VG isn't the official name just yet, but an internal name to be replaced when the car is officially unveiled at the next Detroit Auto Show. It's expected to compete in the "near luxury" segment and will sport a 2.4 liter direct injection four cylinder and a 3.8 liter V6. We're betting it won't be quite as wild as these images portray, but almost anything will be better than the Amanti.

KIA MOTORS RELEASES FIRST IMAGES OF ALL-NEW MODEL

Kia Motors has today released the first images of its new premium saloon due to go on sale in Korea at the end of the year.

The new model, currently known by its code name VG, was shown in concept form at the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year and is set to replace the existing Opirus model in Korean, North American and European markets.

"VG clearly demonstrates the next stage in Kia's design evolution and showcases our new design principle of 'sophistication by simplicity'. The exterior is a seamless blend of powerful front, sleek profile and sophisticated but simple rear lines to create an elegant and luxurious appearance," commented Hyoung Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of International Business Division at Kia Motors Corporation.

There are no current plans to bring this model to the UK market.

The Detroit Auto Show typically has three press days, starting on Sunday. The big debuts occur on Sunday and Monday morning, with other automakers taking time in the afternoon. Tuesdays were reserved for smaller companies, parts manufacturers and anyone else who was not a major automaker. While compressing the work into just Monday and Tuesday makes sense given automakers have backed out, it is yet another depressing sign of the Carpocalypse.

The press release from the show below says the idea came from input from exhibitors and key media. We guess we aren't "key media" since, honestly, we like having the extra day to troll around the floor in our Mobile Command Center to try and pick up unique stories and fail at picking up booth professionals.

North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Announces Press Preview to Move to Monday Beginning in 2010

DETROIT, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ — After showcasing more than 50 new product reveals to approximately 5,500 international journalists, the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), with input from exhibitors and key media, has announced that beginning in 2010, press conferences will be held beginning on Monday, January 11. Going forward, this move will more efficiently accommodate the 25-30 manufacturer press conferences filled with reveals and news that are held during the NAIAS Press Preview.

"The NAIAS is the premiere auto showcase for the US market," said Dr. Kunibert Schmidt of the German Associations of Automotive Industry (VDA - Verband der Automobilindustrie). "The show's recent decision to refine the press conference schedule is the perfect example of finding efficiencies in our industry as well as strengthening the professionalism the NAIAS exhibits to the world."

Press Preview Days are traditionally held at the NAIAS the week prior to the show opening to the general public. Industry Preview Days will remain on Wednesday and Thursday as opportunities for suppliers to visit the show. 2010 NAIAS event dates are January 11-12, Press Preview; January 13-14, Industry Preview; January 15, Charity Preview; January 16-24, Public Show.

"There is no better voice than that of the customer," said NAIAS Executive Director, Rod Alberts. "The volume of media we serve internationally and the exhibitors who rely on them make this show one of the world's top draws. We continue to listen to our audiences and by responding to their needs, NAIAS maintains its standing as one of the top international auto shows in the world."

[Source: NAIAS]

Points to note about this bit:

• The Lotus Elise looks small enough to fit in Conan's pocket, thus reminding us why we would trade our eye teeth for one.
• Smart cars make terrible party favors, everyone gets saddled with unexpected tax bills
• Conan made one error in reporting, the Lotus Hyster isn't planned for production till the 2010 calendar year
• We've met Richard Duff before, one of the designers for the Buick LaCrosse, and despite his portrayal, he's not nearly as nerdy as he seems. Well, not quite as nerdy. Augbert.
• Slow motion video playback can make anything funny

Seeing as how sales figures and profits of most major automakers took a nose dive in the second half of 2008, we expected the cost savings to be extreme at this year's Detroit Auto Show. Normally the easiest way to cut cost at an auto show, or anywhere for that matter, is to maintain product rollouts and reduce headcount — we expected booth professionals to be at an all time low this year. In fact, the opposite was true, the total number of legitimate new products was down and the number of extremely qualified booth professionals was way up. It's almost as if every automaker wanted booth pro's in our every shot. Seriously, at times it was a real hassle to get clear shots of the cars.

