Embargoes are Such a Buzz-Kill

I had the opportunity to be a guest on WDIV's Flashpoint yesterday. The show is the Detroit NBC affiliate's micro-sized version of Meet The Press. As you'd expect from a Meet The Press Detroit version — it was all about the auto industry, and this week the topic of the 2008 Detroit Auto Show was front and center. While I got a chance to talk about the enthralling topics of fuel economy (via GM's garbage-laden ethanol announcement on day one of the show), the marketing hype that is the hybrid and of course, GM and jobs. How exciting. I didn't get a chance to talk about the one thing I really wanted to talk about — the issue of "buzz." More »

Mazda Furai Concept Running in Display Stand

You thought you had seen the last of the 2008 Mazda Furai concept didn't you? We certainly had enough coverage on the lusty concept that didn't make Popular Mechanics' Top 10 New Cars of Detroit list. What with the teaser photos, track video, live reveal shots, and super sneaky close ups - but no, we're not done yet. How about video of the ethanol powered Nagare-gasm running on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show? Would you like that? Yeah, we thought you would.

Detroit Auto Show: Michigan Plans To Expand Cobo Convention Center

The Cobo Center, home to the Detroit Auto Show, provides approximately $600 million annually to the local economies, with much of that money coming from the show itself. With that in mind, state and local officials are working on a plan to spend $595 million to expand and renovate the center. This change would include adding an additional 120,000 square feet, which would create room for even more automakers (C'mon Tata, show us your Nanos). We're supportive of the idea, if only to create space for more surprise Chinese test drives and booth babes. [AP via MLive]

Detroit Auto Show: Maserati Reminds You You're Too Poor to Afford a QP Collezione Cento

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Detroit Auto Show: Jalopnik's Exclusive First Tailgate In 2009 Dodge Ram

We were breaking stories like madmen at Detroit, after our world exclusive drive through Cobo we went to see the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 to have the world's first tailgate using the awesome new RamBox feature. And who volunteered to down the first bottle? Why that would be Dan Bodene of Chrysler Communications. Drink it down boys. More »

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Dodge Ram Versus 2009 Ford F-150

Since the motoring press is not going to get to get our hands on either the 2009 Dodge Ram or the 2009 Ford F-150 for a while we thought we'd jump the gun and do a comparison based off things we've seen and scraps of info they've told us. More »

Who Had Your Favorite Booth Babes?

Normally booth babes are virtually invisible at the Detroit Auto Show - all bundled up in pantsuits and acting as "spokesmodels". This year saw some cracks in the wall of political correctness through which a few foreign manufacturers snuck in very lovely ways to make a bunch of dudes look at their cars. The field of candidates expanded this year to include our darling of the show BYD, as well as BMW, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, and Audi. We certainly enjoyed taking these pictures, and now we want to know which manufacturer went above and beyond with the most fetching selection of spokesmodels. Poll after the jump. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Fisker Has Seen The Future, And The Future Is Bar Graphs

Though the Fisker Karma Hybrid has a significant backer in VC firm Kleiner-Perkings, much of the Karma prototype we saw was still held together with epoxy. In fact, we weren't even allowed to open the doors ourselves. A specially trained assistant was there to make sure we didn't break the car. All this goes to say that the bar graphs designed to show consumption (left) and range (right) may not make it in and, hopefully, will receive something better looking than the gelled inserts seen here.

Give Us Your Grades

The Detroit Auto Show was an absolute hootenanny of reveals, confirmed rumors, shattered expectations, and free tea sets. Of course, we handed out grades to automakers. And you, dear readers? Which ones did you think flunked? Which soared? And which aimed squarely for the mediocre middle? Don't hold back. Spare the rod and spoil the child.

Detroit Auto Show: Fallen Firefighters Memorial Rig

Tucked into a corner of the basement is a 1937 Seagrave Safety Sedan, known amongst fire truck junkies as the Detroit Safety Sedan and it represents one of the more interesting untold stories here at Detroit. When a firefighter falls in the line of duty, there is a longstanding tradition of using a firetruck as the funeral hearse to honor the family and the deceased. The tradition of the final ride has become difficult, as fire trucks have grown in size and height. Seeing the problem, the Detroit Fireman's Fund Association decided to set out to do something about it. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Hummer HX and the Halo Warthog, The Final Word

I had a chance to talk with David Rojas and Robert Jablonski, the exterior and interior designers of the Hummer HX Concept with one question on the table: What's the link between the HX and the Warthog from Halo? The answer wasn't as clear as I was hoping. I couldn't get either of the twentysomething designers to admit that the HX was inspired in any least bit by the Warthog from Halo, but I think I can still make a case, even though GM has already openly denied any kind of a link between the two. More »

Detroit Auto Show: We Get The Down Low On The Passat CC

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Between whipping us like the cattle we are and sipping his lattes, Senór Wert made time to work up some amusing daily commentary for this years Detroit Auto Show. Unfortunately, he was too busy wielding the whip over getting ever-larger galleries up to get his own spiel up. Luckily the comedy act over at Dubspeed was snarky enough on both Sunday and Monday to pick up the slack.

