2013 Ford Fusion at the Detroit Auto Show - NAIAS

Coming into the NAIAS, like most people, we were not expecting too much, and for sure not too much that we haven’t already seen spy shots of on the interwebs. That was true for most cars, but there were a few really good surprises.

2013 Ford Fusion:
I did hear that Ford would be bringing the new Fusion to the Detroit Auto Show, and was looking forward to a boring redesign that added accent lines and changed the headlight and taillight design a little. The Fusion is a decent car and last year was one of the best selling years for the Fusion, so why would they bother to change it that much?

Oh, how naive I am. The new Fusion is a complete redesign that merges their European design language into the family sedan. I personally think it looks great for a non-premium mid-sized sedan. It has an Audi-ish profile, a European Ford Mondeo rear, and an almost Aston Martin like front fascia.

It’s not just the looks, but this new Fusion will be offered in many models. Ford will let you chose from a plug-in hybrid, an eco-model achieving 47-mpg, and the standard. The standard car will offer a choice of powertrains starting with the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder pushing 170 hp and 170 ft-lbs of torque. You can also choose from 2 different EcoBoost engines including the 1.6 EcoBoost with 179 hp and 172 ft-lbs of torque and the 2.0-liter EcoBoost with 237 hp and 250 ft-bls of torque. No word on manual or auto transmissions as of yet, but I can say I’m really looking forward to testing out this new ride!

The Chevrolet Code 130R and Tru 140S Concepts:

Chevrolet introduced two concept coupes at the 2012 North American International Auto Show aimed at inspiring next-generation buyers to take the wheel and suggest ideas for a car they can co-create.

These two concepts have been talked about a lot this past week after the reveal at NAIAS, but we had no hit of these before hand. Chevrolet knows they need to focus on the youth market, and what’s more youthful than small and sporty coupes?

The Code 130R, which is a name that confuses us all, is a rear-wheel-drive, small coupe that could take on the likes of the new Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. The styling is a little quirky, but you can see the Chevrolet heritage bulging out and it’s even sporting some Corvette “cross-flag” emblems on the fenders. Under the hood look for a turbo’d 1.4 liter engine pushing 150 hp and 148 ft-lbs of torque matched up to either a 6-speed auto or 6-speed manual transmission.

Personally, I think GM needs this car. Not just Chevrolet, but even as a sleek Buick. I hope they continue to develop on this platform, but take more styling cues from the Tru 140S.

So what is the Tru 140S? Another confusing name fore sure. Unlike the 130R, the 140S is a front-wheel-drive coupe design. It’s said to have the same engine and transmission setup as the 130R. I’ve heard this design being compared to an Eclipse and I think that fits well, but I’d really like to see this in a RWD platform. The design is really stunning and would make some waves for sure in the compact coupe market.

2012 NAIAS - Acura NSX Concept

There has been a lot said about the new Acura NSX concept and although I still have some reservation, which I’ll get to, I’m going to label it a success. First of all, I think that the design looks really good. I’m not one of these people that say it needs to carryover lots of elements and design from the old NSX. I think a fresh start and fresh design is exactly what Acura needed.

The second reason I’m labeling this a success is because it has a mid-engine layout. I liked the last NSX concept that used a front/mid setup, but it never felt right to me. You can mess with the design but you can’t mess with the layout, if that makes sense. I’m not as bothered as most about the fact that the new NSX will be pushing a “hybrid” platform. Look at the Porsche 918 for justification.

Lastly, I’ll label it a success because they are bothering to show it at all. Acura needs this halo car. My biggest gripe is that they are still saying that a production version won’t be coming for another 3 years at least. I’m ready for this thing to be out now!

All-new 2013 Dodge Dart

The Dodge Dart is another car that you can easily call a success. We saw plenty of leaked photos and spy shots ahead of time and knew that the reveal was coming, but it was still exciting to see exactly what was what. This all new Dart takes over for the retiring Dodge Caliber and is based off the Alfa Romeo Giuletta. The new looks are aggressive and bold and are exactly what Dodge needs for a new compact car. We had a chance to talk to Kathy Graham, a Chrysler Product PR Manager, during last Wednesday’s nights Motorama chat on twitter where she answered a few key questions about the new Dart.

The Dart has been criticized for using the throwback name, but Kathy pointed out that this new Dart isn’t trying to be a modern version of the old one, like the Charger and Challenger. They brought back the name because the original Dart was Dodge’s first car marketed to the youth. It was a fun and affordable compact car and that’s what they are going for with the new Dart.

Under the hood of the base Dart, you get a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter pushing 160 hp and 148 ft-lbs of torque. You also have a 2.4-liter (184 hp 171 ft-lbs) and a 1.4 turbo (160 hp 184 ft-lbs) with 6-speed manual or autos to fit them all. This should be a very competitive car in its market and it’s aimed right for the likes of the Focus, Civic, and Elantra. Also expect to see a SRT variant coming with this car. Although they haven’t officially announced it, Dodge and Chrysler would be crazy not to make one.

2012 BMW 3 Series

Obviously, all the cars listed in our surprises and successes posts are cars we’re looking forward to driving, but there are a few others.

Scion showed off, for the first time on American soil, the FR-S Drifter. We like the drifter with it’s 600 hp, but we’re really excited to get the chance to take the FR-S out on the streets and maybe even to Texas Motorsport Ranch for a little track fun.

