Buzz Surrounds U.S. Concept Cars, but Is Buzz Enough?

Jan. 8, 2007 — -- Chrysler head Tom Lasorda was positively gushing -- about a purse."We got room for a woman's purse," he exulted as he guided us on a tour of Chrysler's restyled Town and Country minivan. "Believe it or not."

Lasorda was in full sales pitch as our cameras recorded the scene. The revamped Town and Country comes with 35 new or improved features, including separate DVD players for separate seating rows, push-button folding seats and 13 separate cup holders. Oh, and the second row can swivel to face the third. Wow!

"It's all about buzz," Lasorda admitted. "It's about getting the media's attention. It's the best way to do it."

And, of course, Lasorda isn't the only head of a big auto company who realizes the benefits of buzz. This week at the 2007 North American International Auto Show the car companies have gone to extremes to get attention.

Monday an assortment of bongo drummers in tribal dress entertained clutches of bemused reporters clearly more eager for lunch than the new Jeep on display.

Sunday Mercedes-Benz trotted out a dog-sled team onto a makeshift ice rink to tout one of its futuristic new designs. Over in a corner, Acura offered lapel flowers, while across the way, Lexus minions gave massages to the weary.

It was all a little distracting, and perhaps that was the point. In particular, the U.S. automakers might use buzz to distract the media from the dismal reality of their slipping market share.

I asked Csaba Csere, editor of Car and Driver magazine, "Is there a vehicle on the floor at this auto show that you can point to and say, 'Aha! This is going to turn it around?'"

His answer was an instantaneous no.

Yes, there is Chevy's new Volt -- a concept hybrid that could conceivably get hundreds of miles to the gallon. But the Volt's technology is years away, assuming it is ever perfected for production.

And yes, Ford has the Interceptor muscle car -- but it too is a concept vehicle. So is the Airstream -- the offspring of a trailer and a truck that includes a 360-degree entertainment screen.