Detroit Auto Show

Detroit Auto Show: An all new 2012 Audi A6

If Audi is going to achieve the lofty sales goals of its parent company, Volkswagen AG, especially in the U.S., the new redesigned 2012 A6 sedan, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show this week, had better surpass the popularity of the outgoing model.

Looking very much like a slightly diminutive Audi A8, unveiled a year ago, the A6 sports the big toothy Audi signature grille, and a pretty tailored look that is almost throwback in its simplicity.

Audi has a target of selling 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. by 2018, which would be up sharply from the 101,629 it sold in 2010.

The A6 will be available globally with two gas engines and three TDI diesel powerplants, as well as a front-wheel drive-only (no Quattro system) hybrid model. The most powerful gasoline-fed model will be the 3.0-liter TFSI Quattro, producing 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

The A6 hybrid will achieve an average fuel consumption of only 6.2 liters per 100 km (37.94 US mpg. The 2.0 liter TDI (clean diesel), in conjunction with a manual transmission, achieves 48 mpg (U.S).

Stay-tuned for pricing and precise launch date for the U.S. But we suspect the stickers to b close to the current A6, which ranges from $45,200 to $59,150.

Gallery: 2012 Audi A6

Tags: Audi A6, Audi A6 TDI, Audi Hybrid, detroit auto show, detroit auto show 2011, North American International Auto Show

Detroit Auto Show: Porsche To Show Concept based on 918 Spyder

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

German automaker Porsche is expected to show a coupe version of its 918 Spyder at the Detroit auto show next week, according to Automotive News.

The two-seater vehicle will be a concept race car with a V8 engine relying on about 600 horsepower, reported the trade magazine. The car will be based on the same platform as the 918 Spyder hybrid (shown), a model that reaches 100 km (62 miles) an hour in 3.2 seconds and costs about 500,000 euros ($670,000) in Germany. The company said its Detroit premiere will be broadcast live on www.porsche.com/detroit.

Porsche, which is in process of merging with Volkswagen AG, will expand its four model lines with a goal of doubling annual sales to as many as 150,000 vehicles by 2014.

Tags: 918 spyder, detroit auto show, detroit auto show 2011, Porsche

Lamborghini Planning Special Edition Gallardos

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The Gallardo has proven a runaway success for Lamborghini. But before it is replaced in a couple years' time, the Italian automaker is reportedly planning a couple of special editions.

First up is the Bicolore edition, featuring a two-tone paint scheme like the Gallardo SE from 2006, but based on the newer and faster LP560-4 version. Word has it the special edition will debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show next month.

Following the Bicolore edition, rumor has it that a Tricolore edition will debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show. But instead of simply one-upping the aforementioned Tricolore with a three-tone paint scheme, reports suggest that the special Gallardo will feature the red, white and green of the Italian flag to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the country's unification.

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Chrysler Unveils New 300 Flagship Sedan

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Limo drivers may think of Cadillac and Lincoln as the two American luxury marques, but we wouldn't could Chrysler out of the running just yet. The company is making a comeback, and has just revealed its new top-of-the-line model.

Like the model it replaces, it's called the Chrysler 300. A slew of improvements have been made over the outgoing model, including a restyled exterior with LED headlamps and even more chrome than before for a classier look.

The car will be officially unveiled next month at the Detroit Auto Show, after which sales will open with a choice of Pentastar V6 or Hemi V8 engines driving the rear wheels or all four.

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Tags: 2011 chrysler 300, 2011 detroit auto show, 2011 naias, 2011 north american international auto show, 300, chrysler, chrysler 300, detroit auto show, naias, North American International Auto Show

Mini Releases the Paceman Concept

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The company that jump-started the premium hatchback market is unrelenting in its expansion, transforming its original model into a growing range. This is the latest.

Although billed as a concept car, the Mini Paceman could very well make it to production if demand proves sufficient. It's essentially a coupe version of the Countryman crossover model, and is set to debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. Aside from chopping a couple of doors off the crossover, Mini has also given the Paceman a number of intriguing design touches, like leather pulls on the doors and gas cap, a wooden trim piece on the front fender and a rearward sloping roof.