Detroit Auto Show, Day Four

We had a little too much fun yesterday, as you can see above. Though the last press day of the Detroit Auto Show is supposed to be a bit slower, no one got the memo. Our staff continued to burn off pretzels running through Cobo Hall chasing stories and, unsuccessfully, the cuter car models. We'd like to share with you stories of romantic conquest, but in lieu of that here are the stories that rocked Detroit yesterday. More »

Detroit Auto Show: How Many Burly Men Can Fit In A Smart?

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We're pretty good picture-takers and we did a pretty good job picture-taking here at the Detroit Auto Show. Zerin on the other hand, is better. [SpeedSportLife]

Commenter of the Day: Detroit Auto Show Dragons Edition

For better or worse, dragons have become something of a meme around here. Well, it looks like they're here to stay, with Spense delivering a comment in the BMW Hearts Diesel piece that seriously had the entire staff in fits here in the Cobo Hall press room. Check it out after the jump. More »

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 VW Passat CC Joins the Self Parking Party

Here's a tidbit we missed from the 2009 Volkswagen Passat CC live reveal on Sunday. It seems that VW is stepping up to the Lexus challenge and introducing an auto-park feature for the swoopy sedan with the coupe-like roof. eGMcartech is reporting on this interesting development, while we're left hoping it's at least faster at automatically making you do it yourself.

Detroit Auto Show: BYD's Young Exec Can Get Girls

Earlier in the day we showed video of China's youngest auto exec competently explaining BYD's Dual mode hybrid F6 to us. And we may have made a joke about him not being able to get a date to the prom before our crazy ass drive through the Detroit Auto Show. But then we saw him on our way to a photo shoot with another automaker, drinking with two prom dates. Well played, sir.

Detroit Auto Show: Porsche Surprise

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Detroit Auto Show: BMW Hearts Diesel

Look what was wrapped around our complimentary Wall Street Journal at the Detroit Auto Show today: a love letter written by BMW to diesel. Full text and a big picture after the jump. More »

Detroit Auto Show: EyesOn Design Winners Announced

The Detroit Auto Show opened up with the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, which was questionably awarded to the Chevy Malibu and the Mazda CX-9. Today the EyesOn Design awards presented four awards for design excellence and at least three of the four winners made sense. The award for the best production car went to the Cadillac CTS-V, which is very deserving. Also deserving is the BMW X6, which won the best production truck. The best concept car went to the Cadillac CTS Coupe. The oddity was the best concept truck, which went to the Chrysler ecoVoyager. Calling the ecoVoyager a truck is like calling a dragon a virgin. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Funkmaster Flex Does Detroit, Talks Nano

Of all the musical celebrities that have shown up this week, Funkmaster Flex has to be our favorite. The black and red Ford Flexpedition outside let us know to be on alert for Flex and then, near VW, we found him. We know Flex knows his stuff, but we were shocked that he wanted to talk about the Tata Nano, the $2,500 car from India. We didn't get a photo of ourselves with Flex, but we were lucky enough to grab one of him with some other journalist. We think she works for the Washington Times...

Detroit Auto Show: Nissan Forum Concept Family Vehicle Has Time Out Button, Microwave, Nanny Cam

Modestly described as "the ultimate family vehicle," the Nissan Forum Concept is pretty much a rolling home away from home. This capacious vehicle features a couple key features to accommodate any growing brood. My favorite option is the "Time Out" button located on the steering wheel. It will terminate the broadcast of all types of media and entertainment being consumed in the backseat. Kids acting up? Turn that Hannah Montana diva off for good! Parents can monitor their offspring (as well as anything else they might be transporting) with a nanny cam integrated into the roof above the center console. No longer will Dad have to look over his shoulder while simultaneously parallel parking and frantically BlackBerrying. The center console microwave is perplexing. My apartment smells for days after simply popping popcorn—I can't imagine what a few dozen chicken nuggets would do to "that new car smell." Oh well, at least the center row of seats can spin to face each other and the binnacle contains motion controls. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Amphibious Tang Hua Detroit Fish

We practiced our love with the Tang Hua Book of Songs earlier, and now for the less phallic, more idiosyncratic Tang Hua Detroit Fish. "Detroit Fish" would be an odd name for a car if it weren't for the fact that this fish can evidently swim. Yes indeed, this is the only amphibious crossover at the Detroit Auto Show. While this might not be the most popular segment at the moment, Tang Hua's marketing team has an ingenious strategy - sell one to President George W. Bush for use on his Texas ranch. Tang Hua wants the renowned environmentalist to help kick start its US product blitz with some top notch product placement. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Corvette Manager Talks ZR1, Environmentalism?

