Plenty of stars showed up for the Motown motor show. Michael McAleerand Shane O'Donoghuereport from Detroit.
AUDI R8 V12 TDI CONCEPT
With the motorsport rulebook already rewritten thanks to Audi's domination of endurance racing with its diesel-fuelled R10, the company is taking the next step - using a diesel engine in a supercar.
For now, Audi is terming the R8 V12 TDI show car a "study", but it's highly likely that it will go into production, albeit in small numbers.
Although the concept shown in Detroit featured modest styling changes - mostly to the front-end, to allow extra engine cooling - it's what lurks underneath the glass engine cover in the rear that is of most interest.
It's not the same engine used at Le Mans, though its development certainly owes a lot to the race programme. It's a 6-litre V12 powerplant utilising two turbochargers to produce a massive 493bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. To put that into performance figures, the R8 V12 TDI will hit 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds, and will easily exceed 300km/h.
Audi expects owners of this R8 to take it on track too, and in "race" mode, the satellite navigation displays information about the track, as well as read-outs of centrifugal force and boost pressure. In this mode, the Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping system also stiffens up to its most extreme setting. Although Audi claims the R8 already passes Euro 6 emissions legislation, no fuel economy figures have been released.
AUDI TTS
Audi's TT has been a formidable sales success. The first generation was an instant hit with buyers, thanks to its unique style, and though Audi played it safe with the style of the latest model, it remains a favourite. However, the coupé has never been considered to be a real sports car among driving enthusiasts. The new TTS hopes to redress the balance.
Under the bonnet is a new 272bhp version of Audi's 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Thus equipped, and thanks to the traction afforded by its quattro four-wheel drive, the TTS powers to 100km/h in just 5.2 seconds, which is quicker than Porsche's rival Cayman S. Backing up the increased performance is a lower ride height, bigger brakes and even a modified ESP system to allow keener drivers more adjustability.
To let the world know you're driving the top of the range TT, the TTS features a unique chrome-rimmed front grille, and notably deeper front and rear bumpers. Four meaty exhaust pipes poke through the rear diffuser-like item. New five-spoke 18-inch alloys are standard too, as are LED daytime running lights, as used on Audi's R8. The TTS should arrive in Ireland towards the end of the summer in both coupé and roadster guises, with prices expected to start at approximately €65,000.
BMW X6
BMW's first hybrid powertrain will be introduced in an X6. That's the big news from the latest launch of the X6 range.
BMW knows how to make the most out of a new model, and although this car has done the rounds of several motor shows before now in "concept" form, this is actually the official world preview of the new production car.
It's virtually identical to the concept shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, but the importance of a US launch is down to the fact that it's built at the firm's Spartanburg plant in South Carolina and this is also the likely location for most sales.
BMW claims the vehicle is a cross between coupé and SUV and the most distinctive feature is the angle of the rear c-pillar and the sloping boot door. The car goes on sale at the end of May. Initially, the flagship engine in the line-up will be a new twin-turbo 407bhp 4.4-litre petrol V8 engine. For us Europeans, this will be accompanied by a 3-litre 306bhp petrol engine and two diesel units: a 3.5-litre 286bhp and 3-litre 235bhp.
However, BMW has confirmed that it will introduce its first hybrid offering in the X6 range to European customers in 2009. This is the two-mode hybrid developed with General Motors and Mercedes. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.
FERRARI 430 SPIDER BIO FUEL
The planet must really be in trouble when even sports car firms like Ferrari are going green. This is a concept model but it is very viable as it is based on the firm's current 4.2-litre V8 engine. The engine increases power output by 2 per cent to 500bhp. The Italian firm will decide on production based on availability of E85 ethanol in key markets.
FORD F-150
It might mean nothing to small car fans in Europe, but the US love affair with the pick-up truck continues unabated.
This is the icon of that category and for all the focus on environmental efforts, the new Ford F-150 was the show-stopper for many mid-state Americans attending the show's first few days.
Featuring a fold-out set of steps to help you get up into the back, it's powered by three V8 petrol engines: two variations of the 4.6-litre block and a 5.4-litre engine.
A diesel offering will come later, along with one of Ford's new Ecoboost engines, turbocharged petrol units that the Detroit-based firm claims will significantly reduce fuel consumption.
FISKER KARMA
One of the surprise stars of the motor show came from the small California-based car firm, Fisker, when it presented its first vehicle, the Karma, a four-door plug-in hybrid premium sports car which it says will go on sale by autumn next year.
It will have a starting price in the US of $80,000 (€54,000).
The Karma can go 50 miles on electricity before a small gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity to charge a lithium-ion battery pack on board. It manages 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds.
The firm has some serious financial backing, in particular from Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Perkins Caufield and Byers, which has previously backed household tech names such as Netscape, Amazon and Google.
Fisker is promising that deliveries will start by autumn of next year, ahead of General Motors, which plans to have its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid ready for market by 2010.
Initial production is expected to reach 15,000 cars per year.
The firm is working with US firm Quantum Technologies, which supplies the lithium batteries. It has already sold its lithium batteries to the US military.
Fisker was founded last year by Henrik Fisker, a Danish-born car designer who has previously worked for Aston Martin and BMW.
MAZDA FURAI CONCEPT
We've grown accustomed to seeing Mazda concept cars at each motor show.
Detroit was no different, with the debut of the raciest yet - the Furai.
Unlike the recent series of spectacular "flow" design concepts, the Furai is actually a runner, with video circulating the internet of the show car in action on track.
