GM eyes innovation, alliances
for Asia
3 concept vehicles, including a hybrid,
unveiled in Tokyo
October 20, 1999
BY CHARLOTTE W. CRAIG
DETROIT FREE PRESS AUTOMOTIVE WRITER
TOKYO -- General Motors Corp. hopes
innovative ways to power cars and trucks, the ability
to connect vehicles to the Internet and other services
while they are on the go and alliances with Japanese
automakers will help it boost sales in Asia over the
next few years.
All of those plans were discussed and the new
technology displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show on
Tuesday when GM showed three new concept
vehicles.
The program was conducted by a star-quality roster
of auto executives that almost outshone the cars:
GM Chairman Jack Smith, GM President Richard
Wagoner, Isuzu Motors Ltd. Chairman Kazuhira
Seki and Suzuki Motor Corp. President Osamu
Suzuki.
The three vehicles were a basic, entry-level
sport-utility vehicle from Isuzu; an electric-powered,
two-seater sports car from Suzuki, and a small utility
vehicle developed by GM and Suzuki.
Of the three, Isuzu's Asian Utility Vehicle, or
AUV-160, is likeliest to be produced, particularly in
Indonesia and the Philippines, where Isuzu already
sells the Panther and High Lander sport-utilities.
The new AUV-160 is seen as the successor to
those models and as a possible offering in Latin
America, Africa and Eastern Europe to "facilitate the
motorization and overall growth" of developing
countries in those regions, said Seki.
GM owns 49 percent of Isuzu and counts part of
that company's sales in its 4-percent Asia-Pacific
market share, which GM wants to raise to 10
percent in the next few years.
Suzuki President Osamu Suzuki unveiled his
company's concept convertible roadster, containing
the newest generation of GM's electric power plant
plus a small so-called emergency gasoline engine.
GM has a 10-percent stake in Suzuki.
But the most interesting of the three concept cars
was the small all-wheel-drive utility vehicle,
developed jointly with Suzuki and unveiled by Jack
Smith as the Chevrolet Triax. It is engineered to be
powered three different ways: with just a gasoline
engine, with a battery-powered electric motor or as
a hybrid combining those two power sources.
ATSUSHI TSUKADA/Associated Press
General Motors Corp. Chairman John Smith unveils
Triax, a concept car co-developed by GM and
Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp.
Wagoner said none of the three concept vehicles is
currently envisioned for the North American market.
And the two electric vehicles may never see an
assembly line; the new-generation GM electric
power system is still in the development stage and
could be overtaken by other, fast-changing alternate
technology such as fuel cells.
But GM executives said the value of the Triax
experiment lies in its unique power train and chassis
design, which can be adapted to a variety of
propulsion systems, including compressed natural
gas and fuel cell.
The front third of the vehicle holds the electric motor
in the electric and hybrid versions. The rear third of
the vehicle holds the internal combustion engine in
the engine-only and hybrid versions. The middle
third houses the energy storage -- gasoline for the
engine and nickel-metal hydride battery pack.
GM believes the Triax's flexible architecture could
be a pattern for cutting product development costs
by using one common chassis design -- with multiple
body styles -- to suit a wide variety of world
markets and differing power systems.
"No single option is either a certainty or a complete
solution to all requirements of all markets. Our
strategy is to work on a broad range of propulsion
systems ...that might make the most sense for
different customer needs and markets," Wagoner
said.
The Triax also offers a peek at a GM trend that is
likely to show up in several sophisticated markets,
including North America. The Triax is loaded with
electronic gadgets, including a Suzuki system that
warns a driver if another car is in the vehicle's blind
spot or is following too closely. It also has GM's
OnStar satellite information and security system,
hooked to a screen on a console trolley that can be
moved fore and aft for use by all passengers.
Smith said GM's strategy -- particularly in the
tech-savvy Japanese market -- is to "develop
innovative products and aggressively apply new
communications technology to the vehicle itself
...connecting drivers and passengers with every
aspect of their lives." |