Our intrepid videographer spent some time listening to Harlan Charles, the Project Manager at GM behind the 2009 Corvette ZR1 talks about his demon ride. During the conversation he manages to fit in as many refs to other products as possible. Count along: Ferrari 599, Audi R8, Corvette Z06, previous gen ZR1. He then goes on to hint inadvertently that the next C6 special edition could involve an environmental twist, but quickly retreats from the statement. Hybrid Vette anyone? Probably E85 Vette first. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Hyundai Genesis Sedan Test Track Video

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Detroit Auto Show: Wee Rides that Puff Themselves Up

Small cars—wave of the future or grim throwback to the gaslines of the 1970s, just with cooler exteriors and cupholders? Plenty of lip service was paid to the treehugger obsessions of Generation fortwo at the Detroit Auto Show's Michelin Design Challenge. The brief? Create designs that are rinkydink, don't chug fuel, and won't kill anybody. Legions of dewy young designers (and presumably a few not so dewy ones who have always burned to create a teensy set of wheels) rose to the challenge and submitted to review over two days at Art Center College of Design. A few aspirants were perhaps excessively inspired by Bibendum's spongy girth and—focusing on the always tricky prospect of preventing people from being mangled in small-vehicle collisions with much larger vehicles—added airbags to the outside of their concepts. Heck, if it worked for Russian space capsules hurtling to hard landings, why not micromobiles? Everything returns to normal in 2009, when the shrunk stuff goes away, the airbags go back inside, and patriotism is restored by the theme "Brave and Bold: America's Next Iconic Vehicle." Eff-yeah!!! More »

Detroit Auto Show: Auto Show Gourmet Presents Our Top Five Favorite Press Meals

So that automotive journalists never see the light of day, automakers provide ample food at their events and in little cafes they setup above the auto show floor. Compared to certain auto shows where the food is of questionable chemistry, the grub isn't too shabby at Detroit (the only things not shabby in Detroit are within Cobo hall right now). Below is our list of the five best meals at Detroit, including a sporting meal with Bill Walton and Spud Webb. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Tang Hua Book of Songs Has a Funny Shape

Tang Hua is one of those Chinese companies in the basement that is unabashedly pitching its bizarre wares at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The terrible trio of yellow fiberglass and awesome lined up in their stand made us want to love the upstart manufacturer - in that way. Travis couldn't restrain himself. We're not going to say anything unseemly, but if you look at the profile of the "Book of Songs" upside down, it may look a little, um, suggestive. The etched plexiglass information kiosk is in the gallery if you want to know details on the little electric car. We'll take a closer look at another of their offerings shortly. More »

Detroit Auto Show: XM Infotainment Infiniti QX56 System Does It All

The Detroit Auto Show may be chock full of cars and gears and engines, but there is still some love for the techno-fiends out there. XM's completely customized Infiniti QX56 "Infotainment Vehicle" includes a wide array of features including the standard touchscreen interface, a programming guide, XM Satellite Radio (obviously), XM NavTraffic, NavInfo, NavWeather, voice commands Parking Link and more. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Chevy Releases E85 Powered Corvette for ALMS, Spotted Owls Rejoice

As part of a drive to push green innovation in the racing world, the American Le Mans series has announced the Green Challenge. Basically, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy are partnering with SAE to encourage race teams to use renewable fuels, alternative engine configurations, regenerative braking and emissions controls. Chevy unveiled this Corvette race car, plastered in E85 stickers, to highlight the announcement. We're bigger fans of the Vantage GT2, which is also powered by ethanol, or the Lexus IS350 GT2. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Volvo R-Design XC90 Adds Sporty Style Without Burden of Sporty Performance

Do you drive a Volvo C30, S40, V50 or XC90 and are worried your neighbors don't quite understand you purchased an S40 to show off your commitment to seat-of-your-pants performance? Volvo has the answer in the form of the R-Design line. Vehicles modified with the package get sportier wheels, satin matte-finish grilles, color coordinated side moldings and other custom touches. What they don't get is more power of any kind, revised suspensions or great aerodynamics. When Volvo released photos earlier they didn't show us the XC90, so our intrepid photographers hunted one down for your viewing pleasure. More »

Detroit Auto Show: World Exclusive Surreal, Illegal Test Drive Of Chinese Hybrid Through Cobo Arena

"Holy shit, my boss just drove into the auto show" When I went down to the booth of BYD Auto, a Chinese car maker trying to break into the US market, all I hoped for was a few honest answers to my questions. The motto of the company is "Build Your Dream," but that last thing I'd dream was that BYD's Chairman would drive me through someone else's press conference during an illegal, surreal and American-media first test drive around the floor of the Detroit Auto Show. Breaking all the rules of proper auto show behavior, BYD Auto's chairman Wang Chaunfu hopped in the driver's seat of his prototype hybrid and took off with me in the passenger's seat, thus proving to the world that he's ready to show that his company's car works. The story of how one small upstart Chinese automaker turned our Detroit Auto Show upside down with the turn of one key below. More »

Detroit Auto Show: Jalopnik Interviews China's Youngest Auto Executive

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