TTAC readers, like TTAC writers, go everywhere. On Day One of the Detroit Auto Show, I happened to run into one such fellow, accompanied by his lovely wife. This reader had been invited to attend “The Gallery” and had also received passes to the media days at the “regular” show. I asked him to write up his impressions and share them with all of you… so without further ado, let’s hear what he has to say.

Sunday evening featured a dinner prior to The Gallery opening, which was hosted by Wolfgang Puck in the Ignite lounge at the MGM Grand. The food was, of course, fantastic, and Chef Puck signed autographs, took pictures, and chatted pleasantly with everyone (he drives an Escalade, for the record). If you were paying attention on Monday, you might have seen him browsing around the auto show itself. Anyway, we had a bit over an hour to eat our fill before heading over to The Gallery, which was in a ballroom reached by God’s own escalator at the MGM Grand. Seriously, it was huge! A fitting metaphor, for as an auto enthusiast that needs to work for a living heaven was at the other end of it.

The Gallery was a dream come true for two people who are neither automotive professionals nor independently wealthy. This was a chance to get up close and personal with some very exotic cars in a way that you could never do in “real life”. The Gallery event featured an unveiling of the new Bentley Continental GTC, a car destined to be much sought after by rap stars and footballers the world over. It was, in truth, a nice enough car, though my wife remained unmoved. “Too stodgy,” she said. “You should have seen Bentleys 20 years ago,” I said. They also had an “unveiling” of the Lambourghini Aventador, which I put in quotes because the car was already available before this event. I’ve always loved Lambos for the sheer ballsy-ness of them, and the Aventador follows suit there beautifully. Maserati had three cars on display, two of which you couldn’t open, which is a shame since they of all people should be actively recruiting those that can get themselves into an event like this, lest they opt instead for a 760, S600, Panamera, etc. After all of the Great Washed were inside the crowd was about 500 or so. Dinner had been great, the liquor was free, and there were hideously expensive cars and the pretty girls that come with such things scattered about the hall. I’m not sure if its mission was accomplished, whatever it was, but my wife and I had fun, and that’s all that really matters in the grand scheme of things.

For my wife’s money, the nicest cars at The Gallery were the Aston Martins. You see them in pictures or James Bond movies and they look nice enough, but pictures don’t really do them justice. In the flesh they are truly special – gorgeous lines, top-shelf materials (now that the Ford parts bin is off limits again), and just the right combination of class and sportiness – what British luxury sport motoring should be. They are high-end sports cars that you could really live with day-to-day. I’ll agree with here there – Astons are a rare breed and a rare bird, since you almost never actually see one in the wild. On that same note, she also really liked the Ferrari FF and California because they looked like cars you could actually live with, as opposed to a Lockheed Skunk Works project like the Aventador. Though my eyes were drawn to the flashier entries in the gallery like the Lexus LS-F and the Aventador (I am a guy after all), I would have to agree that the Ferrari California or an Aston Martin would be my choice if I ever actually bought a car in that rarefied air. There is something to be said for practicality.

One thing you asked us about was whether we felt any sales pressure at The Gallery event, and I can honestly say no, we didn’t. Of course it is also possible they had us pegged as poor relations of more prosperous guests – like the high-end watch and jewelry salesmen that were also present, they can separate the wheat from the chaff in 30 seconds or less. There were representatives there to answer questions, and I’m sure they would have taken an order should you have cared to place one, but I think the idea was to put exotic vehicles in front of an audience that can afford such things and let the magic work from there. Everyone knows Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, and Audi – you see then everywhere. Many know about Range Rover, Jaguar, and Bentley – they are more rare, but you’ll see them in the wild. Are there people with means that would never consider walking into a Ferrari dealer without having seen one up close before? Probably – I can think of a few people that fit that description. At any rate, if the mission was to put the idea of these more exotic vehicles in the minds of potential customers that might never have thought of them on their own, then mission accomplished.

I’ll not go into detail about Sunday’s final event, a short fashion show hosted by Neiman Marcus at the V nightclub, except to say that more free drinks, cage dancers, fashion models, and drunk VIP businessmen made for a late night indeed. My wife and I managed to make it back to Cobo at about 10:00 am Monday and spent the rest of the day at the show. Here now is a layman’s guide to press day at the auto show:

1. Every auto maker ended 2011 on a high note.
2. 2012 is slated to be even better.
3. The foreign marques stressed how important the US is to their business (probably true).
4. Every automaker stresses how green, free-range, and organic their vehicles/factories/etc are.
5. The girls at Smart were very knowledgeable and helpful. Shame about the cars, though. The concept Smart was kind of cool.
6. It’s nice that most automakers try to dress up their presentations, because in general they are boring as hell. The Germans deserve particular mention here for having the best engineering and some of the most desirable cars coupled with the sort of monotone you remember from economics lectures.
7. The German makes serve the best food.
8. Kia actually cares whether you are press or not and the cheap bastards will deny you a soda over that fact.

One interesting feature of the show was the opportunity to test-drive electric/hybrid/hydrogen/whatever else cars on the lower level at Cobo. Neither my wife nor I had ever driven electric cars before, so it was a nice experience. My wife fell in love with the Nissan Leaf; I’ve tried to tell her it isn’t very practical with us living 30 miles outside the city, and one day she might actually listen to me. Yeah, right. For my part, the hydrogen-powered Mercedes B-Class seemed a much more practical choice, except for the completely non-existent hydrogen delivery infrastructure. And the less said about the Volt, the better. Thank God you, me, and everybody else are paying people $7500 per to buy the wretched thing. Or not, as apparently the General can’t even give them away.

