All 2008 Detroit Auto Show Articles
News, articles and pictures for concept cars, new cars and future cars.
2008 Detroit Auto Show Preview
This is the time of year both automotive journalists and enthusiast’s alike look forward to most. Having just celebrated the holiday season and ushered in the New Year, auto show season hits full-throttle starting now! Of course the rumor mill continues to churn as to what we can expect to see at the 2008 NAIAS on the shores of Lake Michigan. Here are some...
2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Thanks to the Internet, the Corvette ZR1 hasn't been much of a secret. However, it's time to dispel the myths and get the facts straight. It apparently started five years ago when Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner posed this question in a staff meeting: If GM could build the stellar-performing Corvette Z06 for $59,995, what could the team do for $100,000? And so the Corvette Team...
Land Rover LRX Cross-Coupe
If Lexus and Mercedes-Benz can build SUVs, well, why can't Land Rover build a vehicle that's carlike? That must be one of the thoughts behind the LRX Cross-Coupe, a design study that's only the second concept vehicle that Land Rover has ever produced. More important, it shows that Land Rover is seriously considering just such a vehicle. The 4-seat LRX...
Lexus LF-A
Now we're one step close to the final version of the future Lexus LF-A. With the Nissan GT-R also being recently introduced, one would think that the Lexus supercar would be all but forgotten. Not exactly. The car still draws a lot of attention. If everything we're hearing about this car is true, it should be able to outperform the GT-R. Of course, you'll have to pay...
Nissan Forum
We've heard the term "living room on wheels" when it comes to ride and handling, but in Nissan's case, the Forum is more of a family room on wheels. In this case, the term relates more to the vehicle's function rather than its dynamics. This rather large box on wheels rides on a 121.1-in. wheelbase and measures 196.4 in. overall and carries up to seven...
Mazda Furai Concept
Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca – this venue seems slightly atypical for unveiling a concept vehicle, but then again we had dinner the night before with the Manager of MazdaSpeed Engineering — Technology, Tod Kaneko. Kaneko was coy over the details but did offer that this was the first collaboration between the MazdaSpeed team and concept vehicle designers...
Fisker Hybrid Concept
Fisker Automotive has announced a joint venture with Quantum Technologies to build this sleek 4-door sports sedan. But unlike Fisker's previous entries, the Tramonto (a rebodied Mercedes-Benz SL) and the Latigo (a rebodied BMW 6 Series), this car is a completely original design from the ground up. But the real kicker is that the new car will be a plug-in hybrid...
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Mitsubishi’s Lancer Ralliart bridges the gap between the economy-car-like Lancer and the ultra-hyper Lancer Evolution. The Ralliart uses the same 4B11 2.0-liter 16-valve turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder as the Evolution, but with a more modest (and estimated as of this time) 235 bhp and 253 lb.-ft. of torque. It also uses Mitsubishi’s MIVEC variable valve...
2009 Mazda RX-8
Although the 2009 RX-8 shown at Detroit is far from all-new, it is the first refresh of Mazda’s 4-door sports car since it hit the market in 2003. Besides styling tweaks, the new car offers minor performance improvements, slight interior changes and a new sport package. If you squint hard, you can see the changes to the RX-8’s exterior design...
Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Concept
Jumping into the midsize SUV market, Mercedes-Benz is showing the Vision, which is the pre-production concept for the GLK sport-utility vehicle. This handsomely rugged SUV makes its debut in production form in April at the Beijing, China, motor show and goes on sale in October. The production GLK will come in two versions—the off-road...
Ford Verve Concept
The third installment in Ford’s new global B-car, the Verve sedan, bowed at the North American International Auto Show. The new model, which embodies Ford of Europe’s “Kinetic” design philosophy, shares the same bold eggcrate grille as the 3-door hatch that made it’s debut in Frankfurt, but in side profile, has the elegant lines of a...
Ford Explorer America Concept
A sign that the era of the truck-oriented body-on-frame SUVs is coming to an end is the Explorer America concept. While the vehicle retains the aggressive looks of an off-roader, with its upright greenhouse and slab sides, the vehicle appears to sit lower than a conventional SUV thanks to its unit-body construction. In addition to being lighter...
