Behind the scenes: Detroit City Rocked

PRECEDED by weeks of bad news about insurmountable debt, factory closures, lay offs, congressional bailouts and bankruptcy fears surrounding the Big Three, this year’s North American International Motor Show in Detroit was never going to be anything less than extraordinary.

Porsche, Maserati, Nissan and others had not even bothered rocking up, so the scene was set for a couple of long, hard days.

The mood was not improved by the sight of laid off auto workers braving the Arctic conditions to be heard outside the show as the media ploughed through to the artificial atmosphere of the intermittently smelly Cobo Centre.

But once inside, your correspondent at the very least was astounded to find a motor show of high standard indeed.

You might even say it was shocking. Well, the potential for electrocution was omnipresent, what with all those electric cars amid the woolly, wintry and wet weather conditions blanketing the Midwest.

We wouldn’t have been surprised if Ford had announced that it was adding the long-defunct Detroit Electric brand to its diminishing portfolio.

Over at the GM stand, the sight of 100 cheering GM employees holding up placards proclaiming “We’re Here To Stay!” and “Get Electric!” was an act of defiance as convincing as Hugh Jackman’s attraction to Nicole Kidman in the film Australia.

But, a few manufacturers managed to create a little bit of Motown magic, and it unfolded in front of the world’s automotive and business press like James Stewart’s realisation in the film It’s a Wonderful Life that there are things to live for.

Frankly, we were shocked to have had such a good time, with the whole range of reactions and emotions experienced over the course of the show. And, believe us, this does not happen as often as you might think.

From top: Volkswagen BlueSport concept, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Volvo S60 concept, Audi Sportback concept and BYD F3DM Hybrid (bottom).

VOLKSWAGEN’S worst kept secret of recent times appeared right on schedule in the guise of the Blue Sport Concept, an achingly pretty little two-seater convertible using back-to-front Golf V mechanicals for its fabulous mid-engined layout. Will VW build it? All we know is, if they do, it will use the firm’s upcoming modular platform that can serve practically everything from Polo to Passat CC. Don’t be surprised if the production car switches to front-wheel drive, though. Rumours circulated that Audi and other VW Group brands might get their own version as well. Watch this space.

Over at FORD, the reskinned Taurus doesn’t look too bad at all in the flesh – in a Mondeo-mixed-with-the-Passat sort of way. The previous model was also VW-reminiscent, but on a much grander scale. This one seems to have stance and proportion much more expertly sewn-up. The good news for Australia, though, is that Taurus isn’t going to replace the fine Falcon.

Of greater interest to performance heads is the magnetic appeal of the one-finger-salute-to-sanity Mustang Shelby GT500, looking hot in its shorter, sharper suit. With 491kW of power, 691Nm of torque, and a live rear axle, the Pony Car was like the only really truly honest American debutante since it was Detroit being big, brash and bellowing Detroit. Recession or not, the heart wants what the heart wants, and the GT500 delivered. This is another feather in the 2009 NAIAS cap.

LINCOLN rates a mention here too for its commendable C Concept. We spoke to the man responsible (Freeman Thomas also created the VW New Beetle), and he says this car is meant to connect with the JFK-era Lincoln Continental in profile and the ‘39 Zephyr from the front. May we suggest a squared-off current Nissan Micra from the rear then? After some of the horrors of some other Lincolns past and present, we suggest Ford goes for broke by breaking the mould and building it. It will never happen, though.

Across the aisle, VOLVO’S XC60 design language gets a second outing with the S60 Concept, an arresting reinterpretation of Peter Horbury’s timeless early 2000s style, yet with real progress in areas such as the thin pillars and angular surfacing. We ache for the real version of this car to look this good.

We took a punt and approached designer Steve Mattin, but probably outraged him with the suggestion that we could see Harris Mann’s sinewy Allegro Concept sketch in what might be the most important work of his career to date. He may have thought we meant the grotesque production Austin Allegro that grew from Mr Mann’s original drawings, and so he immediately clammed up. No more obscure British Leyland references to car designers anymore.

Unfortunately, the SUBARU Legacy Concept shattered us with its ultra-conservative profile, heavy-handed wheel arches and retina-assaulting fussiness of the grille and rear. Hyundai’s celebrated FC1 Concept of 1997 springs to mind. We certainly hope the production version is prettier than this.

HONDA’S Insight II has lost something in its translation from Paris Show crowd-puller to production-car Prius-pretender. This car will be inexpensive for a hybrid and the interior seems inviting, but the styling is a disappointment after the Civic, Jazz and Accord Euro.

JAGUAR vied with Audi for the smartest and most appealing stand, with the British brand exuding a confidence, class and cohesion it lacked during the Ford years. XF, XFR and XK looked splendid in white too.