All joking aside though, this years crop of booth workers were really up on their specs and details, they were practically fashionable, walking spreadsheets. It was amazing. Anyway, as is our custom, since we couldn't use the pictures with booth professionals in them for anything else, we've compiled them for you to peruse, should you be interested in such a thing.

Photo Credit: Alex Conley and Wes Tucker

We strap a HD camera to our Mobile Command Center and rage through the Detroit Auto Show.

The Japanese cowered near their Prii. The Germans attempted a peace offering of beer and currywurst. The Chinese tried a bribe of leaded pens. But even after all of these efforts, the Jalopnik Mobile Command Center could not be stopped. Follow us as we generally terrorize what's left of the Detroit Auto Show. We even almost mowed over Senator Corker.

Video Cred: Alex C. Conley

We thought we were sooo sly, but you guys proved how annoyingly quick you can be. Waldo was hiding in the last image of The Auto Insider's hilariously headlined Brilliance Auto "Seeking Development With Mutual Benefit and Win-Win". Next time we do this we'll have to really work hard on our Waldo camouflaging skills. In any case, considering we've got plenty of goods to go around, we're going to hand out prizes to the first three valid submissions. All right now, let's tell em what they've won!

WilliamG came dangerously close to disqualifying himself by double posting, but since he didn't do it maliciously (or with the proper key words the first time) we have to hand over the grand prize to him. In only a half hour he managed to find Waldo and as a reward we're giving him a brand new, still in the packaging Geely tea set from the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

The next valid entry came a few moments after WilliamG's submission, from camb6ell, who will receive a reward as a result of his sleuthing a commemorative Saab 92 scale model in a decorative casing. This one wasn't from the auto show specifically, but we've been waiting for a chance to give it away.

Finally, our third place winner is nairdasti and for his hunt will be rewarded with a wind up or car-chargeable LED flashlight and wearable USB thumb drive.

Our winners should shoot me an email at ben@jalopnik.com with their mailing address so we can get all those fabulous prizes out right away. Congrats to the winners, phooey to all of you who are way faster than we thought you'd be, and next time we'll make it way, way harder.

In honor of the Chinese triumphantly storming the main floor of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, we've decided the grand prize will be one we've kept squirreled away for a special occasion for a full year now. It's the complete, formal tea set given to us last year by China's Geely, who, amusingly, was absent from this years festivities.

So here's the deal, this year, in one of the many images we uploaded to a gallery, we slyly inserted everyone's favorite globe-trotting, stripe wearing cartoon character, Waldo. He's lurking in a post, somewhere in a post on our Detroit Auto Show tag page, between our official start of coverage at 8:00 AM last Saturday and today at noon. Be the first to find Waldo and you get the prize. That should keep everybody busy for hours, but when you do manage to find him, be very careful with the submission procedure, because if you make one minor mistake, your efforts will be for naught.

Here's the rules:

In order to claim your fabulous prize you must first post a comment in the comments section reading "I've Found Waldo," nothing more, nothing less. DO NOT post a link to the image in the comments or everybody loses. Within five minutes of posting the "I've Found Waldo" comment, you must send an email to ben@jalopnik.com with the subject line "Where's Waldo Entry." Then, in the body of the email, include the URL of the image where Waldo makes his appearance, and very importantly, a link to your comment saying "I've Found Waldo." To do this, click on the time stamp next to your commenter ID then copy and past the URL into the email. This email must be sent within five minutes of the comment being posted, otherwise the entry will be disqualified. Anyone posting "I've found Waldo" in comments more than once will be disqualified — so no gaming of the system.

As always, standard contest rules apply and submissions will be accepted until a winner has been announced or noon on Monday, January 19, 2008 — whichever comes first. Below is a list of posts where Waldo may be hiding, however nothing says he has to be hiding behind any of these posts. Good luck, and happy hunting.

