New Cars Debut at South Florida International Auto Show

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Nov. 7, 2003 -- New expressions of utility, luxury and grand touring opulence sparked opening day at the first major auto show of the season.

Journalists who gathered at the 33rd annual South Florida International Auto Show saw the North American debut of BMW's new X3 mid-sized "sport activity vehicle." Phil Capossela, vice president, southern region, and other BMW executives also accepted an award from the Interamerican Association of Auto Journalists, which named the car maker's 5-series its 2004 Car of The Year for the western hemisphere.

Christine Feuel, Group Marketing Manager for Ford, presided at the global unveiling of its redesigned 2005 (sic) Escape SUV, which features all-new design, improved safety features, more power and towing capability, and an on- demand 4WD.

"Florida is #2 in U.S. sales of luxury vehicles," said Stuart Karp, ad manager for Volkswagen, which gave Floridians their first look at VW's new Phaeton luxury sedan. The Phaeton sells for $65,000 and "will appeal to the 15 percent of VW owners who want to move up," said Karp.

Bentley spokesman John Crawford revealed that 15 percent of its U.S. sales are from Florida, then described the "spirit, personality, cachet and performance" delivered by the new Arnage T-24, a limited edition model introduced here, that honors Bentley's recent victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Not far away sits another Le Mans-inspired car, the new production version of the Ford GT40 that captured first, second and third place at the 1966 classic race.

Featured speaker at the press luncheon was Marti Eulberg, executive vice president of sales operations for Volvo North America. "Our year-to-date sales are up 23 percent," she announced, "and I believe that it's not only our cars. It's our people." Eulberg discussed the company's Heroes USA and Volvo For Life awards programs that give credit to "everyday heroes."

Kia president and CEO Peter Butterfield introduced the new Amanti full- sized sedan. "It's longer and taller than its competitors," he said, "and buyers get a full complement of air bags and curtains for less than $25,000."

Other press conferences featured the redesigned 2004 Dodge Durango and a new Maserati coupe called the Vintage. Opening day visitors also got their first look at DaimlerChrysler's eye-turning Maybach, a new expression of the legendary limousine of last century. And, they examined America's fastest production car, the Saleen S7, a 7-liter 550 h.p. model that sprints from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds.

Nearly 1,000 more conventional cars, trucks and motorcycles help fill the Miami Beach Convention Center, and the show features such futuristic concept cars as the Pontiac G6, the Dodge Kahuna and Magnum SRT-8, and the Ford Freestyle.

Minority Dealers Honored

Another first at this show was the inaugural Urban Dealer Awards ceremony, during which representatives from On Wheels, Inc. and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers recognized contributions made by dealers in their communities. On Wheels, a Detroit-based publisher, launched its Latinos On Wheels magazine at the South Florida show two years ago and also publishes African Americans On Wheels.

The annual South Florida show also features a special Million Dollar Alley display with exotic motorcars, a Memory Lane room of classic cars from the 1900s, and a display filled with the latest motorcycles.

The South Florida International Auto Show is produced by the South Florida Auto-Truck Dealers Association, which comprises more than 220 dealers in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties.

For more information, visit www.sfliautoshow.com .