Over the past year auto makers in America have renewed hiring at a steady clip; they added 38,000 jobs and plan to add 13,000 more this year. That's because sales are surging and are on pace to exceed 14 million vehicles in 2012. Attendance at auto shows is also up...the highest in four years in Chicago and industry reps say traffic is also strong at the Cleveland Auto Show which is underway now.
Among the hot attractions are the resurrected Dodge Dart, a compact to compete with the Chevy Cruze and Toyota Corolla, available this spring. It's described as the first real offspring from the marriage between Chrysler and Fiat. The midsize 2013 Ford Fusion is also grabbing a lot of attention; it will hit showrooms in late summer. The new Fusion's design borrows from the sporty Aston Martin but Ford is also pushing the new technologies it's putting into its cars.
"Now we're trying to make technology affordable to the masses."
That's John Schuldt, speaking for Ford and pointing to things light inflatable rear seat belts, radar-assisted lane changing technology and other devices that see traffic that's hard for the driver to see.
"...and it's a yellow light that's in your outside mirrors... so if that light is on, you know that there's a vehicle in your blind spot..."
At least one auto-maker is also touting EXCLUSIVITY as it's big appeal. Dutch auto-maker "Spyker" has it's C-8 on display in Cleveland...a convertible that goes for around $237,000; the company expects about 150 buyers to bite in the U.S.
The Auto Show runs through Sunday at Cleveland's I-X Center...