• Volkswagen Bluesport Concept 42 MPG Roadster Officially Revealed
• Audi Sportback Concept Previews 2009 Audi A5 Sportback
• Chrysler Sign Almost Decapitates Detroit Auto Show-goer
• Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S: We Get Weak In The Knees For 433 HP
• Subaru Legacy Concept: Subie Previews New Legacy Look
• 2010 Ford Taurus: A Flagship Returns
• Chrysler 200C EV Concept: Shockingly Attractive Mid-Size
• Carroll Shelby Introduces 2010 Shelby GT500 Coupe Convertible At Detroit
• Lamborghini Holds Euro-Trash Fashion Show
• 2009 Michelin Design Searches For Next Iconic American Vehicle
• Fisker Karma S Sunset: World's First Hybrid Convertible
• Jalopnik Exclusive: Interview With VW's Max The Beetle
• First Photo Of 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Honda Insight Together
• Caption This: Magician Bill Malone Deals Ford America Prez Mark Fields From The Bottom Of The Deck
• Unrest In Detroit Spurs Auto Show Protest
• 2010 Lincoln MKT: Crossover For The Super-Segmented Masses
• How To Load A Concept Car Onto An Auto Show Turntable
• BAT 11dk: First Private Car Displayed On Detroit Auto Show Main Floor... Ever
• Brilliance Auto "Seeking Development With Mutual Benefit and Win-Win"
• GM Sucks Up To Obama. Hard.
• Revenge GTM-R Super Car: Another 505 HP Boutique Supercar
• Jalopnik GEM-Powered Detroit Auto Show Mobile Command Center
• 2010 Chevy Equinox: The Tall Malibu Wagon Debuts
• BYD E6: 250 Miles Per Charge Electric Car
• 2010 Toyota Prius: Live, In The Vanilla Flesh!
• 2010 Toyota Prius: Design Dissected
• BYD F3DM: The Chinese Volt
• 2010 Toyota Prius: Bigger Size Meets Bigger Fuel Economy - 50 MPG!
• 2010 Lincoln MKS: Entry-Level Luxe Sedan Gets EcoBoost Engine
• Lincoln C Concept: European Size, American Luxury
• 2010 Toyota Camry: Detroit Reveal Makes Us Crave Vanilla Ice Cream
• Lincoln C Concept: A Smaller Car For A Compact Future
• Toyota FT-EV Concept: Roller Skate-Sized Electric Sneaks Onto Detroit Show Floor
• 2010 Toyota Prius: Bigger, Longer And With Higher Fuel Economy
• Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S: We Get Weak In The Knees For 433 HP
• 2010 Cadillac SRX: When Luxury Crossover Meets Midsize SUV
• Cadillac Converj Spotted Cruising Cobo, Posing With Ford Fusion Hybrid
• 2010 Lincoln MKT: Lincoln Gets A Big-Boy Crossover
• 2010 Jaguar XKR Revealed With 510 HP
• Volvo S60 Concept Revealed Live
• 2010 Jaguar XFR Launched Amid Dry Ice, Lasers
• Subaru Legacy Concept: Fully Revealed With Details
• 2009 New MINI Cooper Convertible Takes Top Off At Detroit Auto Show
• Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid: Quick Drive
• Volkswagen Uses Breakdancers, Child Labor To Show Off New Car
• Audi Sportback Concept Previews 2009 Audi A5 Sportback
• Audi R8 5.2 FSI Makes Live Detroit Debut
• Kia Soul'Ster Concept: A Ride For The Cali Kids
• Jeep Patriot EV Shoots Off In Detroit
• More Audi Sportback Concept Shots Leak, Reveal Interior Hotness
• 2010 Buick LaCrosse: Crushing Brand Perceptions
• Volkswagen Bluesport Concept 42 MPG Roadster Officially Revealed
• Dodge Circuit EV Officially Revealed In Detroit
• Chrysler 200C EV Concept: Shockingly Attractive Mid-Size
• Carroll Shelby Introduces 2010 Shelby GT500 Coupe, Convertible At Detroit
• 2010 Ford Taurus: A Flagship Returns
• Ford Unveils Plan For Four Electric Cars By 2012
• Lexus HS 250h: A Prius For The Country Club
• Cadillac Converj Concept: A Volt For Cadillac
• 2010 BMW Z4 Slips Onto The Stage
• Subaru Legacy Concept: Subie Previews New Legacy Look
• Dodge Circuit EV First Live Photos
• 2009 Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss: $1.01 Million McLaren Madness
• VW Bluesport Roadster: The Mid-Engined Diesel Sportscar
• 2010 Ford Taurus: More Hot, Less Bull
• Chrysler ENVI Program Updated With New Models, Big Stickers, Bigger Dreams
• Chrysler uconnect: An Orwellian Nightmare
• 2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost: It's Got The Power
• Ford EcoBoost: Have You Driven A Twin-Turbocharged Ford Lately?
• Toyota FT-EV Concept: An Electric Car For The Tiny Masses
• Dodge Circuit EV: Not Quite Too Good To Be True
• Audi Sportback Concept Reveals A Large X6-Like Butt
• 2010 Jaguar XKR: 510 HP Pussycat Kills Even Faster
• Jeep Patriot EV: A Conceptual Electric Missile From Chrysler