2009 Volkswagen Passat CC
The Volkswagen Passat CC might be the so-called missing link between the regular Passat and the Mercedes S-Class-competing Phaeton, which had to be withdrawn from the U.S. market due to poor sales. Slightly larger than the current Passat, the CC measures 188.8 in. overall, but true to its 4-door coupe styling, stands only 55.9 in. tall, 2.0...
2009 Audi TTS
The long-awaited, more muscular version of the Audi TT has bowed as the TTS, which features a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with direct injection that makes an astounding 272 bhp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. This brawny powerplant propels the all-wheel-drive 2+2 sports coupe and two-seat roadster to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds...
Hummer HX Concept
Looking to challenge Jeep Wrangler head-on, Hummer has come up with an entry-level offering called the HX. Riding on a 103.0-in. wheelbase, the open-top HX measures 171.0 in. overall and is powered by a 3.6-liter V-6 producing 304 bhp and 272 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed auoatmic transmission. The suspension features...
Saturn Flextreme Concept
If the Saturn Flextreme concept looks familiar, it should. This plug-in hybrid concept made it’s debut as an Opel at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall, underscoring the common approach the two divisions are taking toward vehicles like the Astra subcompact and the Vue crossover. Using GM’s E-Flex technology, the Flextreme can drive...
Top Five Concepts
Green is the new coin of the auto realm, both in the traditional folding money sense and in the desire to appear as being eco-friendly. Or at least that’s the conclusion to be drawn from this year’s crop of top concepts from the North American International Auto Show. It’ll probably take in excess of a hundred grand of the folding stuff...
Top Five Show-Stealers
Detroit is the first major show since the federal government mandated a 40-percent increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy to 35 mpg by 2020. Even with the looming specter of the stricter standards and $100 per barrel oil, the hottest cars on display are evidence that auto manufacturers are intent on going out with a bang and not...
Toyota A-BAT Concept
Toyota’s CALTY design studio resides just across the Newport Back Bay, which separates it from our offices by about a 10-minute drive. CALTY has an excellent track record of creating exciting and futuristic concepts, and the newest one, the A-BAT, is no exception. This relatively small truck has a healthy dose of pizzazz...
Concept Dodge ZEO
No engine, just a motor and big lithium-ion batteries, thus ZEO for Zero Emissions Operation. This plug-in electric car is purported to go the distance for the sporty commuter—a claimed 250 miles. It has a semi-practical 4-door wagon shape, yet a sportingly low roofline of 50.8 in., not to mention aggressively oversized 23-in. wheels...
Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept
The tease continues. Lexus, which introduced its LF-A supercar two years ago, was thought to be bringing the final production version to Detroit. Instead, it showed a roadster version of the concept and revealed more details about the vehicle’s mechanical package. While Lexus was cagey at first on whether the LF-A would be front...
Saab 9-4X BioPower Concept
Saab unveiled its 9-4X BioPower Concept at the North American International Auto Show. It is a sleek Scandinavian-styled crossover sport ute with a 4-seat interior design reminiscent of the company's pervious aviation heritage. The sport ute is equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission...
2009 Cadillac CTS-V
Following closely on the heavy foot falls of Corvette’s ZR1, the next- generation Cadillac CTS-V is walking softly, but carries a serious punch. The previous car’s LS6 V-8 pumped out a more than useful 400 horsepower. This engine is up to a monstrous 550 bhp! That’s sure to give the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG a real run for the money...
Chrysler ecoVoyager Concept
The plug-in fuel cell features a flat floor design that packages all the mechanicals at the bottom. These include the same 200-kilowatt (268-horsepower) electric motor from the ZEO concept, a 16kWh Li-ion battery pack and a hydrogen fuel cell. For the daily 40-mile commute, the electric battery would suffice, and for a 400-mile range the fuel-cell...
Lincoln MKT Concept
The T is for Touring. However, it could stand for Turbo, as the powerplant is the ecoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6. Ford claims a 20 percent fuel-economy improvement over an equivalent V-8, but we still wouldn’t call it environmentally friendly. Although a concept, the MKT will make it to production on the same platform as the Ford Flex...