Mercedes-Benz and their rich uncle Maybach are also worth a mention. The Maybach rep was interesting in the sense that if you didn’t already know Maybach was being phased out you would never guess that from his presentation. TTAC and its readership have been hard on Maybach, and not without reason, but I will say that the interior is truly breath-taking. People can complain about the platform (old S-Class), but that sort of misses the point – it is meant to be the most exquisitely appointed interior this side of Rolls Royce, price be damned, and it certainly is that. If you don’t think that is worth $400k, then you can’t afford it anyway, or so they figure. At neighboring Mercedes-Benz, the new SL63 was striking, though whether strikingly beautiful or not I’m not certain. It certainly seems to have been engineered to within an inch of its life, but I would worry a bit about durability. It’s probably not a Ferrari-style garage queen, but Lord save you if you do need to fix anything on it. I would say that means you can’t afford it, except it is quite shocking how many people buy high-end cars like that without realizing just how spendy they can be at service time. I’d probably wait a couple of years for the epic depreciation to bring the car down to a reasonable price point, but that also misses the point entirely. People that can afford a car like that don’t generally worry about such things. Here’s hoping someday I won’t have to care either.

I’ve been to my local auto show several times (tiny), and Chicago a few times (pretty big), but the Detroit show has spoiled me for life. Everything is done on a massive scale there, with very elaborate displays and tons of room. Cobo is massive, to the point that my wife and I gave up on trying to see everything. We made a point to see the Germans (we both liked the Audi Q3, and I’ll take a 7-series in white, thanks), Ford, Lexus, Infiniti, and Hyundai. We skipped GM entirely save for GMC, and glanced at Dodge in passing. That probably says something, but I’m not an industry professional so I don’t know what it is. We talked about Cadillac not being what they should be and trying to be BMW instead. They’re failing at that, but they’ve plenty of company in Lincoln (wanna-be BMW), Buick (Lexus), and Chrysler (?). What the hell is a Chrysler these days, anyway?

All of this is a long way of saying that it was interesting to see how sausage is made. Everything there is scripted to the point that it must be nigh-impossible to get a candid word from anyone, though the reps at The Gallery were a bit more forth-coming. The food and hospitality are mostly good (save for Kia). It was an experience that most people don’t get to have, and we’ll never be able to go to our local auto show ever again. I’m oddly OK with that.

1. Compared to a Lamborghini, a Ferrari seems…normal. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ve never even sat in these cars before. The view forward from the driver’s seat of any Lambo is shockingly awful. I have a much easier time visualizing myself behind the wheel of the Ferrari FF, where the windshield design actually appears to have had forward visibility as a priority. Similarly, when behind the wheel of the Rolls-Royce you’re clearly looking down upon the common folk, while the Bentley comes across as a normal car, just lavishly furnished. I guess it’s a matter of whether you’re buying a car to make a statement or to drive (or be driven in).

2. The Subaru BRZ has a surprisingly nice interior, with open sight lines, supportive seats, and quality materials. The interior in the FR-S is very similar, but I wasn’t able to sit in the Scion and, from what I’ve read, it won’t be available with the Subaru’s up-level faux suede trim. How did the joint venture sports car end up with a nicer interior than you’ll find elsewhere in either partner’s lineup?

3. Lexus doesn’t have a clue. If you have to give a prepared speech to explicitly inform the press that you’re “exciting and dynamic,” then you’re not.

4. Chevrolet tries harder, but also doesn’t have a clue. The brand introduced two concepts based on “really getting to know Gen Y well.” Gen Y said it wanted functionality. Chevrolet responded with a pair of coupes, suggesting that GM continues to project its own preferences onto its target markets. Beyond their inherent functional limitations, both concepts were roundly panned on aesthetic grounds, one for being nothing new, the other for insufficient coherence.

5. I’m not Gen Y, but Chevrolet might yet become my best friend. I actually liked one of the concepts, the CODE 130R. Not because it’s attractive, and not because it’s a coupe. With three kids, I have absolutely no use for a coupe. But because it suggests that GM might actually offer an affordably-priced compact rear-wheel-drive car. Add a second set of doors, and perhaps a hatch as well, and I’d be very interested.

6. In another 30 years, Chevrolet might reintroduce the Cavalier. Or even the Aveo. After all, Dodge is bringing back the Dart, which old folks remember as a POS. To their credit, Dodge has packed the car full of features not often found in a mainstream compact, including reconfigurable LCD instruments, four-way power lumbar adjustments, and black leather with red perforations.

7. Honda, or at least Acura, might have finally rediscovered the plot. The semi-premium branch introduced a couple of cars that were pleasant to look at, and perhaps even a lot of fun to drive. The company’s turnaround doesn’t appear to have come soon enough to save the redesigned RDX (and across the aisle the Accord concept was also well short on wow value), but the Civic-based (if ill-named) ILX looks good. Perhaps it will fill the spot vacated a decade ago by the Integra? The new NSX also looks fantastic.

8. Acura is applying for U.S. citizenship. The brand will now be based in the U.S. The new NSX will be engineered in California and assembled in Ohio. An exotic from Ohio?

