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In Detroit, retro is the rage
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January 5, 1999: 5:04 p.m. ET
Carmakers: Perhaps this is your father's Oldsmobile after all
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DETROIT (CNNfn) - In the early 1990's General Motors spent millions of dollars trying to convince Americans the latest wheels from Detroit bore no resemblance to their fathers' clunky Oldsmobiles.
But, as the new millennium approaches, GM and the rest of the auto industry seem to be doing a giant U-turn. Retro is back -- with a vengeance.
Many of the vehicles being unveiled at this week's North American International Auto Show here look like vehicles of yore. But, under the skin, the cars are sporting a lot of 1990's technology.
Porsche Boxster
At Swedish carmaker Volvo, for example, engineers have developed a breakaway seat that the company hopes will cut down on the number of whiplash injuries every year.
"Whiplash is probably one of the most common injuries because low-speed collision from the rear is also very common," said Volvo's Art Batteglia. "This system is designed to work between six miles-an-hour and 20 miles-an-hour. And what it does is the seat actually will break free of the base to allow the back to move and to thereby reduce the whipping of the neck, which causes the injury, which can be quite painful and difficult to diagnose."
At look in the rear-view mirror
At almost every display at the North American Auto Show here, carmakers seem to have a strange sense of deja vu.
At Nissan, for example, the automaker is betting on a concept car based on the legendary 240Z.
"It really has more to do with looking forward, but using the subtle historical reference to a great car in our past that we think is pointing in the right direction on this company and this market right now," Jerry Hirshberg, president of Nissan Design international.
And Nissan is certainly not alone.
DaimlerChrysler is showing off a 90's version of the Dodge Charger. But, unlike the gas guzzling muscle car of the 1960's, the 90's version runs on compressed natural gas. Another "beast" of the past, General Motors' Pontiac GTO, is being resurrected in an experimental version.
"I think what they are trying to capture is this wonderful nostalgia," said Larry Edsall, editor of Autoweek. "A good example is the new Beetle."
Volkswagen, which has already capitalized on the retro trend with the resurrection of its famed Beetle, is coming out with a turbo-charged 1.8-liter engine. It's being dubbed as a "super Bug."
Chevrolet, another GM brand, is attempting to cash in on the trend by reviving its Impala model, which will be the first of the company's cars to have 2000 as its model year.
And Jaguar's new S-type is designed to be reminiscent of its popular XKE of the past. "The style of the car is very closely linked in spiritual terms to its antecedents," said Geoffrey Lawson, director of styling for Jaguar Cars Ltd.
Honda's electric and Ford's Focus
Other vehicles causing a stir at the Detroit show include a Honda that runs on both an electric battery and gasoline as well as new powerful Ford small car called the Focus.
Honda's hybrid coupe
While the nostalgia certainly excites designers, their main purpose in indulging in it remains the bottom line.
"If they didn't think retro or what car companies call 'historical' wasn't going to sell designs, they wouldn't do it," Edsall said.
Indeed, in 1998, Volkswagen's sales in the United States surged almost 60 percent, thanks in large part to the new Beetle.
The German automaker sold 219,573 cars in the United States last year, the best year for VW since 1981. Sales of the New Beetle, which was introduced in March, totaled 55,842.
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