Gallery: Mini Paceman concept

Tags: 2011 detroit auto show, detroit, detroit auto show, mini, Mini Paceman, MINI Paceman Concept, naias, north american international auto show, paceman

Detroit 2010: Detroit show car Audi E-tron, Bluesport Goes Electric

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Audi e-tron Detroit Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Right now Audi is heavily pushing diesel as the answer to reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions but down the road we'll be seeing both hybrid and electric options from the German brand as well. Last fall at Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi debuted a battery powered supercar based on the R8 and dubbed E-tron. For this weeks Detroit Auto Show, the E-tron name is back as is the lithium ion battery pack.

This time around the sports car is significantly smaller and only features two electric motors driving the rear wheels instead of four like the last concept. The new concept is almost the same size as last year's Volkswagen Bluesport roadster concept and may be based on the same platform. The concept again demonstrates that a car doesn't have to be dull to be green. The new E-tron gets to 62 mph in just 5.9 seconds from a standing start and is claimed to be able to about 155 miles on a full charge of its battery. While Audi plans to build some production examples of the original R8 based E-tron in 2012, there has been no announcement about this smaller model.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: Audi e-tron Detroit Concept

[Source: Audi]

Tags: audi, audi detroit showcar e-tron, Audi E-Tron, Audi e-tron Concept, AudiDetroitShowcarE-tron, AudiE-tron, AudiE-tronConcept, Detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, Detroit2010, DetroitAutoShow, electric sports car, electric sportscar, ElectricSportsCar

Continue reading “Detroit 2010: Detroit show car Audi E-tron, Bluesport Goes Electric”

Detroit 2010: Cadillac XTS Platinum Plug-in Hybrid Concept Previews New Flagship

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Cadillac XTS Platinum PHEV concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Over the past decade the effort to remake Cadillac into a modern luxury brand to compete with the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz has only been partially successful. The Escalade and CTS have been hits but the Cadillac has no smaller high volume model to compete with the 3 series and the larger STS and DTS are on their way out. The first phase of Cadillac's effort to flesh out the lineup debuts in Detroit today in the shape of the XTS concept.

The XTS is currently a concept but it's expected to go into production as a flagship in early 2012. Its front styling draws heavily on the 2003 Sixteen concept but instead of a massive V16 engine, the new car gets a direct injected V6 and a plug-in hybrid system. The hybrid system is based on the two-mode hybrid technology available in GM's full-size SUVs and pickup trucks but modified for installation in a car. The nickel metal hydride battery is replaced by a lithium ion pack that allows more electric-only or electrically boosted hybrid driving. The plug-in hybrid was originally planned to debut in the now canceled Saturn Vue in 2011 but will now instead go into one of GM's premium vehicles. The most likely candidates are either the XTS or the SRX crossover from Cadillac.

Gallery: Cadillac XTS Platinum concept

[Source: General Motors]

Tags: cadillac, cadillac xts, cadillac xts platinum concept, CadillacXts, CadillacXtsPlatinumConcept, Detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, Detroit2010, DetroitAutoShow

Continue reading “Detroit 2010: Cadillac XTS Platinum Plug-in Hybrid Concept Previews New Flagship”

BMW Debuts Top-of-the-Line Z4 sDrive3.5is Roadster in Detroit

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Enthusiasts have been waiting patiently for an M version of BMW's latest Z4 roadster, and that day has finally arrived, in everything but name. The new – if awkwardly named – Z4 sDrive3.5is is the top-of-the-line roadster from the Bavarian automaker. Unveiled this week at the Detroit auto show, it packs the company's highly-rated 3-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 340 horsepower. 0-60? 4.8 seconds. And to bring it closer to M Roadster territory, there's an M-sport appearance package available, together with a revised suspension and bigger brakes.

