Detroit's North American International Auto Show is supposed to be an annual celebration of the automobile -- a carnucopia of concept dream machines and gleaming production sheetmetal all unveiled at over-the-top, glitzified extravaganzas.
Boy, have times ever changed. The 2009 Detroit auto show is taking on the trappings of an expensive funeral, the only thing missing from the cars will be the orange flags used to keep the procession moving along. Several automakers, including most notably Nissan and Mitsubishi, have decided to strike Detroit off their calendar altogether.
And of course, there are the trials and tribulations of the bruised and bloodied Detroit Three. Like a trio of soldiers charging into a hail of gunfire, their futures remain frightfully uncertain -- even with the recent cash infusion GM and Chrysler recently secured from the Bush administration. It's too bad, too, because GM and Ford especially have several top-notch offerings planned for the show, including the new Ford Taurus and Buick LaCrosse.
Happy to say, the Germans are coming. Audi has three world debuts, including the amazing V-10-powered Audi R8, and the BMW Z4 will make an appearance. Mercedes is bringing its critically important 2010 E-Class and BlueZero concepts, and VW has something in store as well. Japanese heavyweights Honda and Toyota have also decided to show up and will play a my-hybrid's-better-than-yours game -- with the new Honda Insight Hybrid and the updated Toyota Prius vying for top green billing.
Other interesting debuts teased so far include the Volvo S60 and Subaru Legacy concepts, a high-powered Jag or two, and a new hybrid Lexus.
So while the bite in the January air will probably seem a little more frigid and most of the pomp and circumstance of shows past won't find their way to the Cobo Hall floor this year, as the cliche tells us -- the Detroit show must go on.
Audi will debut its A7 four-door coupe in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show. The highly anticipated model will join the the exotic R8 5.2 TFSI supercar as a world debut, along with another, as yet unnamed vehicle.
The concept to be featured at Detroit is said to portray the closest visual yet as to what the final production model will look like -- even more so than the design sketch shown here.
Rumor has it the base model A7 will employ the brand's new supercharged 3.0L V-6 (the same featured in the new A6 and S4). More expensive variants should receive some high-powered loving from Audi's quattro division, and expect an S version eventually. The four-door coupe market segment was essentially founded by Mercedes-Benz and its CLS, though Volkswagen wasn't far behind, offering its budget-priced 2009 COTY contender, the Passat CC. We expect that Audi's upcoming A7 will slot in nicely between the two models, offering a mid-priced four-door coupe option.
Audi dug through its ready supply of high-power engines for its 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro, choosing the naturally-aspirated 5.2L V-10 found in the S6 and S8, modified it for mid-engine duty, increased output to 525 hp at 8000 RPM and 391 lb-ft of torque at 6500 RPM, with redline coming at 8700 RPM. And at 569 lbs, the aluminum V-10 weighs just 68 lbs more than the V-8.
Like the V-8-powered R8, the Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro will come with either a traditional six-speed manual or R tronic six-speed sequential manual. Regardless of gearbox choice, Audi says the V-10 propels the R8 5.2 from 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds -- about a half-second drop from the 4.4 second 0-60 claim for the R8 4.2 and squarely in the supercar pantheon. Audi also claims the R8 5.2 achieves an average fuel economy of 17.2 mpg, an impressive figure for a 525 hp supercar.
The 2009 BMW Z4 is the third generation of BMW's two-seat sports car (counting the original Z3) and it looks like it'll arrive with more handsome styling and better proportions. Gone is the awkward line running up the sides of the car and across the front fenders, headlights, and nose. The new headlights are pulled back and sleek, rather than droopy and oddly shaped as on the outgoing car. In fact, combined with the broader twin-kidney grille, the new Z4 almost looks like it has a hint of Aston Martin in the front end. Around the back, the new rear end is clearly related to the one on the new 6 Series coupe.
While the Z4's new duds are striking, its performance will really get your attention. Gone is the old 2.5L engine, replaced with the same inline sixes found under the hood of the new 1 Series. Standard on the sDrive30i is a 3.0L with Valvetronic variable valve timing laying down 255 hp and 220 lb-ft, enough to hustle the car to 60 in 5.6 sec, according to BMW. If performance is your game, the 3.0L direct-injected twin-turbo in the sDrive35i is the engine for you. With 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, it will reportedly hit 60 in 5 sec flat. Both models are electronically limited to a top speed of 150 mph with an optional Sport Package or 130 mph without.
