Toyota Highlander / Highlander Hybrid

The 2008 Highlander is based on the current Camry and Avalon platforms, and follows the theme of "Smart In/Strong Out" (smart on the inside, strong on the outside). The Calty-designed Highlander features an "intelligent and advanced" look and feel on the interior with "tough and rugged" styling cues on the exterior.

The exterior displays a more aggressively styled front end than its predecessor with angled headlamps that wrap to the sides of the vehicle. The wider stance and sculpted wheel flares that integrate into the body side panels add to the aggressive and rugged, yet still refined and sophisticated look of the vehicle.

The interior offers the option of a second row bench seat, or when the center seat is stowed, two captain's chairs with a center console and cup holders. The folding center seat, when not in use, is hidden in a compartment under the front center console. In its place, passengers can snap in a storage tray or choose to leave the area open as a walk-through to the third row. With a well integrated center stack and improved use of materials and colors, the interior of the new Highlander has a more sophisticated look than the current model.

Ford Taurus / Ford Taurus X / Mercury Sable

Ford is bringing "simplexity" back to what it feels is an overly complex vehicle feature market by reviving the Taurus and Sable names. Ford feels that customer name recognition will help improve lagging sales of the Ford FiveHundred, Freestyle and the Mercury Montego.  

The all-wheel-drive Ford Taurus sedan (replacing the current Ford FiverHundred), features a Ford Fusion-inspired exterior design, 60 more horsepower and a widely recognized name. The design features a new chamfered outer edge front fascia and a new rear fascia with dual chrome-tipped exhausts.

The new Ford Taurus X (replacing the current Ford Freestyle), with its athletic stance and stadium seating, also draws design cues from the Ford Fusion. The 5 and 7 passenger cross-vehicle features a voice activated navigation system, one-touch flip and fold second-row seating and a power rear lift gate. The exterior sports a restyled hood and newly shaped front fenders and fascia.

The Mercury Sable (formerly the Mercury Montego) is looking to satisfy the female target market's desire for luxury and technology with a satin aluminum waterfall grille, two-tone interior trim. Customers looking for a more technical style can opt for Cyber Carbon - a deep, high gloss accent resembling carbon fiber, while those who lean more towards traditional styling are offered the option of Guitar Maple and San Macassar wood grain accents.

All of the new vehicles feature the Ford Sync program - an in-car communications and entertainment platform created in collaboration with Microsoft, which debuted earlier this year in Detroit.

Dodge Dakota

Dodge showed in Chicago a substantially restyled and reengineered Dakota pickup. The 2008 version of the truck gets a much needed refresh because last year's sales were down 27%. The Dakota used to be the only product offered in the midsize segment but it must now deal with some serious competition from the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. Tom Loveless, Director - Dodge Marketing adds that "the new 2008 Dodge Dakota was redesigned to broaden its appeal to younger customers with active lifestyles".

The 2008 Dodge Dakota's exterior modifications include a newly styled hood, grille, front fascia, rear spoiler, fenders and headlamps. These styling adjustments were done to improve aerodynamics, but also to harmonize the Dakota's look to the theme now used on other Dodge products like the Nitro and the freshened 2008 Magnum shown in Detroit last January. But no matter what modifications are done to the front end, the Dakota seems dated with its low beltline and ungainly proportions. This, chiefly because the glazing, the doors and the cargo box inside sheet metal is carried over from the second generation Dakota, introduced in 1997, thus not leaving much margin to the designers. The Dakota is offered in two body styles - Extended Cab and Crew Cab - and in six trim levels.
 
The updated Dakota will also get new features, inside and outside, that are now expected by pickup truck buyers: Full Swing rear access doors that open nearly 170 degrees (Extended Cab), foldable rear seat with an under-seat storage system, and built-in utility rails in the cargo box for adjustable tie-downs. The Dakota also gets a new IP and center console. The base engine remains the 3.7-liter V-6, but the optional 4.7-liter V-8 was vastly improved.