9. Pros and cons of the new Fusion. Biggest downside surprise: the car doesn’t look as good as I expected. The bodysides lack the fluidity of the Jags and Astons the car emulates. Why rake the windshield and backlight so dramatically, then make the bodysides so lean and stiff? Biggest upside surprise: despite the sweeping roofline, the back seat is very roomy and the most comfortable I’ve experienced in a mainstream midsize sedan. A nearly perfect height off the floor, seatback angle, cushion size, and shape. Don’t think rear seats sell cars? Check out VW’s sales.

10. The Buick Encore has a surprising amount of interior room for a 168.5-inch-long vehicle (a foot shorter than an Acura RDX). Adults will find sufficient space and comfortable seats in both rows. What the driver won’t find: sufficient power. Unless the Encore is packed with as much aluminum and magnesium as the ATS, and consequently tips the scales south of 3,000 pounds, the Sonic’s 138-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four will provide little joy. The Encore’s exterior design isn’t the most appealing, with proportions that recall the Rendezvous and odd little black plastic trim pieces on the rear pillars.

11. Cadillac, on only its third try in thirty years, might have finally matched, even beaten, the Bavarians at their own game. Unlike most other recent GM cars, which have been a couple hundred pounds overweight, the new ATS will check in below the competition. The ATS’s driving position is very similar to that in the C-Class, providing an excellent view forward, and better than the new 3, where you’re buried behind a towering instrument cluster. The engineering team is clearly fanatical about the car, especially how it steers and handles. If it handles half as well as they claim, I’m gonna want one. Especially if the wagon they’re not denying is offered in the U.S. with a manual.

12. Lincoln’s sales are low…by choice. Or so marketing VP Jim Farley would like us to believe. Lincoln dealers’ relatively low sales will enable them to provide their customers with more personalized service, compared to the “big box” luxury car retailers from across the oceans.

Michael Karesh operates TrueDelta.com, an online provider of car reliability and real-world fuel economy information.

TTAC may have the most outstanding writers around, but we can’t make the same claim when it comes to photography. Even though the infamous Vodka McBigbra pitched in to take a few shots of the Prius c, in general we didn’t have time or manpower to get the shots we wanted.

Luckily for us, Zerin Dube of SpeedSportLife was there to take his usual meticulously color-corrected set of photographs from the show, and he’s agreed to share them with TTAC readers who have an eye for that sort of thing.

Check out Zerin’s galleries here. In the meantime, I will be using the time between now and the Chicago show to learn photography… or maybe I will send V McB, she appears to at least know how to frame a shot.

Photo Credit: United States Department of Transportation

There’s a bit of a brouhaha brewing about Ford bringing about 150 “social media influencers” to Detroit and then Las Vegas for the big North American International Auto Show and the Consumer Electronics Show. While there may be some ethical issues concerning transparency and disclosure, I doubt that anyone begrudges Ford the ability to spend Ford stockholders’ money promoting Ford Motor Company and its products. Ford is acting in the fiduciary interests of those stockholders. Whether or not cabinet members and other Washington officials are acting in the fiduciary interest of taxpayers by flying to car shows is another question.

Ford used their own money to fly those bloggers in order to promote Ford. Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood and three other cabinet level officials used taxpayers’ money to fly themselves and their entourages to Detroit not to promote anything but themselves. LaHood, Energy Sec. Chu, EPA Administrator Jackson and Commerce Sec. Bryson had no real governmental need to be in Detroit. The event in the Motor City was a public relations event, not a policy planning meeting. Those politicians came to the media preview of the NAIAS not to make public policy but rather to parade in front of the 5,500 or so journalists covering the event. Ford has an obligation to promote Ford. Do taxpayers have an obligation for promote LaHood et. al.?

I came across Sec. LaHood while he was  verbally fellating Sergio Marchionne for the gaggle of cameras and microphones that follow the Italian rock star Fiat/Chrysler chief wherever he travels at a show like the NAIAS. LaHood was going on and on about how Chrysler would not be here today were it not for “Sergio”. The praise was so effusive that Sergio, a man not allergic to praise, looked almost embarrassed. I thought he was going to hand LaHood a towel to clean himself off when he was done. Maybe I’m a little bit bitter because when LaHood decided that his giving face time with Sergio was over, and it was time to head off to another photo op with another autoexec, one of his hired thugs DOT security agents bruskly shoved me out of his way. That’s no exaggeration. He lowered his shoulder and gave me a body check. I’m quite certain that had I shoved him back in a similar manner, I’d be facing federal criminal charges right now.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder gets the cook's tour of Ford's NAIAS display from FoMoCo chairman Bill Ford Jr.

Now I’ve been interviewing politicians at the NAIAS for years now. I’ve spoken with US senators and representatives as well as those serving on the state and county levels here in Michigan. I’ve interviewed members of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional delegation and I spent time talking to politicians at the NAIAS last year in the wake of Arizona Rep. Gifford’s shooting so I’m familiar with congressional security. I’ve been at the speeches of three US presidents and shaken one of their hands while they were in office and I’ve met a First Lady, so I’m not unfamiliar with even Secret Service levels of security. I’ve never been shoved aside like that before nor had anything close to it happen. I’ve never given any of those security and police personnel any reason for thinking I was some kind of threat so it’s not like I posed any danger to Sec. Lahood. No, the DOT security guy simply pushed me out of the way. I’m not sure exactly why, but I suspect it has more to do with government employees and politicians making sure that we know our place.

