Preview: 2011 New York and Shanghai Motor Shows

A taste of what's coming at New York and Shanghai over the next week

It is a rare phenomenon in the automotive world that two motor shows appear on the calendar on the same days. Both shows are highly esteemed too, the New York International Motor Show for being a hundred years old now and the Auto Shanghai having gained immense prominence with the Chinese auto market growing at a blistering pace in the last decade. It isn’t surprising that the date clash has polarised manufacturers into choosing either of the shows to display their wares. On the other hand, there are some car makers who have decided to unveil their global models at both the auto shows simultaneously. 

What we have here is a preview of a few cars and concepts that either hold importance for India or for the development of the automotive world as a whole. Here goes:

1. Volkswagen Beetle

Volkswagen’s third generation Beetle was unveiled officially on the 18th of August 2011, but will be seen in the metal at the New York International Motor Show and the Shanghai Motor Show simultaneously. The Beetle has lost its ‘cute’ attire for a more muscular stance to make the new model a unisex offering, but it will still maintain the spirit of the seventy-three year old model by being flamboyant, cheap, sturdy and fun to drive. This car is headed to India too and will replace the current Beetle. Expect a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine to power this car in India with an exciting 140PS of power to play with.

2. Nissan Leaf NISMO RC

Nissan will show a future-ready racer at the upcoming motor shows in New York and Shanghai. Christened the ‘Leaf NISMO RC’, the race car borrows the lithium ion battery pack and the name from the Leaf EV and that is where the similarity ends. The Leaf NISMO RC features a carbonfibre monocoque chassis that makes the race car 40 per cent lighter than the Leaf EV, a foot shorter and 6.7 inches wider. The Leaf NISMO RC is a one-off concept, but Nissan may put the race car into limited production for a one-make race to promote the zero emissions that the concept touts so proudly.

3. Scion FT-S

The Toyota FT-86 concept and its various iterations have attracted a lot of eyeballs so far. Now, Scion will attempt to get a slice of the pie with its own version of the FT-86. To be called the FT-S, this concept will make its way to New York for the International Motor Show. Very little details have been released apart from the teaser image that you see above and a video. The concept coupe will be unveiled on the 20th of April to the media, along with all the information regarding the vehicle.

 4. Mercedes Benz A-class concept

Mercedes Benz will bring its A-class concept to Shanghai and New York in the next couple of days. As we told you earlier, the A-class concept provides an insight into the design and form of the new version of the production A-class. The A-class concept is powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine featuring BlueEFFICIENCY tech and is mated to a four-wheel-drive system. The A-class concept also demonstrates first-in-class safety features like Adaptive Brake Assist and a radar-based collision detection system. 

5. 2012 Nissan Versa

The new Nissan Versa which will be shown at the New York Motor Show, will essentially be similar to the executive sedan that Nissan is planning to launch in India. Based on the global V platform, the new sedan is expected to be called Almera in India and Versa in the United States. It will be interesting to see which engines be displayed under the sedan’s hood at the NY Motor Show, since India is expected to only get a 1.5-litre dCi diesel mill similar to the one in the Mahindra Logan.

6. Honda Civic

Honda will display the production model of the Civic sedan in the flesh at the NY Motor Show. The car was revealed a couple of months ago and will now be shown to the public. The new Civic looks very similar to the City sold in India and therefore it is expected that Honda may tweak the design for India to live up to the expectations set by the current Civic sold in the country. 

7. Volvo Concept Universe

Volvo, who recently launched the S60 in India, is taking an all-new concept car to Shanghai and New York. It is called the ‘Concept Universe’ and will provide an insight into what the top-of-line Volvo may look like in the future. The Concept Universe features the clean lines that you would expect from a Volvo and has an innovative bumper-less design. It features a strainer design for the grille and headlights, which is probably incorporated to hypnotise the road-crossing pedestrians and make them stand in place so that the car can demonstrate the pedestrian safety features that Volvo boasts about!  

8. Audi Q3

Audi’s baby crossover, which was unveiled a little while ago on the internet, will now make its public appearance at the Shanghai Motor Show. Slated to take on the BMW X1 and cheaper crossovers like the CR-V, Outlander etc., the Audi Q3 is expected to make its entry into India early next year. Audi is expected to release info on the engine options of the Q3 for the Asian region, along with information on the production and assembly of the baby crossover.

9. Ssangyong Chairman H

Ssangyong will show the 2012 model of the Chairman H at the Shanghai Motor Show. For the uninformed, the Ssangyong Chairman is an executive luxury car that takes a lot of design cues for the Mercedes Benz line-up. The 2012 Chairman H looks like the love child of the E-class and the C-class and features luxury features like heated seats and steering wheel, 3.5-inch LED Infotainment system, smart key etc. The Chairman H will be sold in Korea and China by Ssangyong and Mahindra by May 2011. 

10. BMW M5 Concept

BMW revealed the M5 Concept a little while back to build up the excitement for the Shanghai Motor Show. Based on the new F10 5-series Beemer, the new M5 concept is very close to production as is the case with most recent BMW concepts. The M5 will feature resculpted body work, larger air intakes and air dams and more importantly, a fire-breathing twin-turbo V8. Check out our previous coverage of the M5 concept for more info and media!
 

11. Jaguar XF

Jaguar is all set to bring the facelifted XF to both motor shows. The new XF is expected to get a new design for the headlights, much similar to those of the flagship XJ, restyled bumpers and new creases on the body work. Under the hood, the 2012 XF is expected to get a new 2.2-litre four cylinder petrol mill mated to an all new 8-speed transmission from ZF. Expect the setup to put out 187PS of power to pump adrenaline through your veins!

Stay tuned as we bring you more news from the New York International Motor Show and Auto Shanghai as both shows get underway.