Cars To Look For At The Detroit Auto Show

Ford's C-MAX, an electric Mercedes gullwing and a mystery car from Porsche are among the models getting tongues wagging.

 

January in Detroit isn't glamorous. But everyone who is anyone in the auto industry will be there next week to see for themselves just how good the industry's prospects are for 2011.
They'll be taking in new offerings from Big Three makers, scouring the latest from the luxury front, evaluating the best of what Asia can offer and drooling over exotic-sounding concepts of the future.


All will be talking about Porsche ( PSEPF.PK - news - people ): It's the first time in four years the German manufacturer will have a presence in Detroit (it left in 2007 to focus more on making a splash in Los Angeles), and Porsche executives say they'll have something "spectacular" to debut at the show. (Smart money says it'll be some variation of the 918 Spyder hybrid, which Porsche has said it'll produce in 2013.)

In Pictures: 10 Cars To Look For In Detroit

If that spate of fresh metal and Porsche's recommitment to be there have anything to say about it, Detroit's annual event may be on the rise. After a depressing showing with few new products and low attendance in 2009, the 2010 North American International Auto Show saw 65,000 more people attend. A total of $80 million was recently committed to renovating the Cobo convention center by the auto show set for 2012, and improvements in the form of better food options, roof renovations and parking improvements are already happening.

The real stars, though, are the cars. Take the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell. This is the electric version of the $183,000 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing that went on sale last year. Its four motors (a pair at each axle integrated with reduction gears to drive all four wheels at the same time) combine to provide 526 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque and a 0-60 mph time of 4 seconds. The production model will be on sale in 2013. And watch out: The car in Detroit will be painted in a screaming "AMG Lumilectric Mango" yellow.

Another sure star on the walkabout track next month will be the BMW 1-Series M Coupe. This car makes perfect sense as a part of BMW's esteemed M line--the guys at Consumer Reports say they like the 1-Series just as much as they do the M3. In fact it's surprising it has taken BMW this long to develop the vehicle.

source : forbes.com