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Detroit Auto Show is Here

I have, once again, survived the three intense and long media-only press days at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As an auto enthusiast, there is no other place on the world to be during that first part of January. This was the 10 th year at the show for me. I had the best of intentions when I planned to update this space during the three days, but I simply never had the time. So now that I am on my way home from the Motor City, I thought I?d pass along some of the highlights and my favorites from the most important auto show in the country where more than 50 brand new vehicles were shown for the first time ever in the world. Often times this show has one vehicle that stands out as the obvious star, however this year it seemed that there were two that attracted the most attention ? the Dodge Challenger Concept and Chevrolet Camaro Concept. Challenger concept is an amazing rendition of the original muscle car, complete with a powerful HEMI engine under the hood. In eye-catching orange, Challenger has all of the styling of the model from decades ago, but with plenty of modern touches. The automaker hasn?t said if they?ll put it into production, but Chrysler has a reputation for putting concepts into production with little changes, so the odds are good. Continuing the muscle car revival, Chevrolet brought back the recently retired Camaro name on a great looking concept vehicle. Unlike the Challenger, which is designed to be a modern car that looks like an old car, the Camaro Concept is a completely modern design based on the original Camaros from the 1960s. I wasn?t crazy about it when I first saw it ? thought the front end looked like a Cadillac XLR- but the more I?ve seen it, the more its grown on me. Of course, there were plenty of other noteworthy cars. One I thought looked like it would be great fun to drive is the new Volvo C30. Still a concept, but looking ready for production, it just looks like it would hug the curves and drive like a little go cart. Lincoln showed a concept luxury sedan that looked great. That company could really use a home run ? there hasn?t been a new high-end luxury car from Lincoln in years. For a bit more money ? not sure how much ? there?s the Aston Martin Rapide. Basically a stretched DB9 with four doors, this 450-plus horsepower sport sedan would really attract attention. A bit more subtle but ultra luxurious is the new Lexus LS460. Moving upscale with a new long-wheel base version, the new flagship from Toyota?s luxury marque boasts rear seats with recliners, massagers, foot rests, DVD players and a refrigerator to keep the champagne cold. Speaking of Toyota, the Camry gets completely redesigned for 2006. This bestselling passenger car will also be available as a hybrid later in the year. The small SUV market continues to grow with the new Dodge Caliber. Replacing the Neon, the small crossover SUV will become Dodge?s entry-level passenger car. Hyundai also showed a crossover concept called the HCD9. Sleek lines and a beautiful interior, hopefully it will reach production in some form. Other noteworthy unveils:

• Geely ? first Chinese car to ever be shown in North America
• Ferrari FXX ? costs more than $1 million, has more than 800 horsepower, and sales are by invitation only.
• Ford Reflex Concept ? stylish sports car with diesel-hybrid powertrain
• Ford Super Chief ? a truck about the size of a locomotive engine
• Honda Fit ? new well-equipped small car from Honda
• Nissan Sentra ? not sure if I like the styling, but should be fun to drive
• Mazda Kabura ? one of the best looking sports-car concepts on the show floor

You can find coverage of these and every other vehicle that made its debut in Detroit at http://autoshow.msn.com . MSN has been the official Web Site for the show of the last nine years, and it?s the only place to see video of every exciting unveiling, which included a car driving through a window and a manmade snow storm. Next stop on the show circuit ? Chicago in February. -- Perry Stern

• Detroit Auto Show is Here

Frankfurt Motor Show 2005

The Frankfurt Motor Show is about to open to the public, and I?m at the Frankfurt airport heading back home after several busy days at this huge international auto show. And not only is it huge in importance ? more than 80 vehicles made their world-wide debut ? it?s massive from a size point of view. There are ten buildings filled with cars and car-related items, all connected by hallways that seem to go on for ever. My feet are still tired. The Frankfurt show happens only once every two years, alternating with the Paris Motor Show. There are three days reserved for just media, and there are press conferences happening as often as every 15 minutes, sometimes three at a time. To say that it?s been a busy few days would be an understatement. There was plenty of new products that debuted here in Frankfurt, many of which will be coming to America ? eventually. Here are some highlights: Porsche Cayman S ? It?s been in all the car enthusiast magazines, and its finally being shown to the public. Based on the Boxster, the Cayman is a hard-top 2-seat coupe. It looks good in pictures, and even better in person. Initially will be available with a 295-hp flat six, likely that there will be a non-S trim with less power, and eventually a more powerful version as well. On sale in the U.S. next spring. Volvo C70 ? The original C70 was available as a coupe or convertible, and when it was introduced it was quite stylish. But that was quite a while ago, and it is time for a refresh. Apparently Volvo agrees, and the Swedish company debuted the all-new C70. Rather than producing two bodystyles, Volvo gave the C70 a retractable hard top. With the top up, it?s ready for all weather ? sun comes out and the top can quickly be completely hidden underneath the rear decklid. The C70 is based on the S60, and carries through similar styling cues from the rest of the Volvo lineup. Driving should be good as well ? the body is twice as stiff as the outgoing C70, and the 200 hp T5 engine should be available. Manual transmissions are available in Europe, unknown for the U.S. Should arrive early next year. Volkswagen Eos ? There certainly seems to be a trend towards hard-top convertibles ? VW had one too. The Eos is a Golf-based convertible, so its not very large. However, it does have seating for four, and yes, it does have a retractable hard top. The system is quite innovative ? the main section of roof features a glass sunroof that can be tilted or slid open. The 5-section roof folds completely under the rear deck, and while truck space with the top stowed is not huge, VW did have two pieces of luggage in there. Eos will come the U.S. sometime next year. Mitsubishi Sportback Concept ? This car was one of my favorites of the show. This sleek 4-door hatchback has a mean face, and with the sloped roof and small windows, it looks fast sitting still. Word is that this is built on the same platform as the Caliber, the new small crossover coming from Chrysler next year. Personally, I think this would make a great next-generation Lancer Evolution. Jaguar XK ? I was disappointed when this car debuted as a concept at the Detroit show earlier this year, especially with the grille. Jaguar made a few tweaks to the car since then, and now it looks much better, in my opinion. Expect a super charged R and a convertible to be introduced in the near future. Fisker Coachbuild ? Henrik Fisker has been responsible for the designs of some of the most beautiful sports cars on the market, including the BMW Z8 and the DB9 and V8 Vantage from Aston Martin. So now Fisker has left Aston Martin and started his own company that designs new bodies and interiors for current production cars. He will pick two production models each year and build 150 vehicles based on each. The first two are the Latigo CS (based on a BMW M6) and the Tramonto (based on the Mercedes SL55). The cars are gorgeous, but they?re expensive. $128,000 for the transformation ? after you?ve purchased the production car. There?s plenty of other new product that debuted in Frankfurt, but I just don?t have time to cover everything. Here?s a quick list of other significant vehicles:

• Mercedes- Benz S-Class, ML63 AMG, R63 AMG concept
• Audi Q7
• Jeep Compass Concept
• Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
• BMW Z4 Coupe Concept
• Toyota RAV4
• Ford iosis Concept
• Honda Civic 5-Door

For more details about these and other cars, go to http://autos.msn.com/as/minishow/default.aspx?s=Frankfurt2005 . Next big show: Tokyo in about four weeks. -- Perry Stern

• Frankfurt Motor Show 2005

Back 30.11.1999.

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