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There are plenty of revolutions in the cars of 2014 – or in some cases 2015. We’ve all heard about the new Ford F-150 and its aluminum body. Then there’s the all-electric new BMW, the i3. And even Porsche has jumped on the hybrid bandwagon with its Panamera S E-Hybrid.
Of course, the electric Nissan Leaf is represented here, too.
Karina Marquez is a product specialist for Nissan. As you would expect, she has plenty of good things to say about electric cars.
“Electric cars are remarkably quiet on the ride. They’re very smooth. They’re very fast off the line. They’re a 100 percent torque off the line. A lot of times people think, oh, it’s going to be boring, it’s not going to be fun to drive. That’s totally not true.”
And of course the main benefit is that you’ll never have to pay for gas again.
But an electric is not for everyone. Rick Mitchell and Margaret Gaydos came to the auto show to get some ideas for a new car. They were checking out some BMW’s, but the electric i3 wasn’t on their list.
“Probably not ready to make that leap yet. Just ‘cause we travel long distances and I’m not sure where we plug it in at night.”
But they may consider a hybrid.
“Oh, we might be looking at a hybrid, yeah. See what those have. I would be ready to make that leap.”
Mitchell says it just needs to be big enough for their suitcases and golf clubs.
Benito Lugo is here with his wife Erika and their baby. Lugo is more interested in pick-up trucks and cares about how a vehicle looks from inside and outside.
Benito: “The comforts and interior comforts and interior design and a lot of the, I guess, space, inside space, interior space.”
Perfect for someone who just had a baby, right?
Erika: “I don’t think he’s here for the baby. He’s looking for like a Mustang. Something like totally a guy car. Don’t let him lie to you (laughs).”
And there certainly are enough “guy cars” here, too. Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin all brought their newest models to Houston as well.
The Houston Auto Show runs till Sunday, Jan. 26, at Reliant Center.