It's been a few years since I've travelled to the Detroit Auto Show, but a trip that also took in the international launch of the BMW 2 Series Coupé and 4 Series Convertible (click on the names to read the reviews) was too good to pass up so I found myself staying five minutes away from Cobo Hall and with a day and a half to explore it in. I forgot how compact the show is. A day and a half is more than enough, even with press conferences spread over the two days. That's no bad thing though, as there was plenty to see. Here are my thoughts on the cars that grabbed all the headlines.
Audi allroad shooting brake concept
I'm a little disappointed in this to be honest. As an attention-grabbing concept car it lacks drama, looking for all the world as if it could go into production in the next few months. Not that it's unattractive, exactly, just not ground-breaking. Actually, the interior is interesting, specifically the dashboard, as it previews Audi's direction for its next generation of cabins. And we don't have to wait too long either, as the next TT (due to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March) will be the first to feature the new cockpit design. I particularly like the idea of air vents with controls on them for temperature and fan speed.
Back to the exterior of the concept, if the murmurings are correct then the styling of the next Audi TT is closely previewed here (albeit without the elongated roof and the chunky allroad accoutrements). And it looks none too radical. It seems Audi may be afraid to take the same daring approach to coupé design as it did with the original TT, instead favouring gentle evolution of the model. The realities of having to make money I guess.
BMW
Though I was in the States to drive the M235i Coupé, the Detroit show was my first opportunity to see it for the first time in the metal and the harsh indoor lighting does it no favours. It doesn't help that it's overshadowed somewhat on the BMW stand by the rather alluring new M-twins, the M3 Saloon and the M4 Coupé. But as you'll read below, these 430hp sportsters didn't have things all their own way.
Hyundai Genesis
The arrival of the new Hyundai Genesis was huge news in Detroit. Here's the second generation of the BMW 5 Series-rivalling saloon from the Korean giants. Why should we care? Well apparently it's going to be made in right-hand drive too. Not that we expect Hyundai Ireland to offer it for sale any time soon, especially as it will only feature high-powered petrol engines at first.
Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge
While there's still no sign of Infiniti coming to Ireland any time soon, the company isn't giving up on Europe in a hurry. There's a Golf-sized Infiniti Q30 being launched in 2015 for instance. But we're told that Nissan's luxury division wants to make even more of its association with the Red Bull Racing Formula Once team, and the Q50 Eau Rouge on display in Detroit is a sign of things to come. In the metal, this looks every inch the BMW-baiting super-saloon, but it's still tagged as a concept car for now, and Infiniti wouldn't even categorically say what's under the bonnet. However, by the end of the second media day in Detroit the Infiniti brass had let slip that the Eau Rouge will definitely be making it into production and that it'll have a boosted engine of some description with over 500hp. The smart money goes on AMG power, though that would put the Q50 into competition with the next generation C 63 AMG, wouldn't it?
In the real world, one without supercars and super-saloons, Kia's GT4 Stinger would have been the star of the Detroit show. A huge amount of hype surrounded this concept's unveiling, not least because there appears to be a large appetite for compact rear-wheel drive coupés. Blame Toyota/Subaru for showing us what we were missing in our lives with its sublime GT86/BRZ. Anyway, the GT4 Stinger could be a rival for the Japanese twins if it gets made, though it's unclear just how close to reality the Korean car is. Or how likely it is that it'll bring it to market with a 315hp 2.0-litre engine. Here's hoping.
Lexus cleverly waited until day two (and the excitement over the Toyota FT-1 concept - see below - to subside) to pull the covers off its main act, the new RC F coupé. You can bet the Lexus stand will be visited by plenty of BMW personnel over the coming week as they check out this new 450hp (at least) rival to the new M4 Coupé. Apparently it's not coming to market until 2015, but it'll make one hell of a twin test.
Mercedes-Benz
Reinforcing its claim to being the most popular luxury brand in America, Mercedes-Benz gave three models their world debut. The V12-engined S 600 is of minority interest (incredible as it is) and the 360hp GLA 45 AMG should be a hoot (though please God not in that lurid Edition 1 guise and please, someone, rip those tacky 'Turbo' badges off the wings). Of far more interest was the new C-Class saloon. I did drool over the 333hp C 400 4Matic model for a while before coming to my senses. Good luck seeing one of those around here. Thankfully, there'll be CDI diesel versions with emissions of less than 100g/km too. And a plug-in hybrid in time. I sat in one of the highly specified cars on display and it has a nice interior, but rear legroom and headroom (though improved) are still nothing to write home about.
I had to push through a wave of bass coming from the DJ booth on the MINI stand to get close to the John Cooper Works concept. Not sure why MINI bothered wheeling out a 'concept' version of this car, as the finished article is likely to be little different - other than the fancy paint job of course. We're assuming the next JCW model will crack 200hp with its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine.
The American journalists were getting very excited about a new rally replica from Subaru, with much talk about how the WRX STI was back with a bang. It has the right technical make-up, with a turbocharged boxer engine and over 300hp, but it hardly moves the game on, does it? Don't get me wrong: I can't wait to drive it, but it's hardly a car of the here and now. Though we're suckers for a blue paint job with gold wheels.
Wow. Just wow. Yes, yes, the FT-1 looks a lot like the final TVR models produced, such as the Sagaris, and some say its nose is too protruding, but who cares? It's stunning. What's more, I'd bet money on Toyota putting something like it into production too.
This doesn't excite me in the least. It looks pretty cool, but seems fairly pointless in the grand scale of things, especially as it does without four-wheel drive. No doubt there's a market for it in places like California though.
The second in a series of three concept cars that lead up to the revealing of Volvo's 2015 XC90 takes the form of a two-door crossover that shares some of its styling cues with the earlier Coupé Concept. The new show car looks remarkably different in the metal to how it appears in the official images. It's very wide and very long. Attractive though. Easy to see how this could morph into an XC90-sized vehicle.