Chrysler provided us with an exclusive walk-through of their 2009 200C Concept at the Detroit Auto Show and we were most impressed by the integrated next-gen Uconnect system. Unlike Ford, who merely provided video evidence of their in-car media system (creepy avatar included), Chrysler built a fully functioning Wi-Fi enabled proof-of-concept into the 200C.

Brad Gieske, a designer at Chrysler, provided us with an in-depth look at the system from the user provided "smart phone" that controls all of the cars auxiliary functions; the concave glass surface that replaces a typical centerstack and cluster; to the pull-out tablet style control interface for passengers. While there were a few bugs in the system, mostly from an ultra-sensitive touch surface, the Chrysler team really provided a clear indication for the future of the Uconnect system.

The "smart phone" that acts as the car's key fob looks a whole hell of a lot like an Apple iPhone, but Gieske tells me that the system can be configured to any phone through a simple download service. It controls the typical key fob functions like lock/unlock and panic, but provides much more beyond just that. The phone/fob is capable of locating your car via GPS and an on-screen map; it can also raise/lower the windows, turn the lights on/off, turn on the AC/heat and it can also snap images/video of the vehicle's interior if the car is ever stolen or your horny teen is making a pass on his girlfriend. These are pretty cool features that seem to be possible today, so hopefully we won't have to wait for long.

The Uconnect system itself is designed into the 200C Concept's IP surface and features a concave, black glass surface with a projected image from the backside. The surface itself is controlled via a touch surface that seemed to be a little temperamental on the day that we were given the demonstration, but not enough to distract from the overall usability of the system.

In order to start the car, a large green power button glows on the center stack area of the touch panel, which when touched, illuminates the rest of the display surface. The main control area is designed to simulate a trackball of sorts with different icons set on a rotatable axis, all virtual of course. This control surface allows the manipulation of many of the cars different configurations like the audio, media, navigation and user settings.

A secondary auxiliary tablet-style display is carefully hidden in the passenger-side IP and when removed reveals an Apple Coverflow-like display. This secondary controller is set up for any passenger of the vehicle to listen to music, watch video and it can even serve as a route planner with transferable navigation data being sent to the in-dash Uconnect system.

Steve Holmes, Chrysler Component Design Manager, had this to say about the system:

This is what’s so different about Chrysler, we strived to make this work. It’s to show that we can do this, that the technology is there. It’s easy to show videos (referring to Ford). We really busted our ass to get this system to work. The curved surfaces, we didn’t want to have it be rectangular, we wanted it to fit in uniquely with the surface. We wanted the images to project all the way out so you weren’t looking at a bunch of squares.