Audi R8 V-12 TDI Diesel
Even though the Audi mid-engine R8 offers stunning styling and ample power from its 420-bhp 4.2-liter V-8, enthusiasts have clamored for more. Audi's response is this R8 "concept" boasting a turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 diesel engine with 500 bhp and an eye-popping 738 lb.-ft. of torque. It is the world's first diesel-powered supercar...
2009 Hyundai Genesis
Detroit was the launching ground for the production version of Hyundai's 2009 rear-drive Genesis luxury/sports sedan, set to go on sale in the U.S. this summer. Hyundai says the Genesis has "capabilities and features comparable to $60,000 luxury premium sedans," but at a price that starts under $30,000. According to the manufacturer...
Cadillac Provoq Concept
This show car actually made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas a week before coming to the Detroit show as a means of showing off GM's hybrid fuel-cell technology to the high-tech set. This version of GM's E-Flex platform employs two 10,000-psi cylinders holding 13.2 pounds of hydrogen, enough to feed the vehicle's...
Mitsubishi Concept-RA
This sporty concept is exactly what we've been waiting for from Mitsubishi: that is, Lancer Evolution performance and technology in an angularly (or is it angrily?) styled coupe. The Concept-RA "shows that thrilling performance and environmental responsibility need not be mutually exclusive concepts," according to Mitsubishi...
Jeep Renegade Concept
The Renegade concept is pure Jeep. It's small, simple and designed to play in the dirt. Mechanically, it's a plug-in diesel hybrid with 4-wheel drive and seating for two. The engine is a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder that when combined with the 16-0kWh Li-ion battery pack, claims Jeep, could result in a 400-mile range and 110 mpg fuel economy...
2009 BMW 335d
Audi isn't the only maker pushing the performance aspect of diesels, as BMW launches the 335d, a 3 Series equipped with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel inline-6 producing 265 bhp and 425 lb.-ft. of torque. That massive amount of torque is delivered from 1750 rpm on. The Bavarian automaker claims 0–62-mph (0–100-km/h) acceleration...
2009 Toyota Venza
Looking more like an upsized Matrix, the Venza will be powered by a 268-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. That vehicle will have a 3500-lb. towing capacity. After the Venza's launch later this year, a 2.7-liter 4-cylinder, entry-level model, also with a 6-speed automatic, will be offered...
2008 BMW X6
We saw the concept for the X6 — a completely new model for BMW — just a few short months ago, and now we get to see the real McCoy in assorted colors and with final production information. BMW calls the X6 a Sports Activity Coupe, not because it has two doors — it has four — but because of its sloping roofline and hatchback...
2008 BMW 1 Series
BMW's pint-sized 1 Series hits dealerships in spring 2008 in coupe form. Two versions will be offered initially: the 128i and 135i, both of which feature inline- six-cylinder power. A convertible version is also in the works. BMW says the 1 Series was inspired by the company's legendary 2002 coupe, and it does share that...
2009 Ford F-150
First, we're just going to come out and say it: We don't know how much the 2009 Ford F-150 shown here tows. That's one bit of information — along with horsepower and torque — that Ford didn't release before the public unveiling at the kickoff of the Detroit auto show. We do know quite a bit, though. For one, the F-150 is significantly...
2009 Subaru Forester
The all-new Subaru Forester is definitely a new look for the company. Out is the completely boxy — some would even say frumpy — look of the current model and in is a sleeker front end attached to an otherwise generic SUV body. Before, when looking at the Forester the term SUV didn't always come to mind. This new look should correct that problem...
2008 Detroit Auto Show: Day One
Detroit in the winter is typically a cold and somewhat gloomy place to visit. Snow and slush are by and large guaranteed to be part of the experience. This January day proved to be anything but characteristic, however. Instead of clouds, we enjoyed sunshine as an air of spring enveloped the city. Inside, the packed halls of...
2008 Detroit Auto Show: Day Two
Day two of the 2008 North American International Auto Show began as journalists from around the world gathered once more in Cobo Arena. This time it was Lincoln’s turn to shine and they rolled out the MKT Concept in grand fashion. Designed as a new way to travel in style, it was a precursor for the rest of the day...
