the Fiestas that will be decked out for the 2011 SEMA Show but since no performance show would be complete with the mighty Mustang – today we have a preview of the Ford muscle cars headed to the Las Vegas show next week.

The debut of the Long Beach Racers Toyota Tacoma TRD Baja race truck is just one of the featured Toyota exhibits at the 2011 SEMA Show.

General Motors announced earlier this week that their small cars will have a major presence at the 2011 SEMA Show but the bread and butter of GM’s performance history is their V8 powered performance cars – some of which we get a preview of today in the form of the four Chevrolet Camaro models below.

There have always been metal stamping companies in America’s industrial complex, but not all are adept at stamping parts and making custom assemblies at the same time. Small Parts Inc. showed enough of its capabilities at The Battery Show 2011 in Novi, Michigan to prove it is a company who can.

Co-located with The Battery Show and the Automotive Testing Expo, the Engine Expo 2011 provided a platform for Controlled Power Technologies Limited to reveal its modular hybridization solutions to lower CO2 emissions.

Think about driving a quiet Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid down a narrow street with pedestrians that may not hear your car coming towards them, then see and hear the solution via the video from The Battery Show 2011.

Toyota’s luxury brand will use the 2011 SEMA Show to unveiled the new 2013 Lexus GS350 with the high performance F Sport package – adding an aggressive look along with improved handling and braking capabilities to the newly refined luxury sedan.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to speak with SRT CEO Ralph Gilles about the possibility of seeing an SRT-powered Ram in the future and while he couldn’t offer any future product plans, the Ram 392 Quick Silver coming to the 2011 SEMA Show could be a preview of “what could be” if Gilles’ SRT engineers were to build a Ram 1500 of their own.

Chrysler’s Mopar performance parts division always has a massive presence at the SEMA Show and 2011 will be no different, as the Mopar Underground team will unveil their Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR – built almost entirely with parts from the Mopar catalog to pay homage to the incredible Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR that recently reclaimed the production car lap time record at the famed Nürburgring.

With government subsidies giving the initial impetus to the EV (electric vehicle) market, the auto industry and a host of suppliers are set to drive the market beyond the near-term with The Battery Show 2011 in Novi, Michigan.

Even though the new Ford Explorer’s unibody construction is viewed by some as being less than ideal for off-roading and other rigorous activities, Ford Motor Company is quick to point out just how capable their hot-selling SUV is but when the 2011 SEMA Show opens in Las Vegas, Ford will focus on featuring the smooth, street-going side of the full sized sport ute.