And that they did. It worked and it worked well though we thought it was a little humorous when Queen/David Bowie's, Under Pressure, came on during our demonstration. Chrysler, you really were under pressure for this years Detroit Auto Show and while you showed us more vaporware EVs and the exterior of the 200C was nice, it really was the next-gen Uconnect that was the star of your display. We hope to see a version of this concept in the near future.

11.) Reporters Asking Us For Jobs

While working at Jalopnik may seem like a dream job, we're sometimes treated as a curiosity by print journalists who don't understand how the web works. Not this year. The sheer number of people asking, and the flood of resumes into Wert's inbox sort of harshed our buzz.

10.) The Lack Of A Firehouse

If you want to understand the sheer impact the Carpocalypse has had on the world, consider the fact the Firehouse bar is no more. For those unaware, the "Firehouse" was a real firehouse converted by Chrysler each year into a bar where they'd pay for free drinks and food for journalists. It was a fun afterparty. The kind of place you can have Dr. Z pour you a beer or Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Angus McKenzie lecture you on the new media landscape for an hour. The Post's "Hacks n' Flacks" BYOB (Buy Your Own Beer) after-party, while fun, just wasn't quite the same.

9.) Swag And Press Releases

Any journalist worth his or her salt could walk out of an auto show with three or four-hundred USB flash drives and lots of toys. Back in the good ol' days of, you know, last year, automakers would pass out unnecessarily ornate press packs filled with USB drives on keychains and leather-bound press releases. This year they were back to pieces of paper and discs. The nicest USB drive we received was from BYD, which promptly corrupted the files we loaded on it (no joke).

8.) Cheap Floor Space

The lack of certain automakers meant companies like Revenge were no longer relegated to Michigan Hall in Cobo's basement. The reason this is so sad is it makes it seem like DUB cars are on the same level as the new offerings from Chrysler. Well... come to think of it.

7.) Chrysler

Chrysler President Jim Press used part of his press conference to explain why Chrysler would resurrect itself and how great a job the company has done in firing people. Seriously, they laid off like thousands of people. That makes them awesome how? But that's just Jim, the rest of the company was even worse. Like Cubs fans convinced this will be their year, Chrysler's need to convince everyone they have a future with cars like the 200C EV Concept is just depressing. This is especially true when you consider they didn't have the requisite cash to mount their logo without almost killing someone.

6.) GM's Fake Rally

GM built a fake card-carrying rally with employees around their reveal on Sunday morning of the Detroit Auto Show. You know it's bad when you look around and realize they couldn't even get enough employees together to make the rally look impressive.

5.) The Plight Of Male Booth Professionals

Since they had nothing to reveal, Lamborghini merely trotted out their typical team of hot booth professionals to pose in front of their cars. They held a press conference to do this and we, like others, took lots of photos. We felt awful for the male model as the sound of shutters clicking drastically declined when he walked on the platform. Sorry, guy who looks vaguely like a taller Mark Rufallo.

4.) Alcohol Consumption-to-New Product Ratio

There were a number of reveals this year, but not of new product. Most were concept cars of the pie-in-the-sky variety. The absence of new product on the show floor was made up for by automaker booze. Normally, we expect that type of thing in the after-hours, but this year that was cut back in favor of allowing cheaper offerings on the show floor in even greater quantities.

3.) Michigan Hall Basement Smell

Though it gave us a chance to drive the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid, the electric test track in the basement smelled awful. Was it the cars? No. Was it the Wayne State Formula SAE team? No. Actually, it was the mulch. The smell was so intolerable indoors, the VW booth above was forced to run their air conditioning to blow the smell out. That caused the air conditioning units to drip water into the basement, onto the track where it ran off into the mulch — thus causing the smell to become worse. By the end of the press preview, the Volkswagen booth was smelling like the inside of an abandoned Westfalia camper.