Later in the day I was at the Lincoln display and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was so low key about his visit to the NAIAS that I was standing almost next to him but our backs were to each other and I had no idea it was the governor. He was traveling with an entourage of only two plainclothes Michigan State Police troopers and one assistant. Gov. Snyder’s entire entourage including himself was smaller than the number of security people “protecting” Sec. LaHood. In addition to his security team, LaHood was accompanied by a number of DOT employees.

Why do we tolerate such frivolous waste of taxpayers’ money in order to promote the interest of politicians and government bureaucrats? Is there even a tiny possibility that any of those cabinet officials performed any actual governmental functions while at the NAIAS? Do any of those positions carry as much responsibility as that of a state governor? 2012 is an election year so it’s possible that some of those politicians and government officials will not be back but I can assure that no matter which faces are at the 2013 NAIAS, there will be politicians getting face time at the media preview. They’ll expect extraordinary privileges at limited access events and they will expect for you and I to get out of their way.

At the branching road of Phokis
The driver of Laius commanded my son:
“Out of the road, Stranger! Make way for the King!”
But he walked on without a word, silent in his pride.
-Euripides

 

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can dig deeper at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options.

Jamie LaReau is the journalist about whom everyone is talking nowadays. It all started when international taste-maker and notorious recluse Michael Banovsky alerted his following to a fascinating August, 2011 article entitled A Porsche From The Passenger Seat Is Still A Porsche. Banovsky is a known talent-spotter, and this time he had spotted someone whose Hemingway-esque economy of words genuinely stood out:

The Porsche I rode in was a 1999 model. I don’t recall which style, but let’s just say it was one of the good ones. (As if there are any bad ones.)

Indeed. I happened to see Ms. LaReau examining the new Buick Encore with considerable interest after the press conference, but before I could untether my Droid from my laptop and talk to her, she disappeared. Now, it appears that she has applied her unique style to a strong defense of the Encore. Let’s check it out.

Jamie’s new article is entitled Buick’s mini crossover enters a white space that could be red hot. Here at TTAC, we’re as click-sensitive as anyone else, so definitely go pay the lady a visit so Automotive News can cover their bills and Crain Communications can continue to promote the most qualified individuals to positions of leadership, no matter who they are. However, we will excerpt the relevant sections here.

Jamie starts out like so:

At auto shows I often eye vehicles and ask myself if they might one day be my next ride.

Sometimes the answer is: definitely, maybe.

General Motors introduced the Buick Encore compact crossover at the Detroit auto show today and I had that definitely, maybe feeling.

I’m not the typical Buick customer — I’m under age 65. But there is currently no mid-luxury, subcompact crossover in the United States. So the Encore is competing in “white space,” Buick marketing chief Tony DiSalle says.

So it could be red hot.

Who’s the most likely demographic for Encore purchases? Here at TTAC, we believe the Encore will appeal to the critical consumer segments commonly described as

• People who live in China
• Drooling morons who don’t

Ms. LaReau has a different idea:

But knowing my peer group, the Encore might be the one Buick we’d be eager to own. And that would take Buick into a customer space the brand desperately wants to tap into — a younger, likely single, urban professional, DiSalle says.

Initially, I thought “DiSalle” might be a sassy urban friend of Jamie’s, but then I read the article a second time and realized that “DiSalle” Buick marketing chief Tony DiSalle. This depressed me. I imagined Ms. LaReau, who has a certain statuesque beauty, rolling through downtown Detroit in a Sebring convertible with “DiSalle” and perhaps having amusing, sassy conversations.

“So… I was in a Porsche the other day.”

“OOOH GIRL! NO YOU DIN’T! Which one was it?”

“One of the good ones.”

“There ain’t no bad ones.”

“You said it, sister.”

“Girl, you need to back up off that ‘sister’ business. It’s insensitive, and when I completed my doctorate at Howard University, my thesis, ‘The Tides that Bind: Morphemetic Flow In Post-TCP/IP-Era Linguistic Diasporan Evolution Among Disadvantaged Segments Of Non-Diverse Populations’ specifically identified the use of ‘sister’ by white girls as one of the many ways in which people like you conspire to define womyn of color in a reductionist, disrespectful manner which is tantamount to parody.”

“I feel sad now. We need to start communicating on a more respectful level.”

“You said it, sister.”

Obviously I was wrong about the whole “DiSalle” thing. Let’s find out what Jamie thought about the Encore’s engine:

Another plus for me is the Encore’s 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. It will deliver 140 hp and 148 pounds-feet of torque. That’s 41 hp less than the Countryman’s turbocharged 1.6-liter engine earns.

I should point out that, earlier in the review, Ms. LaReau had noted her fondness for the Countryman, which earns its horsepower the old-fashioned way: by earning it. After some notes on lead-footed driving not unreminiscent of that Angus fellow’s bellowing nonsense in The Monthly Journal Of Free Cadillacs, the review barrels to its conclusion:

But I sure can’t wait until early next year when it goes on sale to find out.

Hmm. Waiting until a vehicle is available to render a final verdict? This sounds like journalism. Somebody had better warn Jamie that unless she can either muster unthinking enthusiasm for the pig in the poke or rain cynical distaste upon a turntable-bound new car like a third-rate literary Krakatoa, she may not go as far as Mr. Banovsky believes she will.

Here’s another SEMA refugee: the Mazda MX-5 “Spyder”. The current Miata’s choice of normal fabric roof or what-the-f***-are-you-thinking power retractable hardtop is neatly avoided in favor of the kind of stretchy, do-it-yourself job that ensures Porsche 911 “Speedster” owners never actually drive their cars anywhere.