Gallery: BMW Z4 sDrive3.5is

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Tags: 2010 naias, bmw, bmw m power, bmw m sport, bmw z4, bmw Z4 sDrive35is, BmwMPower, BmwMSport, BmwZ4, BmwZ4Sdrive35is, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, naias, north american international auto show, z4

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible Debuts at Detroit Show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Between the SL, SLK and CLK, Mercedes-Benz offers no shortage of convertible options. But the latter is on its way out, and here's its replacement: the all-new for 2010 E-Class Cabriolet. Following in line with the recently released E-Class sedan, wagon and coupe, the convertible benefits from all the latest developments Daimler has to offer, and then some. As a convertible, the E-Class gets a new system called AirCap, designed to minimize wind buffeting in the cabin at speed, and another called Airscarf that keeps occupants warm to enable top-down motoring in all sorts of weather. Like the rest of the range, the E-Class convertible will be available in E350 and E550 guises, with a 268hp V6 and a 382hp V8 respectively. And, of course, room for four sun-worshipping passengers.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

Tags: 2010 naias, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, mercedes, mercedes-benz, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio, mercedes-benz e-class cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible, Mercedes-benzE-class, Mercedes-benzE-classCabrio, Mercedes-benzE-classCabriolet, Mercedes-benzE-classConvertible, naias, north american international auto show

Chrysler Presents Upgraded 300 S in Detroit

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

While waiting on a new generation of shared platforms with its new corporate partners at Fiat, Chrysler is holding on with a series of special packages for some of its most popular Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler-brand products. Among them, at the top of the line, sits the new Chrysler 300 S, unveiled at this year's Detroit auto show.

The new trim is mostly an appearance package, available in both S6 (with the 250hp 3.5-liter V6) and S8 (340hp 5.7-liter Hemi V8) guises. Both get a new grille, darkened headlamp bezels, sleeker door panels, side mirror housings and polished 20" wheels. Inside there are new leather sport seats, carbon-fiber trim, red top-stitching and 300 S logos stitched into various surfaces. The new package should help the five-year-old 300, based on the old Mercedes E-Class platform, carry on a few more years until its replacement arrives.

Gallery: Chrysler 300 S8

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Tags: 2010 naias, 300, 300 c, 300 s, 300 s6, 300 s8, 300C, 300S, 300S6, 300S8, chrysler, chrysler 300, chrysler 300 c, chrysler 300 s, chrysler 300 s6, chrysler 300 s8, Chrysler300, Chrysler300C, Chrysler300S, Chrysler300S6, Chrysler300S8, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, naias, north american international auto show

Mercedes-Benz Sculpture Previews Next CLS

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Automakers are always looking for intriguing new ways to preview what they're working on next, and this is what Mercedes brought to Detroit this year: a sculpture that's tipped to preview the next-generation CLS. Pioneering the "four door coupe" segment, the CLS has been a popular vehicle for Benz, so the new model will have big, svelte shoes to fill. And from the looks of things, it should be up to the task.

Looking like a show car draped in a sheet, the sculpture shows an SLS-inspired grille, with a sleek roofline, long hood and bulging wheel arches. That's all we have to go on for now until Mercedes pulls off the iron curtain, so have a closer look in the gallery below.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz Design Sculpture

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Tags: 2010 naias, cls, cls-class, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, mercedes, mercedes cls, mercedes cls-class, mercedes-benz, Mercedes-Benz CLS, mercedes-benz cls-class, mercedes-benz design, Mercedes-benzCls, Mercedes-benzCls-class, Mercedes-benzDesign, MercedesCls, MercedesCls-class, naias, north american international auto show

Mini Shows Quirky Beachcomber Concept at Detroit Show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The Mini line-up is getting bigger. While the original came as a diminutive hatchback, the Mini has since been joined by convertible, wagon, coupe, roadster and soon a sport-utility version. But BMW's premium compact division isn't about to stop there, and to that end unveiled the Beachcomber Concept you see here at the Detroit auto show.

