> All 2009 Detroit Auto Show Articles
2009 Detroit Auto Show: Preview
With the hope of a bailout for the Detroit Big 3 seemingly undecided, the 2009 North American International Auto Show promises to be one of the most memorable in decades. Some believe bankruptcy is the only answer for solving the financial crisis at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Others think the ripple effect of such action would usher in...
2009 ICOTY Awards
The International Car of the Year Awards, (ICOTY) is held each year in Detroit on the evening prior to press days at the North American International Auto Show. Hosted by Courtney Caldwell, Editor-in- chief of Road & Travel, plus her staff, the black-tie gala is a highlight for all in attendance taking place at the magnificent Detroit MGM Grand...
Cadillac Converj Concept
GM’s charismatic executive Bob Lutz always makes a grand entrance at the Detroit show. This year he was chauffeured onstage in a Cadillac concept car called the Converj. It looks much like a Cadillac CTS Coupe, but with swoopier proportions and an electric hum. That’s right; it has a powertrain like the Chevrolet Volt’s, a technology that Chevy...
2009 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Although already shown at Paris, the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon made its North American debut in production form in Detroit. Sadly, the handsome wagon won’t be joined in the lineup by its equally striking counterpart, the CTS Coupe, which has been axed as part of massive cost-cutting move at the beleaguered auto giant...
Chevrolet Spark Concept
Look out 2011! Chevrolet is promising to bring the little Spark 4-door compact to North America. Chevrolet says it’s proof of their commitment to bettering their corporate average fuel economy. Did we miss something? Doesn’t Chevrolet already have the Chevrolet Aveo5? How exactly is the Spark different? We’re not sure of the details yet...
2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss
Question: How do you properly commemorate the production run of a supercar coming to an end? Answer: Name the final, limited-edition versions in honor of one of the most legendary race drivers ever—Sir Stirling Moss. To our delight—and despite the fact the SLR Stirling Moss will only be sold in Europe— Mercedes-Benz saw fit to unveil...
Chevrolet Orlando Concept
While the Chevy Orlando is a done deal in Europe, there's been no decision about bringing this small people mover over to the U.S., until now. They have just announced the car will be on sale in the U.S. in 2011. What this sharply chiseled two-box subcompact offers is contemporary styling and three-row 7- passenger seating...
2009 Honda Insight Hybrid
Honda is going after the hybrid market in a big way with its new Insight, officially unveiled today in Detroit. The name is shared with an earlier Honda, the first gasoline-electric hybrid introduced to the U.S. back in 1999. Unlike that strictly 2-seater, this one is a 5-door hatchback. The new Insight aligns deftly between Honda’s Fit...
2010 Lexus HS250h
Lexus chose Detroit for the introduction of its HS250h, a 4-door sedan that slots between this upscale division’s sporty IS and ES. The front-drive HS250h has an overall length of 184.8 in. As such, it’s a bit longer than an IS; what’s more, it’s taller than either of its corporate siblings. Also, the HS250h’s “couple distance,” hip to...
Subaru Legacy Concept
Subaru may be pulling out of the World Rally Championship, but the Japanese company is keeping busy developing future production cars, as this Legacy Concept from the Detroit show proves. Do you like what you see? We do. This racier-looking Legacy remains a 4-door sports sedan, an all-wheel-driver powered by a 3.6-liter flat-6 boxer...
Dodge Circuit EV
Chrysler promises to bring one of its 2009 ENVI concept cars from the Detroit show to production by 2010. We hope it’s this one. Zero emissions with performance and styling—what’s not to like? We had the opportunity to briefly drive the development car in our December issue. It wore a different yellow body then and was known simply as the Dodge EV...
Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO
Built around the principles of flexible design, a compact exterior and a generously sized interior, the 5-seat Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO made its worldwide debut at the Detroit Auto Show. It’s a novel idea: a smallish 5-seat, 4-door, front-wheel-drive hatchback that can be powered by three different powertrains — electric, fuel cell or hybrid...
Audi Sportback Concept
The Audi A7 had been rumored as Audi’s version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS. But after seeing the Audi Sportback Concept in the flesh at the Detroit auto show, it’s obvious Audi is taking a bit of a different tack with its stylish new luxury car. For starters, the Audi Sportback Concept is a 5-door hatchback, unlike the “4-door coupes” from...