The 2010 Buick LaCrosse will be the first North American market vehicle to use the new global Epsilon II platform and will be a key player in Buick's hoped-for resurgence. The dual exhausts on the spied vehicle hint at a six-cylinder engine, one of which will more than likely be a variant of the 3.0L, direct-injected V-6 that GM recently announced. A 3.6L direct injection variant will probably be seen as well, though likely detuned from the 304 horsepower it makes in the new Cadillac CTS. A hybrid version is also reportedly on the drawing board. Interior quality should be improved, and the car has reportedly been designed to be sold in China as well as the U.S. with minimal changes.
The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is scheduled to arrive sometime in the middle of 2009 as a 2010 model. Stay tuned for the full story on the new LaCrosse on Jan. 8.
Most of the good stuff on the 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe has remained in production trim. This car retains the sculpted waistline, Corvette-style hidden door releases, flat backlight, and aggressive profile of the show car -- good news as far as we're concerned. We hear that the beefy-looking show car exhaust system will remain intact as well, though it's hardly visible in these photos.
Engines will include the CTS's optional 3.6-liter direct-injection V-6, rated 304 horsepower (the conventional 3.6 could be dropped from CTS's lineup by then). Europe will get a new 2.9-liter turbodiesel from VM Motori. Both engines are likely to be available with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission -- a 550-horsepower, supercharged 6.2-liter CTS-v coupe is obvious.
The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox gets a spanking new 2.4L four as the base engine, bristling with variable valve timing on both cams and direct fuel injection. Letting liquid fuel evaporate inside the hot cylinder cools the charge considerably, permitting an impressive 11.7:1 compression ratio with no knock on regular fuel. That high compression combines with more complete fuel burn to lower hydrocarbon emissions, improve power, and reduce fuel consumption.
The result? It makes 182 hp and 174 lb-ft. That's just three horses and 36 lb-ft shy of the former pushrod V-6's output, and performance with the improved gearing of the standard six-speed 6T45 Hydramatic is supposed to equal the 3.4L V-6's (9.1 sec to 60 mph by our equipment) while EPA fuel economy hits 21/30 mpg FWD, 20/27 AWD, up from 17/24 (FWD and AWD). Furthermore, you may be able to beat that number. An ECO button on the dash remaps the transmission shift strategy and calls for more aggressive fuel shutoff when coasting. There's a slight NVH and driveability penalty, but it reportedly pays off, and the EPA does its testing with and without this button pushed, averaging the results. Ordering a base vehicle without the luggage rack will further improve your mileage (it comes on more than 30% of Equinoxes so EPA tests with the rack). Electric power steering, 17-in. low rolling-resistance Michelin tires, improved aerodynamics (from 0.42 to 0.36 drag coefficient), and a host of other tiny details contribute to the fuel economy bump, but none is expected to dramatically increase the cost of the base car.
Fisker Automotive offers its four-door 2010 Fisker Karma electric hybrid as a premium-oriented, environmentally friendly sports sedan. On styling alone, the $87,900 Karma seems a steal. It looks like an Italian GT design study; the headlights are pure Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, while the rest could double for a Maserati GranTurismo or an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, depending on the angle. The proportions fall in line too; the Karma is 1.4-in. longer and 1.0-in. taller than the GranTurismo, and is wider than the 599 by 0.9-in.
Unlike a car like the 599, however, with its ferocious V-12 and flat-plane crank, the Karma will be feature a turbocharged 2.0L engine sourced from General Motors. The Ecotec four-banger produces 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque -- an insulting figure to modern Maranello standards. Fisker says the car will accelerate from 0-60 in less than 6 seconds and have a top speed higher than 125 mph.
The new 2010 Ford Taurus will carry some elements of Europe's "kinetic design" styling, but the flamboyance of the Mondeo will be toned down for the large car using design elements from current North American vehicles.
It is expected to stay front-drive with available all-wheel drive, and power will eventually come from the new EcoBoost family of engines that will debut in the Lincoln MKS, with the possibility of a new Taurus SHO-like vehicle with a high-power EcoBoost engine like the unit that appeared in the Lincoln MKR concept.
The new 2010 Honda Insight will essentially be a Honda Civic Hybrid with a more aerodynamic body. While the car's rumored 40 mpg city and 45 mpg highway won't beat the Prius' 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway, the Insight's $19,000 starting price handily undercuts the Prius' $22,000 base. We've also learned that in addition to the fuel-sipping 1.3L gas engine and Integrated Motor Assist hybrid unit, the Insight will feature Honda's new Ecological Drive Assist System, which maximizes the car's efficiency and coaches the driver on green driving practices.
Honda hopes to sell 200,000 five-door, five-seat Insights per year, with half of them finding homes in North America. Stay tuned for the complete story on the 2010 Insight on Jan. 11.
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