But AUDI held the ace of having the first truly fresh-looking sedan in sight since the C5 A6 – of 1997. The daftly named ‘Sportback Concept’ (couldn’t it think of a better name?) makes amends after the somewhat cloned family appearance of the recent B8 A4, introducing an evocative dynamicism to Audi’s traditionally elegant styling. This is widely tipped to be the 2010 A7 to combat Mercedes-Benz’s successful (in sales terms) CLS.

Speaking of MERCEDES-BENZ, the Concept BlueZero should morph into the second-generation B-class small car from 2011. Looking like a sleeker version of today’s rather upright model, we understand that the production version will probably lose the expensive sandwich floorplan for a lighter and more conventional one. We are watching this one with interest.

TOYOTA’S Prius strengthened its standing as a symbol of all that has been lacking in Detroit’s products by regenerating like a Timelord to be better looking, more parsimonious and environmental, and an improved driving experience. Patriotic Americans may look at it with daggers, but the new third-generation petrol-electric hybrid resonated with the newfound maturity.

In contrast the LEXUS HS250h’s invisible styling means that many passersby have to look twice to spot this compelling package. But we have no doubt that Lexus has the formula right.

China’s BRILLIANCE and BYD (Build Your Dreams) were welcomed inside the pavilion with the rest of the world for a change. If the widespread plagiarism of design wasn’t so serious, we would have laughed at the shameless similarity of the BYD F0 to the Peugeot 107/Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo triplets, or how the previous-generation Honda Accord dashboard has suddenly turned up in the BYD F3. The tragedy is, at the $US6000 price mooted for the latter in the US if it arrives in three years as expected, nobody will be laughing.

The second-generation BMW Z4 might be in danger of being ignored, despite its suave new lines, unless it has its newfound fancy roof up. It just doesn’t look sufficiently different with the top down. And the same applies to BMW’S Mini Cabrio, which suffers for losing the old version’s distinctive exterior boot-lid hinges. We wonder if it is now time BMW elevate this brand to a real sub-B segment city car embracing the original BMC version’s packaging and stripped-back philosophy. Over to you, BMW board member and Briton Ian Robertson.

Everybody expected GENERAL MOTORS’ Rick Wagoner to be downbeat or even sorry for the mess his company is in, but instead – egged on by those cheering placard-wielding employees – the Big American paraded 16 reasons why GM should be left on life support. These included the highly promising Chevrolet Volt and its unexpected handsome luxury cousin, the Cadillac ConverJ (sic), the stirring Camaro coupe and the curiously Lexus GS-like Buick Lacrosse, as well as the worst (Aveo nee TK Barina) and best (Opel Insignia) new GM cars available. Sadly, when the press conference finished and the GM rent-a-crowd dispersed, the vast stand was decidedly barren of festivity. Still, top marks for presenting a show of solidarity and determination.

And what of that other Detroit basket case, CHRYSLER? With no new production car in sight and the pitiful Congress cash grab still fresh in everybody’s minds, some sceptics expected a vigil. But the 80-year old pulled off the absolute star of the show with an energy and determination of some sort of Benjamin Button in the form of the stunning 200C Concept, a cab-backward mid-sized electric show car with real production credentials (it uses the same 1995 Mercedes E-class chassis underneath as its ageing gangster 300C brother does – but then, the latest Ford Taurus’ underpinnings are distinctly related to the 1992 Volvo 850!) and a design as fresh as the snow covering outside the Cobo Hall.

The young man responsible for the 200C Concept’s exterior revealed to us that he indeed likes Holden’s work on the VE Commodore, and both share the same muscular mien. Nobody expected a dying brand to produce this, and the shock of seeing this ray of hope from Chrysler provided the heart and soul of the Detroit show, and so that’s why we enjoyed the NAIAS so much. ‘Build it and they will come’ is as American as any pop culture reference, and we think the same is true for Chrysler if it survives long enough to be able to put the 200C into production.

Of course, it might just be pretty jewellery to lure potential suitors for Chrysler owner Cerberus to offload – but the 200C Concept still stopped people dead in their tracks – just like a show car should.

We are already looking forward to Detroit in 2010.

GoAuto's complete Detroit show coverage:

Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 quattro

Audi Sportback concept

Bentley Continental GTC Speed

BMW Z4

Buick LaCrosse

Cadillac Converj concept

Cadillac SRX

Chevrolet Equinox

Chevrolet Spark and Orlando

Chrysler 200C EV concept

Dodge Circuit EV

Fisker Karma

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Ford Taurus

Honda Insight Hybrid

Jaguar XFR

Kia Soul'ster concept S

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

Lexus HS250h

Lincoln C concept, MKT

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Mercedes-Benz BlueZero concept

Mercedes-Benz E-class

Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss

Mini Cooper Cabriolet

Nissan NV2500

Subaru Legacy (Liberty)

Toyota Prius III

Toyota FT-EV concept

Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster concept

Volvo S60 concept