We’ve seen a better Miata Spyder, though… click the jump for a blast into the wacky kit-car past.

This is the Simpson Design Italia. In the metal, it’s a very pretty combination of first-gen Miata and NART Spyder. Simpson makes a variety of Miata kits. Check it. Which leads to the question: If a guy in a shed can make the Miata pretty, why can’t Mazda do it?

The Roush RS3 Focus debuted at SEMA, but unfortunately TTAC was unable to obtain press passes for said SEMA due to an inability to find any photos of our staffers wearing super-cool sideways baseball caps. We are, therefore, seeing it here for the first time. We also saw a Mustang that just might have to be your humble author’s next ride, assuming my attempt at becoming one of the first 86 Scion FR-S owners fails…

The RS3 apparently makes 230 horsepower thanks to a ROUSH supercharger. This means it would be comprehensively humiliated on tha streetz by such zestier hardware as the Lamborghini Reventon and the 2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4. Still, if you don’t want to wait for the Focus ST to get your Mopar masochism on, this is an attractive way to do it. The brakes are Stoptechs and the graphics package is almost tasteful. Now let’s see a real ass-kicker of a Ford…

Oh yeah, this is more like it. How do you replace the world’s only Porsche Lime Green Audi S5? This is one answer. Boss 302 in Grabber Green. This or the Shelby? Hmmm….

The most ridiculous, but oddly exciting, exercise in brand extension since Jennie Garth’s “Body In Progress” video made a public debut today. Zerin and Byron from Speed:Sport:Life were there to shoot and talk trucks upscale activity vehicles.

“Maserati held out until late in the day on Tuesday to show us their new Kubang. There’s not much to say, really. The Infiniti FX-meets-Maser-Gran-Turismo styling works better from some angles than others, but like most in this class, this car won’t be shopped for its looks. Maserati claims the Kubang will be powered by engines built in Italy. Early rumors pointed to Hemi power, and while this would appear to put those stories to rest, it’s not entirely out of the question that Maserati will simply build a breathed-on Hemi specifically for their SUV, rather than simply transplant the Chrysler variant (much the same way Mazda and Ford built slightly different versions of the Duratec V6 engines). What they did confirm is that the Kubang will be built in the U.S.”

Well, there you have it! Maserati’s typically combined the worst residuals, the biggest discounts, and the most enthusiastic lease programs in the business, so if you can somehow resist the impulse to pay full pop for a Kubang on Day One, it should be a $699/month lease before you know it. Plus, it’s built in the United States, just like all the other great European SUVs.

TTAC is lately to the party with the MKZ, and it’s my fault; I was delayed looking for parking outside Cobo this morning. Luckily, the Speed:Sport:Life crew was there to make up the gap. Zerin Dube took the photos, and the snark is courtesy of Byron Hurd:

“When I walked into Lincoln’s press conference this morning, I expected the message to be built on the distinctiveness of the MKZ and how little it resembles its Ford-branded platform mate. Instead, we were treated to a fifteen-minute lecture about the first-tier luxury manufacturers losing their way. Lincoln reckons it is the only company who knows what luxury car customers really expect from a buying experience–bespoke products, individualized treatment, small-scale dealerships that focus less on volume and more on service– and by golly, they think they just might be able to provide it. Some day.

As for the car itself, it is distinctly Lincoln, whatever “Lincoln” is these days. It looks nothing like the Fusion we saw yesterday, which is fortunate, because in the current market the Ford makes the Lincoln equivalent (key term) rather pointless. The rear end is sculpted and attractive, and Lincoln says this is a key component of their new design direction. The big Lincoln grilles are still featured prominently up front, which I guess is part of looking Lincoln. Many touches will likely be unique to the show car, but Lincoln insists the panoramic glass roof will reach production, though the execution will likely be different.”

Well, Byron, I think this car knocks the ATS on its ass. It looks simply splendid; only a front-end treatment that shared more with the ’64 Conti and less with the Blue Whale could improve it.

TTAC readers asked us, “How small is the Encore?” This six-foot-two talking head should offer some scale. It’s a very small vehicle. For more on-floor photos, and a few tidbits from the press conference, click the jump.

Mary Barra’s opening speech for the Encore — let’s call it a Prelude To The Encore — was heavy on the China. Good news in China! The Chinese people love Buick! China! China! It was like reading TTAC on a day when I’m too hung over to post and Bertel is doing all the stories.

The Encore has 49 cubic feet of space with everything folded except the front passenger seat. That folds flat so you can put your laptop on it. Nifty. The Encore will feature basically the same shit SYNC did four years ago an amazing new suite of features that lets you listen to Pandora through Bluetooth. The interior was promised to be positively Electra-ic but in the plastic it’s more LaCrosse-esque.

The overwhelming impression? The car is simply too small, and too oddly proportioned, to make any headway in this market. If the Verano was a platform share too far, the Encore is worse. In China, it will no doubt be a hit; here in the States, it doesn’t make much sense. The idea of a sensibly sized luxury car always appeals, but in this case the execution is a lot less MINI and a lot more SAIC.

The Toyota NS4 is said to preview a future Prius – but not really. Although the family resemblance is there, and the NS4 is unequivocally a plug-in hybrid, the NS4 is the same size as a Prius, but is explicitly separate from the rest of the Prius range, according to Toyota corporate mouthpieces.

