NEW YORK -- Older drivers pull over to the right -- Honda and Toyota are rolling out new wheels for the Internet generation.
The car makers will unveil sporty models unlike anything in their fleets to attract youngsters raised on e-mail and MP3s, at the New York International Auto Show, which opens Friday and runs through next week.
According to Dave Van Sickle, the director of automobile and consumer information at AAA, Toyota and Honda are "desperate" to capture new customers and decided to target the buyers well before they are close to making their first car purchase.
Van Sickle said Cadillac lost many of its loyal customers because they went over the hill and "on to the great beyond," and Honda and Toyota don't want to suffer the same fate.
"They are paranoid about losing customers," Van Sickle said, so they are taking the steps needed to develop new methods of distributing product. Van Sickle said that even though the early models are short on electronic gadgets, he's impressed with the use of space and audio components.
In a press briefing Thursday, Toyota announced the Scion brand of cars, while Honda took the wraps off the Element, a recreational vehicle that is a cross between a pickup and an SUV.
According to Toyota COO Jim Press, the company developed the Scion brand to meet the unique needs of the Internet generation. Press said that by 2010 there will be 60 million potential car owners who grew up online, and they won't accept the status quo in vehicle design or the buying process.
Kids who grew up playing PlayStation and instant-messaging with their friends need "personal expression" and want to "make a statement" with their car purchases, Press said.
To address this audience, Press announced the bbX (for black box) car, which emphasizes right angles and headroom and looks like a futuristic Volvo. To get the attention of what Press said is the "smartest generation of buyers ever," the company has partnered with Pioneer for what appears to be the car's main selling point -- a custom audio system.
The base model will include a six-speaker stereo system that has a 1350-watt maximum output, which Toyota said was specifically designed for the acoustics of the large interior. A CD player will be able to play MP3 discs.
Although Toyota hasn't announced any other audio entertainment goodies -- such as satellite radio, disc changer or hard drive for downloading audio -- Toyota National Manager Brian Bolain said the company can add those later because it has access to all of Pioneer's audio products.
Bolain said Toyota decided not to add Internet access to the vehicle because youngsters want drive time to be time away from information overload.
Toyota did not give performance specifics for the car beyond stating it would have a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine.
The bbX will be available in California in June of 2003 for "substantially less than $18,000" before rolling out nationwide eight months later.
Toyota also displayed the Scion ccX, a cross between an SUV and a pickup truck. The concept vehicle has two electronic sunroofs that slide together to give passengers the feel of a convertible. The rear of the car is a glass pane that retracts into the bumper so that tall items can be transported.
The ccX has a navigation system, DVD player and removable cooler that plugs into its electric outlet. To make the vehicle easy to clean after a day at the beach, the rear of the ccX has a waterproof floor and four drains.
To help capture the younger audience, Toyota is working with marketing company Rebel Organization, a subsidiary of Urb magazine.
Honda's SUV hybrid is the slightly larger Element, which is geared toward the "boys with toys" who love (and may have gotten rich from) the Internet. The company is targeting active males who spend their weekends mountain biking, kayaking and surfing.
American Honda Vice President Tom Elliot said the Element will be a mobile dorm room, allowing people to comfortably sleep and live in it.
The Element, which was also premiered at the show, has a blue body and two sets of silver doors that swing out in opposite directions with no support column in between, creating an unobstructed cargo space.
The rear seats of the Element can fold up and attach to the side of the vehicle, providing enough room to load mountain bikes with the wheels on, or a 10-foot surfboard.
Surfers can open the roof hatch so that they can stand up in the rear of the Element and change clothes.
The front seats can be positioned flat and combined with the rear seats to create sleeping cushions long enough for six-footers to use the Element as their "shaggin wagon," according to Honda technician Adam Ward.
The rear of the vehicle has been waterproofed, and support hooks on the floor are available to tie down equipment.
For electronic entertainment, the Element includes a six-CD player and jacks to plug in MP3 players or video games.
Honda said the Element will go on sale in December for between $16,000 and $21,000.