The Beachcomber gives another preview at what we can expect the upcoming Crossover to look like, only with some decidedly fantastical (and impractical) modifications. The roof and doors, for one, have been removed, replaced by removable fabric ones, placing this concept somewhere in between the Mini Cooper and a Jeep Wrangler. For better or worse, this strictly remains a concept car for the time being, but you can check it out in the gallery below.

Gallery: Mini Beachcomber Concept

Tags: 2010 naias, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, mini, mini beachcomber, mini beachcomber concept, mini concept, mini crossman, mini crossover, MiniBeachcomber, MiniBeachcomberConcept, MiniConcept, MiniCrossman, MiniCrossover, naias, north american international auto show

Dodge Viper Bids Farewell in Detroit with ACR 1:33 Edition

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's been a good run for the Dodge Viper. The all-American supercar gave Chrysler its reputation for putting its show-stopping show-cars into production back in 1992. Unfortunately those days are behind the troubled automaker, and that means the Viper is going the way of the do-do. But not before it's racked up some serious accomplishments, the most recent of which was claiming the fastest lap time at the venerable Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the most challenging circuits in the world.

After setting a record 1 minute, 33 second lap time around Laguna Seca, Dodge announced it would create a special-edition American Club Racer, and that ultimate Viper just debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Dodge Viper ACR 1:33 Edition gets a special paint scheme, revised aerodynamics and revised gearing, making this a fitting tribute to the sportscar that put Dodge on the map. Unfortunately only 10 examples will be produced, all of which have undoubtedly been spoken for by now. But you can see more in the gallery below.

Gallery: Dodge Viper ACR 1:33 Edition

Tags: 2010 naias, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, dodge, dodge viper, dodge viper acr, dodge viper acr 1:33 edition, DodgeViper, DodgeViperAcr, DodgeViperAcr1:33Edition, laguna, laguna seca, LagunaSeca, Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MazdaRacewayAtLagunaSeca, MazdaRacewayLagunaSeca, naias, north american international auto show

Lincoln Unveils Updated MKX Crossover in Detroit

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

While the Japanese luxury divisions continue their assault on the premium crossover market, their American counterparts aren't about to give up without a fight. And to that end, Lincoln has unveiled the newly revised MKX at the Detroit auto show. The updated luxury crossover has been treated with some revised sheetmetal to match the company's new look, while inside the refreshed interior incorporates the new MyLincoln Touch system, incorporating controls for the satellite navigation, entertainment, climate control and telephone. Is that enough to fight off rivals from the likes of Lexus, Acura and Infiniti? That's a matter of taste, and we invite you to peruse the gallery of images below and voice your opinion in the comments section.

Gallery: 2011 Lincoln MKX

Tags: 2010 naias, 2011 lincoln mkx, 2011LincolnMkx, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, lincoln, lincoln mks, LincolnMks, mks, naias, north american international auto show

Detroit 2010: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, serious speed and style

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

A few weeks ago at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Cadillac debuted the production version of its sexy new CTS coupe. That version will be quick thanks to its 305 horsepower direct injected V6 but it will be left in the dust when the CTS-V coupe arrives next week. The new V melds the fastback two-door body shell with the immense LSA V8 engine from the existing CTS-V sedan. The supercharged 6.2-liter produces 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque. Those of the kind of numbers that will help CTS-V run away and hide from the likes of the BMW M6 and the Mercedes-Benz AMG E63.

Any car that can get to 60 mph in the 4 second range and hit 190 mph needs serious stopping power and suspension capabilities. The CTS-V coupe features the same kind of Brembo brakes you'll find on a Ferrari, serious grip courtesy of Michelin and seating by Recaro. The CTS-V goes on sale this summer.

[Source: Cadillac]

Tags: cadillac, Cadillac CTS, cadillac cts coupe, Cadillac CTS-V, cadillac cts-v coupe, Cadillac CTS-V motor LSA, Cadillac CTS-V V8 LSA, CadillacCts, CadillacCts-v, CadillacCts-vCoupe, CadillacCts-vMotorLsa, CadillacCts-vV8Lsa, CadillacCtsCoupe, Detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, Detroit2010, DetroitAutoShow