Toyota revealed zero in the way of mechanical details, not even specifying what kind of battery technology or powertrains would be employed. The car may even turn out to be a Lexus, since this is just a concept and not a “Toyota brand concept”. Of course it will be smaller, lighter, more efficient and have a greater range, but until this car reaches production in 2015, it’s all hot air.

Get this straight: with the exception of perpetual NSX foreplay, Honda doesn’t do “concepts”. Their concept cars are usually production vehicles with tinted windows. So it is with the new Accord Coupe “Concept”. The current Accord has come in for more criticism than any Accord in history… so what’s changed?

Edited to include more shots that show the evolutionary link between the current Coupe and the new one.

Let’s start with SHOCKING MECHANICAL NEWS! Honda, a company so conservative at times that it was selling the majority of its production vehicle with carburetors long after General Motors had fuel-injected the freakin’ Iron Duke, has finally put six-speed automatic transmissions in the Accord. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether production models will have a nifty little retro “6-speed” badge under the right rear taillamp.

Oh, wait. Turns out it’s just the V-6 that gets a six-speed. Four-cylinder models get a CVT. That four-cylinder is the new EarthDreams 2.4 direct-injected model, putting out 181hp and 177 lb-ft. The new V-6 will also make more power, but Honda didn’t say how much more.

On the now-mandatory hybrid side of things, the Accord Hybrid has finally ditched the old IMA system for a proper two-motor setup that will allow the Accord to run in full electric mode. Range in said mode is quoted at a serious-business 10-15 miles. And it’s a plug-in, with full recharge in four hours at 120v and 1.5 hours at 240v.

Standard tech includes Bluetooth across the range and a rearview camera, a color LCD display, and a Pandora interface. Optional: lane assist.

We will be partnering with Speed:Sport:Life to bring you a full Accord Coupe gallery later in the day.

We all ran by them this morning on the way to the Fusion introduction. Two signs. One sign said, “FORD PRESS EVENT”. The sign below it said “SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS”. The arrow pointed a different way. Who are “social media influencers”, anyway?

What was the “Volt Lounge”, and why were so many prominent auto-related Twitterati spending time there today instead of walking the NAIAS show floor?

The photo above is a plane that reportedly left Detroit tonight. Why did Audi reportedly feel the need to fly dozens of bloggers from NAIAS to CES, at their expense?

We’ve complained about this on TTAC before, but on a day where we have seen so many newsworthy new cars, it’s important to remind all of you that a lot of the “news” is bought and paid for. General Motors and Ford both spent obscene amounts of money to fly “social media influencers” to Detroit from all over the world. The way these bloggers experience Detroit is very different from the way the TTAC crew did. They are herded from place to place, given talking points, and relentlessly groomed to Tweet and blog only the most flattering and sponsor-centric information. “Insider events” make sure that the GM bloggers, for example, didn’t see the plug-in Fusion — and the Ford bloggers were nowhere in evidence when the new Hyundais hit the ground. Instead, a group of mostly young, handsome, and gregarious PR people ensure that only the most profitable news reaches the ears of their impressionable charges.

Meanwhile, Audi apparently chartered an entire Boeing 737 to make sure “lifestyle” bloggers went straight from the new Q3 Vail to the newest disposable electronic garbage in Vegas. Lincoln’s introducing the new MKZ in the morning, and it’s aimed right at the Audi A4 — but for the Audi charter crew, that car’s invisible. Meanwhile, Ford’s blogger babies will be Tweeting Revolutionary Em Kay Zee News All Morning. It’s modern American politics writ in automotive steel: ignore the contrasting choices, pick a team, be loyal rather than curious.

As we did last year, TTAC is calling on all compensated bloggers to trumpet that fact loud and clear at the BEGINNING of their coverage, not in a italicized end disclaimer. If your view of the world’s most important auto show was through a marketing glass darkly, let your followers know.

Now it’s time for the TTAC team disclaimers:

• Jack Baruth drove a Lincoln Town Car with 73,920 miles to the event. He accepted no alcohol or food from manufacturers and paid his own bills.
• Ronnie Schreiber paid his own way and is a native Detroiter.
• The Speed:Sport:Life crew flew from Houston, TX and Washington, DC at their own expense, paid their own way, and did not accept any manufacturer benefits on Day One of the show while covering the event for TTAC.
• Derek Kreindler stayed home in Toronto because his girlfriend is gorgeous and he didn’t want to play pickup ball.
• Bertel Schmitt monitored our activity from the secret Chinese moon base nearest internet cafe.

Who paid for the coverage you are reading? You did, by clicking on all those great ads. What? You haven’t clicked on an ad? Get clicking!

Chrysler’s so sure their electric minivan has the power to stomp the competition, they had Ndamukong Suh sit in the thing.

No, I’m serious.

That’s Ndamukong Suh.

The minivan is the Chrysler 700C. What’s different about it, besides the Dustbuster-meets-Nissan-Quest looks?

Well, it’s supposed to be electric. To be fair, the 700C is still in that lifecycle stage of concept-car existence where it could be powered by batteries, hydrogen, a revamped Chrysler Turbine, or a GM Iron Duke refitted for 2.7-liter marine duty. Is this the future of Chrysler minivan styling, at least? We’re kind of hoping it isn’t.

