Safety major theme at auto show this week

(21 Apr 2003) 1. Wide shot auto show floor 2. Medium shot Lincoln Town Car ballistic protection series 3. Pan across new Lincoln Ballistic 4. SOUNDBITE (English) John Jariche, Lincoln "It could be celebrities, business owners, politicians, government officials, people who perceive a risk or have an actual risk in their lives." 5. Wide shot Hummer "H-1 Humvee" 6. Medium shot inside "H-1Humvee" 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Ternes, Hummer "We've certainly seen a lot more attention to the Hummer name since the war in Iraq but we like to let the military version speak for itself and we focus our efforts on marketing the Hummer and H2 and H1 in North America. 8. Wide shot of Cadillac "V-16" concept car 9. Close-up Cadillac emblem on car 10. Pan across Cadillac "V-16" concept car 11. Medium shot Dodge "Tomahawk", four wheel concept car (looks like a motorcycle) 12. Close-up of "SS-Super Sport" emblem, pulls to show Chevrolet "SS" concept car 13. Close-up "SS" steering wheel 14. Medium shot front of "SS" concept car 15. SOUNDBITE (English) Scott Settlemire, General Motors "The golden age of muscle cars wasn't thirty years ago it's today. We're building the most powerful cars, not only General Motors but all the manufacturers, the most powerful most fuel efficient, cleanest cars we've ever built." 16. Close-up "Mustang" emblem on Ford Mustang concept car 17. Medium shot "Mustang" concept car rotating 18. Wide shot "GTO" Pontiac 19. Close-up "GTO" tailpipes, starts out of focus then racks 20. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Ferro, Pontiac "It's let's go back to the old days and let's be, let's be strong, let's be powerful." 21. Wide shot Engine for the "GTO" with GTO in background 22. Medium shot man flying remote control car/blimp over auto show 23. Wide shot of car/blimp flying 24. Close-up remote control for flying car/blimp 25. Wide shot of car/blimp STORYLINE: The New York Auto show got underway at the weekend and with the nation still at war safety is at least one of the major themes. Not just the safety features we are used to like airbags and car alarms. The newest concept cars are outfitted with bullet proof glass, armor plating, and tires that will allow the vehicle to run even if they are flat. The Lincoln Town Car Ballistic Protection Series will be available next year for a price tag of $140,000. Lincoln says the market is growing at about 20% a year in the civilian world for armored cars. Hummer is also benefiting from the uncertainty in todays world. For the last month and a half embedded reporters have beamed live pictures of U.S. Marines roaring towards Baghdad in their Hummers. Hummer representatives say that is good free advertising. Muscle cars are clearly roaring back into fashion with the triumphant return of Pontiac's GTO and new concept cars from Ford and Chevrolet. The Ford Mustang GT Concept car is a two seat convertible drawing on many of the same stylings of Mustang's from the past forty years. The GT is powered by the signature Mustang 4.6-liter V-8. Chevrolet's "SS" concept car is powered by a 6.0 liter V-8 that puts out 430 horsepower. And the Pontiac GTO brings a 5.7-liter V-8 estimated at 340 horsepower. Some at the auto show say the comeback is aided by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because muscle cars are such a part of Americana and people now more than ever want to buy powerful American cars. Other vehicles making headlines at the show include Cadillacs 16 cylinder V-16, and Chrysler's 10 cylinder Tomahawk. The Tomahawk is a one passenger four wheeled car that looks at first glance like a motorcycle. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/51f37c7f2ef8c924440b12db88b6c6be

Added 22 Jul 2026