2009 Fisker Karma
The Detroit show served as the official unveiling of the Fisker Karma. It’s Fisker Automotive’s first production car, and it’s also the world’s first luxury plug-in hybrid. Despite a weak economy, company founder and CEO Henrik Fisker says interest in the $87,900 Karma has been so strong that the car is sold out until mid-2010...
Kia Soul’ster Concept
Even though the production Soul has yet to reach dealers in the U.S. (they arrive this spring), Kia has already taken the wraps off a fun-in-the-sun concept based on the production Soul. Called the Soul’ ster, this 2-door 4-seater with a removable roof is clearly aimed at young folks who spend their free time hanging out at the beach...
Best of the Detroit 3
If the domestic makers are to survive or better yet, thrive, it won't be government loans that will do the trick. Rather, it's up to them to make got-to-have vehicles that can excite and motivate the buying public to get off the couch and into the nearest showroom. At the North American International Auto Show, the home team displayed...
Volkswagen Concept BlueSport
A top speed of 140 mph? Highway fuel economy of 50 mpg? Where do we sign? Volkswagen has given the sports car segment a shot in the arm with this high-mpg, high-performance 2-seater concept that we can only hope makes it to production—soon. The Concept BlueSport is powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbodiesel that cranks out...
Fisker Karma S Concept
Alongside the debut of the production Karma sedan, Fisker Automotive took the wraps off a 2-door version, the Karma S or Sunset, which features a 3-piece retractable hardtop. The 4-seat Karma S concept employs the same aluminum space-frame architecture as the sedan along with the Q-Drive hybrid powertrain...
2010 Buick LaCrosse
Everyone applauded the new LaCrosse at its unveiling—for good reason. The economy and car market is down, but GM is on a roll, putting out cars we’re looking forward to driving. The new Buick LaCrosse is a great example. Think Saturn Astra and Chevrolet Malibu and you won’t be far off the mark. However, this Buick is...
2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro
Audi just unveiled a faster and more powerful R8 at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. This premium sports car is fitted with a potent V-10 engine, and it comes with upgrades such as magnetorheological dampers and minor styling changes that reflect the heightened level of performance. Inspired by Audi's successes at...
Concepts that Shook Detroit
With so much riding on the survival of the Detroit-based manufacturers in the short term, you would think that the North American International Auto Show, which has a long history of concept-heavy debuts, would see a dearth of dream cars. While this may not be a banner year for show cars, there were still plenty of significant forward-thinking...
2009 BMW Z4 Roadster
We’ve known it was coming for a few years, but now BMW has finally unveiled its all new Z4 Roadster at the Detroit show. The car has been thoroughly redesigned, and it includes a power retractable two- piece aluminum roof—a first for the Z4. A fixed-roof coupe will no longer be produced. The new Z4 is slightly larger and heavier...
2010 Ford Shelby GT500
The new 2010 Mustang was just shown at the LA Auto Show. Now, less than 3 months later, here’s the new Shelby GT500 at Detroit. In both coupe and convertible forms! Talk about instant gratification. Every other manufacturer seems to make us wait a year, so this is a nice change. Obviously the styling is new, but that’s not all...
2010 Toyota Prius
There’s no mistaking the new 2010 Toyota Prius unveiled today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. That is, the general shape of this third-generation hybrid identifies it clearly as a Prius. But there’s lots of freshness—stylistic and technical—to justify calling it all-new. Its front end carries...
2010 Ford Taurus
This should give Chevy’s Impala something to think about. We tend to fault the Impala for being a bit of an un-sporty dinosaur, but we won’t be saying that about the new Ford Taurus. On top of looking good in the Detroit spotlights, the new Taurus promises to be nearly as refined as its cousin, the Lincoln MKS...
2010 Chevrolet Equinox
Family ties are important, and this reskinned Equinox now has a proper bow-tie grille like the rest of the Chevy family. Although its appearance has changed, its dimensions are within inches of the previous crossover—one inch shorter and one inch longer. For the first time the Equinox will be offered with a 4-cylinder engine...