In fact, the Furai has been built on the chassis of a contemporary American Le Mans Series racer, while the engine is a 450bhp three-rotor rotary engine based on the Renesis engine used in the RX-8.
Though the Furai (pronounced "foo-rye" which is Japanese for "sound of wind") is surely nothing more than a stunning flight of fancy, Mazda points out how it embodies the company's philosophy.
Style aside, it's a fact that more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars race in North America than any other make.
Mazda was quite candid about the point of the concept though, stating that it has no intention of making the Furai (or anything like it), but instead hinting that it does evolve its new design language a small step closer to reality.
Of more significance to the real world is the presence of the BP logo on the car's flanks.
The Furai's race engine has been modified to run on 100 per cent bio-ethanol, a fuel that has already made huge inroads in motorsport in the US.
Until now, Mazda's rotary engine has not been used with ethanol, so it's likely that we'll see this capability being built into Mazda's cars in the near future.
MAZDA RX-8
You'll have to park the new RX-8 next to the model it replaces to really notice all of the differences, but the styling update is remarkably effective, endowing the four-seat, four-door "coupé" with a more aggressive and sportier look than before, yet retaining the RX-8's unique style.
At the front, the new headlights and a deeper bumper are obvious, giving the RX-8 visual width it never had before.
At the rear, the same treatment is applied, with new twin circular LED lights and larger exhaust pipes, along with a newly designed bumper.
The presence of the rotor shape in the styling detailing has been removed completely and the show car was additionally fitted with dark grey 19-inch alloys and a rear spoiler.
It is thought that these items will form part of a new Sport kit, which will also feature an uprated chassis. Even the regular car will come with new suspension updates though, including a front strut brace, new rear suspension geometry and structural reinforcement to aid the car's agility and at the same time refinement.
We expect to see the new RX-8 arrive in Ireland in the second half of the year, with prices adjusted for the new VRT legislation.
MERCEDES-BENZ VISION GLK
Big news on the Mercedes-Benz stand was the debut of a "design study" version of the new GLK compact SUV. You can ignore the "Vision" tag, as the show cars were powered by production-ready diesel engines and the interiors were also ready for the showroom, shunning the usual concept car glamour in return for a well-appointed, but realistic, cabin that's obviously related to the C-Class.
Irish buyers won't be seeing the GLK for some time to come though, if ever, as a decision was made during the car's development to sacrifice right-hand drive sales due to the complexities involved in engineering the 4Matic four-wheel drive system with the steering wheel on the other side.
This was quite a shock, as Britain would be a massive market for the GLK.
Instead, Mercedes is focusing on the US, where sales of smaller cars have finally taken off. If the show cars are anything to go by, the GLK will be sold in two distinct versions, one very much road-biased, the "Townside", and the Freeside aimed at those with a lifestyle.
That the GLK represents increased interest in smaller cars in the US was obvious, but the debut of a new 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel under the bonnet indicates that a larger change is afoot in the States, with the growing acceptance of diesel-fuelled engines in passenger cars.
SAAB 9-4X
After years of promise, the Swedish brand is finally expanding its product line-up. This is still technically a concept but the new car will be on the market very soon. The interior, for example, is virtually production-ready at this stage.
The concept car is powered by a 2-litre 300bhp biofuel engine. It shares much of its underpinnings with the Cadillac Provoq concept car that was also unveiled in Detroit.
SUBARU FORESTER
Subaru has big plans for its new Forester, a model that, until recently, has been seen as an unusual choice, certainly in Ireland, where the outgoing version is only available with relatively large petrol engines. That model was a little quirky in design too, appearing to be a jacked up estate car rather than an SUV. Subaru has made it quite clear that the new model, making its world premiere in Detroit, is an SUV first and foremost, and a crossover to those who prefer that word.
The new Forester has grown in every direction too, and given the success of such cars in Ireland as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan Qashqai, it could be perfect timing for Subaru.
The range of petrol "boxer" engines remain, but importantly, Subaru's new boxer diesel engine will arrive later this year and that will be the key seller in Ireland given the new VRT rules. It will be a 2-litre unit with about 150bhp and will emit about 150g/km of CO2.
Subaru dealers should have the new Forester before the summer, though expect prices to rise from the current car's price, given its new status as a bona fide SUV.
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC
We revealed VW's plans for a Passat coupé some months ago in Motors and the production car was finally unveiled on the first press day in Detroit, though the Germans refused to call it a coupé, instead referring to it as a four-door with styling features normally found on a two-door coupé.
The CC name doesn't stand for anything in particular, the two Cs apparently representing the two pairs of doors according to a Volkswagen AG representative on the stand, who also confirmed that the car will be sold as the Passat CC, as a means of adding extra cachet to the regular range of saloons and estates.
However much VW has moved the Passat upmarket in the past, the CC is tasked with taking things a step further and competing with the established premium cars in the segment, such as the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and sister brand, Audi's new A4.
To that end, the CC is actually larger in every direction than the Passat saloon, with the lower roofline an exception.
The glasshouse features a massive panoramic roof section, which lends the car a more sophisticated air than the regular Passat, enhanced further by the use of distinctly different lights front and rear - more like the large Phaeton's than the Passat's.
Entry level Passat CCs will be powered by a 1.8-litre TSI unit developing 158bhp and 184lb/ft of torque.
Two further petrol units will be available at launch, including a 3.6-litre V6, though the two TDI units are likely to be the big sellers on the Irish market.
Sales of the Passat CC will begin in Ireland during the summer.