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By:
The Editors of Automotive Trends
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Well it’s getting to that time of the year again. No
I am not referring to the time when you blow your
whole years’ earnings on Christmas presents and
festivities, but the time of year when auto makers
start bringing out their finest. Yes, auto show
season is upon us and this year’s wave of new
products is sure to be as exciting as ever. So as
soon as the Christmas leftovers have been put away
and the holiday joy is thoroughly spread our editors
will be headed back down to Cobo Hall for more fun
than any one automotive journalist should be allowed
to have. In an effort to kick off the new show
season we have compiled the latest buzz to keep the
excitement peaked and the saliva flowing (careful
not to drool on the keyboard). Below we have broken
down the news, by manufacturer, of what we expect to
see in January. Enjoy!
Ford Motor Company
Ford intends to roll out several new products to
keep the life of last year’s Year of the Car going.
Among them will be the midsize Fusion sedan, the
Harley-Davidson F-150, and the Mustang convertible
should make an appearance even though it could debut
a week earlier at the Los Angeles show. Lincoln
brings to the table an upscale version of the Fusion
in the form of the Zephyr. Mercury will show off the
Meta One concept which utilizes future design themes
of the brand and is filled with advanced electronics
and safety features. Land Rover is going after the
high rollers this year with the supercharged Range
Rover Sport. Also making its North American debut
will be the Aston Martin Vanquish S, featuring an
even more muscular V12. Mazda will show off a thinly
disguised production model. In concept form it is
called the MX-Crossport and borrows some design
elements from the RX-8 sports car. Altogether Ford Motor Company will feature a total
of eight concepts from Ford, Mercury, Mazda, Jaguar
and Volvo.
General Motors
GM is expected to show off a slew of concepts and
production vehicles, but they are keeping especially
hush hush right now. It is likely we will see the
Coupe and/or Convertible versions of the Pontiac G6.
The Equinox-based SUV dubbed Torrent will break
cover as well. Saturn will show a sporty new
production roadster dubbed Sky and it’ll be wearing
uncharacteristically sexy sheetmetal as the sketch
reveals. Chevrolet is said to have a new Monte Carlo
ready for the show. We’re sure to see the next Z06 Corvette
and the STS-V. Buick, GMC, and Saab are
staying quiet in the meantime.
DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler has already shown off a couple of
its upcoming concepts in the form of the Chrysler
Firepower and Jeep Gladiator. But there are also
rumors of a 300C coupe and/or convertible showing
up. Dodge will show off its latest iteration of the
Charger in the form of a 4-door based off the
Chrysler 300. Mercedes is likely to show up with its
new ML and/or G-class sport utilities. What is also
known is that DCX will be launching the Smart brand
in the U.S. and displaying the Formore concept. Also
at the show will be a Mitsubishi version of the
Dodge Dakota pickup dubbed the Raider as well as a
sleek new Eclipse.
Volkswagen Group
Audi will bring out the Avant version of its latest
A6 sedan, but no word as yet about a new allroad,
though it looks like they’ll go more toward
crossover SUV
territory with something dubbed the Q7. We could
also see the new Jetta make its official debut although that could happen in LA or elsewhere. Volkswagen will also feature a
concept, details as yet are unknown.
Others
Other notable production debuts will come in the
form of the Hyundai Sonata, Kia Rio, and the new
Porsche 911 Cabriolet. Kia, Hyundai and
Suzuki will also show off concept vehicles, though
no details are available now. Infiniti will show its
new M45 and Toyota will show an all-new and much
more stylish Avalon. Lexus will try to wow crowds
with an exotic sports car called LF-A and an updated
GX 470 SUV. Acura will offer a glimpse of an
upcoming production model with the RD-X Small SUV
concept. Nissan will show off a sporty, small coupe
named Azeal and it is intended to be an affordable
"pocket rocket".
If all that doesn’t get you salivating, you must be
dehydrated. This year’s show season is sure to cause
a stir. We will be updating this preview as new
information is made public. As always Automotive
Trends will be bringing you live coverage from the
show floor. Yes it’s a dirty job, but someone has to
do it. So go get some refreshments and meet us back
here on January 9th for the kick off of the North
American International Auto Show.Check out
our second preview
here!
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