With spotty Internet coverage at Cobo, some of the photographs and stories created for TTAC’s readers during the day are just now making it our desk. So, here are some comments on the Veloster Turbo and Genesis Coupe from Speed:Sport:Life’s Byron Hurd:

Veloster:

To be honest, I had to remind myself more than once leading up to the conferences today what Hyundai actually had in store for us, and given the no-brainer that is the Veloster Turbo and the long lead on the mid-cycle refresh of the Genesis Coupe, can you blame me? In the mind of many enthusiasts, these cars already existed. We just needed Hyundai to validate that for us. And that they have.

The Veloster comes exactly as-expected. The 1.6L 4-cylinder engine in the base car gets a simple, non-sequential, single-vane turbocharger that bumps the horsepower from an unremarkable 138 to a healthy 201. From my experience in the NA model, more power will cure a great deal of its problems, but the key difference between the Veloster and Hyundai’s claimed competition is in the handling. While they’ve come a long way in ride quality, the chassis is only about 80% there. There’s only so much Hyundai can do with a twist-beam rear end, so I’m curious to get behind the wheel of the boosted version and see if they’ve buttoned it down to boot.

Hyundai also insists that the matte finish on the show car will be available on the production model, and for a “reasonable” price. What’s reasonable to you or me may not be such to a Hyundai buyer, so I suppose that remains to be seen as well.

Gen Coupe:

As for the Genesis Coupe, this refresh was a long time comin’. The base model gains a twin-scroll turbocharger and 64 horses, for a grand total of 274. Not to be outdone, the the V6 model adds direct injection to the list of the 3.8L’s tech specs, and between that and some additional tuning, now has 348hp (previously 306). Even without any chassis or transmission updates (Cliff’s notes on the press release: there are revisions), this should be enough to trounce a 370Z (don’t even ask about a G37) and put the V6 Mustang back in its place, if only just. Bigger game (your 5.0s and such) will still put the Genesis in weeds on a a track, provided you’re not planning to go more than a dozen laps, by which time a V8 pony’s brakes will be gasping for fresh air.

As for the styling, the front end refresh on the Genesis works surprisingly well. Early pictures emphasized the overwrought grille and hood, but they’re far better integrated than the photos let on. It may not be pretty, but it works.

Scion debuted a “racing” version of its FR-S at Detroit today. The word “racing” appears in quotes because this vehicle will actually compete in Formula DRIFT, which is no more “racing” than it is “championship chess”. When a real racing FR-S appears — and it certainly will — it’s likely that the Grand-Am Continental Tire Series or Speed World Challenge will be its first port of call.

Race teams who want to make sure their FR-S arrives in time to participate in the 2012 season might want to take advantage of another bit of FR-S news… a “hand-raiser” opportunity to be one of the first eighty-six owners in the United States.

ScionFirst86 is Scion/Toyota’s effort to make sure the most enthusiastic hachi-roku fanatics get their hands on the first FR-Ses to land on these shores. It’s a nice gesture, and it’s also a nice way to make an end run around the predatory instincts of Toyota dealers, who given the chance would certainly slap a $10,000 ADP sticker on every FR-S to arrive in 2012. Click the link for details. Your humble author is certainly considering it. If only Ford hadn’t debuted a lime green Boss 302 today…

“SL” traditionally stood for “Sport Leicht” or “Sport Light”, but the last SL to be truly worthy of that name was the original 300SL. With aluminum-intensive construction, the new SL is meant to be considerably lighter — 275 pounds, SL550 v. SL550 — than its remarkably chunky predecessor. “Light” is relative. With a 429-horsepower V-8, the SL550 will be quick. So “Sport”, too, after a fashion.

The hilarity came when Mercedes reps made a claim about the SL that is unlikely to ever be true…

“Investment.” It was pointed out that the increase in value of original 300SL Gullwings has beaten the Dow Jones Index over the past fifty-some years. “The SL is an investment.” Somebody should tell this guy who can’t get a $45,000 bid on his six-year-old $196,000 SL65. In reality, there are very few things that depreciate faster than a high-end Mercedes SL, and two of them (the S-class AMG sedans and the CL-class AMG coupes) are sold by the same company.

For those of who aren’t worried about ROI, the SL has a few nifty gadgets on order. A “Magic Sky” roof option on the by-now-traditional folding hardtop can take the transparent glass overhead to Compton-style tint at the flick of a switch. The “Frontbass” system claims to be the first time that awesome bass tubes have ever been integrated into the body-in-white of a production automobile. That may be because nobody else ever wanted to do it. Still, if you had a Bazooka tube in your Celica thirty years ago, or if you go by the name “Tigra” or “Bunny”, this is good news.

Upon the SL550′s release, a special model, the “Edition 1″, will be available. The Edition 1 will combine a full load of factory options with special designo paint. That one should lose value faster than nude pictures of Courtney Love but it will also probably be quite satisfying to own during the warranty period.

Our man Ronnie Schreiber was on the ground for the introduction of the Acura NSX concept. It’s supposed to be an Ohio-built, SH-AWD wondercar. Ronnie will have detailed notes for us later. Until then, check out Speed:Sport:Life for the best NSX photo gallery on the Web right now!

Rotating alone on a turntable: the Subaru BRZ. Looks good, if you ask me. Unfortunately we couldn’t touch the dashboard for all of you dash-touchers out there… more shots after the jump.

Since its introduction, the Bentley Continental GT has been a fascinating lesson in how “luxury” operates. Fundamentally identical to the VW Phaeton, the Conti sold for twice as much — and did volumes between ten and thirty times what the uber-VW ever managed in the United States.