2.) Tuesday

Tuesday is usually a down day for the show, reserved for non-product press conferences and demonstrations. This year there was so little to report on we ended up in a two-way battle with dozens of auto reporters to get to the Tesla press conference and then again to get to Senator Bob Corker. Seriously, ou'd have thought Elon Musk and Corker were both Bono. Neither needs the added ego boost.

1.) Dead People

On the first night of the show we went out to a restaurant near Cobo to grab some food and do some work. We wandered out around 11 pm and noticed flashing police lights. We have to thank the jerk who said "Don't mind him, he's dead" and made us turn to see the lifeless body lying in the cold Detroit street because we'd have otherwise not noticed. We told the interns he was "sleeping" just to make sure they didn't go home with nightmares. Instead, we did.

Photo Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images News

More Of Our Coverage Of The 2009 Detroit Auto Show!
• Booth Professionals Of The 2009 Detroit Auto Show
• Naked Jalopnik: The Meanest Thing We Did At The Detroit Auto Show
• The Top Ten Photo Galleries Of The 2009 Detroit Auto Show
• The Top Ten Concept Interiors Of The 2009 Detroit Auto Show
• The Top Ten 2009 Detroit Auto Show Cars We Most Want To Drive

The mood at the 2009 Detroit show may have been more subdued than in years past (you know, Carpocalypse and all that), but you'd never know it from the photos. The cars are still impossibly shiny, the booth professionals are still, um, doing whatever it is booth professionals do, and automotive enthusiasts are still looking at new cars on the internet. Discuss your favorite photos in the comments.

10.) Volkswagen Bluesport Concept 42 MPG Roadster Officially Revealed

Chrysler Sign Almost Decapitates Detroit Auto Show-goer

Subaru Legacy Concept: Subie Previews New Legacy Look

4.)Chrysler 200C EV Concept: Shockingly Attractive Mid-Size

2.) Lamborghini Holds Euro-Trash Fashion Show

Senator Corker, Republican of Tennessee, is not exactly popular around the Michigan area for saying controversial things about the American automotive industry. Today was no exception, with Corker saying Chrysler needs to merge or die, which is probably less of a command than a statement of reality.

Corker is famous, or infamous depending on where you are, for leading the charge against the rescue package in the Senate because of his request for a date-certain for when the Unions would be required to take action and drop wages. Eventually, President Bush passed a similar plan but without a date certain.

After speaking with GM executives (Maximum Lutz snuck out a side door when he arrived) and touring the Volt, Corker moved on to Volkswagen. Why VW? Because they're building a gigantic plant there. We asked, under the circumstances, if he'd be better referred to as a Volkswagen Republican. His reply in the video above.

Either way, it was a well-timed event for Corker has he was there on the day with the most reporters and the least to report on. Thus explaining the crazy cluster of journalists around him.

We decided to see how two brands under the same banner would do when battling head to head for hearts and blood alcohol content. With the fully stocked bar at Lincoln only feet away from the bar at Mazda, this was the easy location choice.

The fully stocked bar at Lincoln was pretty swank, and we put back a couple drinks while taking in the view. Unfortunately the looped video of next-gen Sync with the creepy Eva avatar ran incessantly and forced us out. We spent a grand total of maybe 25 minutes at Lincoln before moving off to Mazda.

We arrived at Mazda minutes before the staff cleaned up to close. They happily served us and offered treats. Mmmmm, brownies. Also, giant Sapporos and Asahis. As they cleaned up for the evening, they told us we could stick around, and the fridges were not locked. Home. After a few rounds, we sent for Andy who was still wandering around in the GEM and ordered him to retrieve food and then join us. Eventually the whole crew joined and the free beers dried up, forcing Pete to try and open the wine bottles with a knife.

All in all, it was an easy win for Mazda mainly because nobody was there to bother us and it was a lot more fun to watch Ray obliviously doing an interview with the Beeb across the way at the Volvo booth the entire time.