2010 Cadillac SRX
A large departure from the previous SRX, the new Cadillac SRX crossover is clearly a derivative of the Saturn Vue. Not a bad thing, however. The underpinnings for the all-new 2010 SRX are indeed from the Saturn Vue, but the powertrains for this Caddy are not. A new 3.0-liter direct-injected V-6 will supply about 260 bhp while...
Volvo S60 Concept
Volvo took the wraps off this stunning S60 concept at the Detroit show. And yes, as many in the crowd expected, this curvy sedan gives us a very good glimpse of what the production version of the all-new S60 will look like when it arrives in 2010. We particularly like the roofline...
2009 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S
Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa drove a Maserati Quattroporte when he was at the prime of his career—both physically and financially—in the Sylvester Stallone film Rocky III. Well, if the “Italian Stallion” were to buy a Quattroporte now, we have no doubt he would choose the very best available—the 2009 Maserati...
2010 Bentley Continental GTC Speed
Bentley's top-down tourer, the Continental GTC, is now available as a high-performance Speed model. Featuring improved handling via a lowered, more aggressively damped suspension, and more power via a revised twin-turbocharged 600-bhp W-12 engine, the new Speed version of the GTC just shown at Detroit...
2009 Mini Cooper Convertible
Although the second-generation of the Mini Cooper hardtop was launched in 2007, it has taken until now—the 2009 Detroit auto show—for Mini to launch the new convertible version. As with the hardtop, the new Mini rides on the same 97.1-in. wheelbase of the previous model, but the body has increased...
Chrysler 200C EV Concept
Chrysler's unveiling of the 200C EV concept car came as a big surprise at this year's Detroit Auto Show. It is a brand-new 4-door sport sedan that promises 40 miles of all- electric driving, plus 400 miles of extended range when the gasoline engine kicks in as a generator. Despite exterior styling said to be inspired...
Toyota FT-EV Concept
Toyota’s FT-EV concept car is having its world introduction in Detroit. This BEV (battery electric vehicle) shares its platform with the Toyota iQ urban commuter car, the latter already on sale in Japan. The FT-EV is designed to carry four, albeit in close- coupled short-trip comfort. Its range is 50 miles...
Lincoln Concept C
A collective “hmmm” could be heard from the crowd as the new Lincoln Concept C came into view. Any small Lincoln takes some getting used to, particularly one with edgy European styling. And although the rear of this car is the subject of much discussion, concepts such as this Lincoln are meant to push the boundaries...
2010 Lincoln MKT
A collective “hmmm” could be heard from the crowd as the new Lincoln Concept C came into view. Any small Lincoln takes some getting used to, particularly one with edgy European styling. And although the rear of this car is the subject of much discussion, concepts such as this Lincoln are meant to push the boundaries...
2011 Smart Electric
The logic of turning the Smart ForTwo into an electric car is obvious, even to the company executives. In fact, there has been an electric Smart in development since 2002. However, it's still not quite ready for the mainstream. The battery technology, as we've heard a million times, just isn't there yet. It is, however, getting close...
2011 Chevrolet Cruze
This new global car from GM’s largest division will go on sale first in Europe this spring and while it was initially expected to bow here within a year, Chevy decided to delay the American launch until 2011 in a bid to save much-needed cash. The sharply chiseled sedan with a steeply sloped roofline...
2009 NAIAS Day One
Summer in Detroit is fine and the livin’ is easy. With plenty of green space, the blue waters of Lake Michigan nearby and the Detroit Tigers usually in the hunt for a playoff birth, it offers a great deal for those seeking summertime fun. But this is January and visiting Detroit is typically anything but carefree...
Power Brokers from the Detroit Show
Times are changing — automakers are working hard on cleaner and more fuel efficient cars. Still, when someone says "Detroit" images of hairy, earth-shaking muscle cars come to mind. And this year's North American International Auto Show demonstrates that despite wildly fluctuating fuel prices, there still...
2009 NAIAS Day Two
Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all have a unique story to tell. Chances are, however, it isn’t the one many people are thinking of. With the current talk centered around government bailouts, overly gracious executive compensation and basic survival, it is easy to forget the Detroit Big 3 are introducing...