This platform is about to celebrate its tenth year in production. How do you revitalize it when there are plenty of $70,000 used Contis out there? Simple: you turn down the power.

The new twin-turbo four-liter V8 delivers 500 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque through a new eight-speed transmission. New interior electronics replace the Phaeton Infotainment center stack which was dated in 2004 and laughable today. The price? “North of $150K.” Here’s a hint: a used Conti with a $500 tuner chip will drop this thing like it’s hitting hyperspace out of an asteroid field. TTAC’s opinion? Time to put this nag out to pasture.

You’re looking at the Q3 Vail. Named in honor of a place where the self-important meet for a little apres-ski, the “Vail” features a butched-up body kit and all sorts of technical details that, let’s face it, have nothing to do with the Q3 your mom will end up asking you about leasing in six months. More photos from Zerin Dube of Speed:Sport:Life after the jump.

Audi also showed an A4 facelift which does nothing to injure the looks of the car and will easily identify the people who are driving the newest model. Isn’t that what a facelift is for?

“You know,” Mark Templin of Lexus told the press, “the first time I saw this car, I was speechless.” I know I have that quote correct, because it was in the copy of the speech handed out after the press event.

Speeches about speechlessness aside, however, this is the new styling direction of Lexus. That much is obvious from the pinched grille. What else can we learn about it?

Not much, really. It’s a hybrid, or at least it is supposed to be. The central external concept — that of a “glass to glass” roof pillar — is almost certainly impossible given current construction methods. The central internal concept — is the “tech-board”, which was described as “like having a tilt-up iPad build into the console.” Not the most compelling idea, honestly.

The rest of the LF-LC story is all about the styling, so we will leave that up to you, the reader, to decide.

What you see before you will be the best-selling Porsche 911. It is sad but true: in the watercooled era, the convertible has generally outsold the coupe. For that reason alone, Porsche was eager to introduce a droptop 991. Add all-wheel-drive and a PDK transmission, and you have a sickening parody of Butzi Porsche’s original 901 concept a great way for high-net-worth people to get to their yoga lessons.

What don’t you know about the Dart? I will tell you something: it is spacious inside. The rear seat is no-kidding suitable for full-sized adults In fact, it’s quite nice to sit in, front and back. Click the jump for some comments from Speed:Sport:Life’s Byron Hurd:

“In a scene more suitable for debuting a new iteration of the ‘Rock Band’ franchise than the launch of a new domestic compact, Dodge proudly introduced its new 2013 Dart. It’s small. It’s Italian (sort of). It looks like nothing else on the road… from the front or rear, anyway.

Actually, don’t look at the sides too closely or the Kia Forte greenhouse and Mazda3 rear deck profile (each its respective model’s least-attractive design trait) will be obvious. Of course, Dodge took great pains to point out that they were not beholden to any previous compact strategy, the subtext here of course that the outgoing Caliber was neither compact nor the product of any recognizable strategy.

Naught has changed since we received preleminary specs a few weeks back. Three engines offer either 160 or 184hp (the former from either a 2.0L non-turbo or a 1.4L turbocharged MultiAir; the latter available only from the 2.4L, naturally aspirated range-topper) and you have your “choice” of 6-speed manual transmission, 6-speed slush-o-matic, or six-speed-not-a-DSG-twin-clutch. The dual-clutch unit will be available only on the MultiAir turboharged engine, and going by industry convention, we expect the 6-Speed manual will be limited to the 2.0L and lower trims of the 2.4L.”

Our Chevrolet event coverage comes to us courtesy of Byron Hurd and Speed:Sport:Life. Take it away…

“Near as we can tell, the Chevy press conference wasn’t actually about a car. For that matter, it wasn’t really about cars at all. The intro video for… whatever it was they were trying to introduce, was simply and near-endless string of “man on the street” interviews featuring what we can only assume is Chevy’s new target market. They’re young, they’re poor and they want cars. Also, they don’t really like or care about cars. They just want one, you know? Cuz like, Facebook, twitterconnectivityInternetRacecar.

As for the concepts? Well, they showed us two designs, both four-seater, two-door coupes. The code130R is something concocted from an emasculated Camaro and a little bit of BMW’s 1-Series, though (in many ways like BMW) they forgot to spec the attractive parts. The other draws heavily on the high-haunched (and nearly dead) Mitsubishi Eclipse and a little bit of GM’s own Cadillac Converj concept. Both were meant to capture the imaginations of this newfound youth market, so naturally, they’re an ADD-addled mish-mash of “needs” and “wants” as specified by a sample of the 80-million strong market that, in the Chevy presenter’s own words, can’t truly be defined. Fortunately, they can still be compartmentalized by a demographic, and that demographic wants two doors, Brembo brakes with cross-drilled rotors, and an iPod dock.

The last institution to so disastrously probe the youth market ended up the target of a federal investigation. Fortunately for GM, nothing Chevy’s market research teams have done is considered illegal. Some of us, however, might think it should be. ”

Edit: Powertrain details have surfaced. The Tru 140S (white one) uses a Cruze-derived 1.4L Turbo making 150 horsepower and 148 lb-ft, returning the all important 40 mpg. A 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto are the transmission choices. The Code 130R (red one) uses the same engine and transmission but also employs eAssist and a front engine, rear-wheel drive setup, whereas the Tru is front-drive.