Detroit

At the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress (SAE) in Detroit Utah-based Raser Technologies just unveiled its hybrid version of the Hummer H3 which they claim gets 100 miles to the gallon. The range-extended eco vehicle has an all-electric range of 40 miles with a hybrid 200 kW electric motor / 100 kW gasoline-powered engine. With a 90 mph top speed, off-road capability and a lithium ion-battery that's rechargeable in as little as three hours, the SUV maintains its acceleration, towing and off-road capacities. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime Hummer enthusiast, praised the vehicle during a visit to the exhibition.

Detroit MI in January is not generally the kind of place you associate with open top motoring. In fact 9 inches of fresh snow the day before the press previews started were followed by temperatures dropping to near zero by mid-week. Nonetheless veteran car designer Henrick Fisker showed off the production version of his plug-in hybrid Karma sport sedan and a new concept for an open-top version to follow up in 2011. The Karma and Karma Sunset concept are targeted at those who are tired of rolling up to award show red-carpets in a lowly Toyota but don't want to give up their "green cred."

The Sunset draws on the styling themes that first appeared on the Karma when it debuted at last year's Detroit Auto Show. In either sedan and convertible variations, the cabin is pushed well toward the back with the classic long hood proportions and voluptuously curved fenders. Fisker's cars are propelled by an extended range electric drive system not unlike that in the upcoming Chevy Volt, but with much more power. The Karma is claimed to be able to go 50 miles on a charge of its lithium ion battery before the 260 hp turbocharged engine starts up to recharge the battery.

Inside, the green luxury theme continues with wood trim exclusively from salvaged trees that are fallen from age or fire or recovered from lakes. The rest of the interior can be trimmed out in either leather made with so-called sustainable processes or a special fabric made from bamboo fibers which is remarkably soft in spite of its source. The Karma sedan is available for pre-order now at a starting price of $87,900. Deliveries are expected to start late this year.

Update: There is an interview with Henrik Fisker at Green Fuels Forecast



[Source: Fisker Automotive]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Real estate in Detroit is pretty dismal overall but there is one bright spot, the Westin Book-Cadillac. The old 1924 building is being turned into a hotel, restaurant and residential complex. The condos, which sell for $375,000 to $1.5 million, are going fast, 61 of the 67 units have already been sold. The $180 million project sold 40 units in just the first day they were put on the market over a year ago. The Book-Cadillac's noble past is part of the allure; it was Detroit's top hotel for years. It came on hard times in the 1980s when it was closed and the city couldn't even put together enough money to raze it. The top six floors of the building will be condos and the hotel will have 455 rooms and is set to open next fall.

Is Detroit set to become the new Las Vegas. The MGM Grand Detroit is a new luxury hotel with 335 guest rooms, nine rooftop VIP suites and 56 corner suites. The hotel will have a private entrance, a concierge level with full-service lounge and a Lobby "Living Room" for hotel guests only (shown above. The hotel which is set to open in the fall, has just announced that it will be home to three signature restaurants by two famed chefs. Wolfgang Puck will open the Wolfgang Puck Grill and chef Michael Mina will introduce both Saltwater, a seafood restaurant and Bourbon Steak, a steakhouse. Puck's entrees will also be part of the room-service program. The hotel will also include a piano bar, nightclub and a lavish spa. The MGM Grand Casino in Detroit is already open and is part of a growing hotel and casino complex in the Motor City.

Seems the good news about Detroit-area condos isn't universal. A promised high-rise in Troy, Michigan has been scrapped. The Monarch Condominiums, which we first learned about in March, would have been a pair of condominium towers with 165 units. According to an article in the Detroit Free Press some buyers had combined units to create million-dollar homes but not enough people had bought in the more modest $400,000 to $800,000 range to make the project profitable. The developers hope to perhaps move forward at a later date, perhaps after the drastically dipping condo market recovers.

Sure, luxury condos have hit trouble in Miami and Las Vegas but apparently the luxury condo business is thriving in Detroit. The Detroit Free Press reports on the sales of the new Westin condo residences at the Book-Cadillac Hotel. The building held their first invite-only sales event this week and already 40 of the condos were snapped up. Prices range from $280,000 to $1.5 million. People will move in in mid 2008 when the hotel reopens as the Westin Book-Cadillac with 455 hotel rooms and 67 condos. The initial public offering of the condos will be in December if there are any left by then.

It's been a crazy few months for houses for sale by musicians. A commenter on Nikki's Sixx's house led me to discover Jack White's Detroit home for sale (Thanks, Dina). The home is 1721 Seminole, a center-entrance Colonial that is rich in charm and old-fashioned details. The four-bedroom home has beautiful woodwork and formal details including large chandeliers, intricate moldings and original features such as hand-painted wallpaper in the dining room. There is a beautiful old library and a large safe in the hallway. The modern kitchen juxtaposed against an old butler's pantry that includes the original oak ice box.