The new BMW 3-Series wasn’t a big surprise at the NAIAS, but it is still a car that we can’t wait to get our hands on sooner than later. Even though it’s as big as an old 5 Series, the 3 Series will always be the benchmark, and I just love what they’ve done with the new design.

The Hyundai Veloster Turbo is something we knew was coming as well and after test driving the Veloster a few months back, I really can’t wait to get in one with more power! On the same note, the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe was unveiled at the show and this is one I’m really excited for, for a few reasons. One, I own the current Genesis Coupe 3.8 and love it. Two, after a few weeks of hating on the new design, it’s really grown on me and I actually really like it. Can’t wait to get my hands on both these great cars!

I’m reviewing the Chevrolet Sonic 1.4 turbo at the time I’m writing this post and I’m really enjoying it. Chevrolet showed off the Sonic RS at the Detroit Auto Show and like anything else, more power couldn’t hurt.

Stepping up to a little more luxury, we’re also excited to check out the new Cadillac ATS. We loved the CTS-V, but we were always just luke-warm over the base CTS. Will the ATS bring about the same results? The style looks good with it’s toned down lines, but will it really be able to compete with the BMW 3 Series like Cadillac keeps claiming? We’ll just have to drive it and find out!

2012 NAIAS FAILS

When you bring a concept car or a production car to a big show like the North American International Auto Show, you really want to make a statement with that car and get as much good press as possible. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out and these are the cars we think fall into that category.

2013 Mopar 200 Super S was showed off at the Chrysler display in Detroit. Although I really do think the new 200 is a step above the Sebring, which isn’t that hard to do, I still feel that Chrysler needs to do more to improve its luxury status. Making a sportier Mopar variant isn’t what I had in mind.

Buick came out and showed off its new compact SUV named the Encore. We reviewed the Enclave and liked the direction the style is going. It’s not so much the style that made this a fail though. This is a small SUV; as small as the Nissan Juke. Why does Buick need this car? Is there a big demand for this car in this segment? If GM was looking to bring the platform into the family, they should have probably started off with a Chevrolet instead of a Buick, but we could be wrong. They might just sell well. Only time will tell.

Lincoln made a lot of hype about bringing the all-new MKZ concept to the Detroit Auto Show. We even saw a few teasers released by Lincoln that gave us hope. I’m just not digging the new design though; and it’s not just me. Lincoln needs to do something big to bring its name back and I’m afraid this just wasn’t it. It’s not just design, Lincoln needs to focus on who they want to compete with, and build competitive products, but they’ll never really be competitive with their front-wheel-drive platforms. They need to go all rear-wheel-drive or a true all-wheel-drive setup. They need to bring the enthusiasts in with a real halo car, whether that be a large luxurious RWD sedan, or a new sporty coupe based off the Mustang platform.

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RRM Platinum Edition Kizashi

Love, hate, or don’t really care about the new Kizashi from Suzuki one thing has always been certain, RoadRace Motorsports has their own plans for the new Zuk. Our friends at RRM have had a role in the Kizashi from very early on and have been working on aftermarket parts for this car for a year now. What is the best place in America to show off a new car with fantastic aftermarket potential? Well that would be SEMA. RRM has their Platinum Kizashi on display at SEMA this year and has released a few photos of the car on their Flickr site.

Check out the pictures on Flickr and check out the RRM site.

Frankfurt Germany

The International Motor Show or (IAA) is the world’s largest motor show and is held in Frankfurt Germany. The very first show was in 1897 in a small hotel in Berlin. Since then the show has grown with attendance almost reaching the one million mark. All the big and small manufacturers of the world bring their best and most advanced technology and design to Frankfurt to show to the automotive world.

I know this is a Texas car blog and Frankfurt is a long ways away from Texas and many of the cars displayed there will never see our shoreline. But bear with me as I go through my top picks from the Frankfurt Motor Show.  This is an enthusiast site, so I hope you enjoy the cars as much as I do.

Click the link to see them.

poor GT500

On a forum I subscribe to called dfwstangs.net I came across a thread posted by a member named 81redstang. He describes a car show that he was attending here in the DFW area and how a lady in a truck crashed into the car show at speed wrecking 4 cars in that show including a GT500.

Here is what he wrote.

http://www.dfwstangs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=398263   81redstang

Ok so lady in truck crashes through the car show tonight taking out 4 cars including a GT500, she was speeding off the freeway exit and nailed a truck then ricoched in at atleast 60mph. then she tried to drive off! Luckily she couldnt and was quickly relieved of her keys by show participants.

 We are happy there was no injuries but sad about the cars. People work so hard and spend so much money to get their car into shape for these car shows, it’s just sad to see things like this happen.

Spyed 2010 Toyota 4Runner

The State Fair of Texas is coming up, September 25th to October 18th, and along with the rides and food comes one of the largest car shows for Texans. Most of the cars showing at the Fair will already be available in showroom floors but there should be a few surprises.

One of these will be the all new 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Toyota has announced that they will be debuting the new 4Runner at the State Fair, and what better place. Car and Driver managed to get their hands on some spy shots of the new body-on-frame SUV. Check out the shots at caranddriver.com.

Be sure that we’ll be giving you all the information we find out about cars coming to the State Fair.