The master bedroom was hand-painted by Jack White and has a bathroom with the original Pewabic subway tile and a new dressing room. The basement was recently restored and includes a laundry room and new bathroom. Outside there is a secret garden that includes a koi pond and various shrubs.

An article on a Detroit website this summer reports that White recorded the White Stripes' 2005 album "Get Behind Me Satan" in the grand staircase and foyer.

Compared to our usual estate-of-the-day listings, this one can be yours for a song. It is listed at $930,000. After the jump, what's black and white and red all over?

There's some good real estate in the metro Detroit area. A few weeks ago we covered a $11.25 million home in Detroit. Now the Detroit Free Press  profiles real estate agent Kenneth Peterson and his latest big listing a 22,000 square-foot house in Bloomfield Hills. The home is listed at  $14.75 million. It has four kitchens, six bedrooms; a five-car garage; an au-pair suite and a wine cellar that will hold up to 1,500 bottles. The home is full of all sorts of details like ornate wood carvings, fine tiles, marble-inlaid floors and a giant circular staircase. The home is brand new and still a month away from completion. It was built as a spec house by Sally Russell Building Company. Interior shots of the home are available with the Detroit Free Press article.

[via Born Rich]

If you are still dreaming of attending the Super Bowl or one of the many, many parties in the Detroit area, it's not too late. I checked in at Cheap Premium Tickets to see what the various events were going for. Tickets for the game now sell for upwards of $2,450 each, in pairs. Tickets to the parties are a little more reasonable but if you want to see Tommy Lee guest DJ at The Vault it will run you $548 ($1,158 gets you access to the VIP section to party with Penthouse Pets). Tickets to the Pepsi Smash starring Kanye West and Nickelback run $366 each for VIP.

Seattle Seahawks fans are understandably jubilant about their team being in the Super Bowl and the Seattle Times has an interesting story on the packages available for eager fans. PrimeSport has blocked out hotel rooms for 1,000 Seahawks fans and 1,000 Steelers fans. There are a variety of packages available. Winners of the Seahawks lottery season ticket holders lottery will pay $1,240 for two tickets. PrimeSport packages that include a ticket, airfare, and three nights in a hotel start at $4,519 per person. A day trip that gets you out to Detroit and back the same night costs $3,849 per person. All the packages are filling up fast and many are already sold out.

If you are like your Super Bowl luxury style then the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, Michigan is your headquarters for Super Bowl XL. They are offering a variety of special treats for the big event including custom-made, chocolate Super Bowl amenities at turndown, floral arrangements throughout the hotel in team colors and complimentary sports magazines in their guestrooms. There is also the Super Bowl XL Tailgate Experience. The hotel is transforming several luxury motor homes into custom suites that include feather bedding, Bulgari toiletries, a full-size refrigerator stocked with premium beverages and snacks, an outdoor chiminea, twice daily maid service, complimentary breakfast for two each morning, use of the fitness center and indoor pool. The Tailgate Experiences includes VIP passes to The XL Lounge, a sports bar at The Ritz-Carlton with plasma flat screen televisions, pinball, foosball, X Box 360 and outdoor grilling. Pricing of the Super Bowl XL Tailgate Experience starts at $2,500 per night with a four-night minimum stay and is offered Thursday, February 2 through Sunday, February 5, 2006.  If you need something a little fancier, the Elite Super Bowl XL Tailgate Experience includes everything above plus a gift certificate for a two-night Super Bowl recovery stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel or The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, a $1,000 shopping spree at the Official Super Bowl Retail Shop or The Gift Shop at The Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn, two tickets to a Night in Havana, a celebrity poker tournament at The Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn on February 2nd and a five-course dinner for two with wine on the evening of guests' choice, prepared in the suite by executive chef, Rob Wilson. The package costs $40,000 for the four-night stay with only two packages available. Unfortunately, neither package includes the biggest luxury of all, tickets to the Super Bowl. Update: The $40,000 package does include two tickets to the game!

The Detroit News features an elegant little bed and breakfast in Detroit. The Inn at 97 Winder is a 11,000 square-foot Victorian mansion which has been lovingly restored to its former glory. The home was originally built in 1876 but had been stripped of most of its chandeliers and fireplaces and was in a not-so-hot area of town when Ghassan Yazbeck and wife Marilyn Nash-Yazbeck bought 97 Winder in 1986. Now the home's location, near to Comerica Park, Ford Field, GM, Compuware, Cobo Center, Detroit Opera House, Orchestra Hall, casinos, museums make it an ideal place to have an inn. The home is furnished with antiques and each of the eight bedrooms has a different theme. Current rates are $275 to $350 per night and some rooms feature a spiral staircase leading to a turret with views of downtown Detroit.