2013 Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis on Detroit motor show

          Detroit motor show: Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis

Shape of hyundai’s future luxury saloons revealed in a concept at the Detroit motor show

Hyundai’s concept car for the Detroit motor show, the HCD-14 Genesis, gives us a preview of what to expect from its future large cars.

The Californian-designed concept will shape the look of its BMW 5-series-rivalling Genesis and its Mercedes S-class competitor, the Equus.

The rear-drive HCD-14 has a much sleeker, sharper look than the firm’s current executive cars, with short overhangs and a coupé-like roofline. The back doors are rear-hinged, with large, brushed aluminium hinges supporting them. The car is powered by a 5.0-litre V8.

Hyundai’s US boss, John Krafick, said he is eager to show the “dynamic driving” of the HCD-14, a recognition of the relatively soft dynamics of the firm’s upper-end offerings.

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Toyota Corolla Furia concept On Detroit Motor Show

Toyota has revealed its Toyota Corolla Furia concept car at the Detroit motor show, the firm’s first clues as to the future direction of its best-selling saloon.

The Furia is the latest in a string of recent concepts from Toyota with bolder and more distinctive designs, following a personal plea from company chief Akio Toyoda for the firm to become more daring and break free of its conservative image and appeal to younger buyers.

The concept is 4620mm long, 1805mm wide and 1425mm high, with a wheelbase of 2700mm giving it relatively short overhangs. The concept is boldest at its front, with the design a much more striking interpretation of the look found on the new European-market Auris.

A sharply raked windscreen and low roofline ensure a lower sleeker profile than that of Toyota’s current Corolla. A usual array of more outlandish concept features make it onto the Furia, including 19in alloys, lashings of carbonfibre trim and a large rear diffuser with integrated exhausts.

“The Corolla Furia Concept is an early indicator of where our compact car design may lead in the future,” said Toyota vice president Bill Fay at the concept’s unveiling in Detroit. He hoped the design “would surprise a lot of people".

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2013 Honda Urban SUV On Detroit Motor Show

Honda has previewed plans for a new Jazz-based SUV with this Urban SUV Concept at the Detroit motor show.

Honda has already confirmed a production version, which closely follows the sleek style of this concept. It will be introduced in Japan late this year, the US in early 2014 and Europe later in 2014.

Underpinning the 4300mm-long Urban SUV Concept is the next-generation Jazz’s platform. A third generation of the standard Jazz supermini will be launched in 2014 with the new underpinnings. A saloon is also planned based on this platform and will be targeted at emerging markets.

Each of Honda’s global regions is being given autonomy to tune it to suit local conditions. Both the exterior and interior styling are also likely to differ slightly between global markets.

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has previously described the global small car platform as strategically very important to Honda’s bid to boost sales from about four million units to seven million annually by 2017. He called the Jazz SUV a “younger brother” to the new CR-V.

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2014 Tesla Model X detailed On Detroit motor show

The Tesla Model X will have the lowest centre of gravity of any SUV on sale when it goes on sale next year, its makers announced today at the Detroit motor show.

The prototype on display is the current evolution of the Model X, and features its latest dual electric motor set-up to allow the four-wheel drive system to apportion power where there is most traction. Visual changes from the previous model shown are minor, including new wheels and a new paint finish.

The low centre of gravity is made possible by the Model X's floor mounted battery pack, and Tesla says it helps counter the extra weight of the batteries and ensure the car, which can accelerate from 0-60mpb in less than five seconds, retains sporty characteristics.

The seven-seater's unusual 'falcon doors' are also set to make production. Lifting up and away from the car's body, they are designed to give adults enough room to stand while they reach into the car.

The Model X's future in Europe hangs in the balance, as Tesla is debating whether or not its size makes it too big for European tastes. If it does make it to the UK, right-hand-drive conversion means it is unlikely to appear before 2015 — even if this is possible.

Tesla says it will be priced competitively against other premium SUVs.

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2013 Audi SQ5 349bhp

A petrol-engined Audi SQ5 has been unveiled at the Detroit show - but it's not coming to the UK

This is the petrol-powered version of the Audi SQ5, which has been revealed at the Detroit Motor Show. It won’t be sold in Europe, but has been built with the North American, Chinese and Russian markets in mind.

The SQ5 petrol is powered by Audi’s 3.0-litre supercharged V6, which develops 349bhp and 470Nm of torque. This is transferred to the road via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and Audi’s quattro four-wheel-drive system.

Performance for the new Q5 range-topper in the US is decent, with the SQ5 sprinting from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph.

Thanks to its 650Nm of torque, the 309bhp 3.0-litre diesel Audi SQ5 sold in Europe takes 0.2 seconds less to complete the benchmark 0-62mph sprint, taking 5.1 seconds. It also hits a top speed of 155mph.

What’s more, the diesel SQ5 is more efficient, too, returning a claimed average of 41.5mpg and emitting 179g/km of CO2. The petrol car manages 33.2mpg and 199g/km respectively.

The petrol SQ5 features the same enhancements as the diesel model sold in Europe, which includes 30mm lower suspension, 20-inch alloys and plenty of gloss black trim. It will go on sale in the US in the autumn.

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2013 Audi RS7 revealed

The 552bhp Audi RS7 has been unveiled at the Detroit show, ahead of its UK arrival in the summer

Audi has revealed a brand new member of its 'RS' family at the Detroit Motor Show - the RS7. Taking the place of the RS6 Saloon in the line-up, the pumped-up four-door coupe features the same 552bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the recently-revealed RS6 and is aimed primarily at the US market, although it will be sold in the UK.

With all that power and permanent four-wheel drive, the RS7 blasts from 0-62mph in a phenomenal 3.9 seconds (on a par with the new Corvette Stingray) and has a top speed of 155mph. There's the option to raise that limiter to either 174mph or 189mph by ordering the Dynamic or Dynamic Plus package respectively. Thanks to cylinder deactivation technology, fuel economy is 28.8mpg.

As designated by the 3D 'quattro' lettering on the lower front grille, the RS7 features permanent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring. A self-locking centre differential splits torque between the two axles, while a sport differential sends power to the rear wheel that needs it the most.

Adaptive air suspension lowered by 20mm is fitted as standard, with RS-specific settings, while an even sportier setup is also available with steel springs and three-way adjustable dampers. Huge 420mm carbon-ceramic brakes are offered as an option, while 20-inch seven-spoke wheels will be standard in the UK, with 21-inch cast wheels offered as an option.

All the usual RS design cues are present and correct, including a pair of large elliptical tail pipes and subtly enhanced bodywork. On the inside, there are white dials with red needles, embossed leather sports seats and two sculpted seats in the rear.

The RS7 will be available to order in the UK from the summer, with deliveries due to start towards the end of the year. Prices will start from around £84,000 - £7,000 more than the RS6 Avant.

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2013 New Maserati Quattroporte unveiled

Maserati has revealed the new Quattroporte at the Detroit Motor Show

The all-new Maserati Quattroporte has made its public debut at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show.

The firm’s CEO, Harald Wester, has said that the new Quattroporte is key to Maserati’s planned “industrial growth that will see our presence in the world rise to 50,000 units a year by 2015.” A figure that’s considerably more than the 6,159 cars it sold in 2011.

Details are being kept under wraps until the Detroit show, but the new Quattroporte is expected to be lighter than the current car’s 1,990kg, thanks to aluminium body panels and a new steel-aluminium platform.

The new car was designed by a team headed by Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Head of the Maserati Design Centre, which is part of the Fiat Group Centro Stile design centre in Turin, Italy.

The Quattroporte has a new look that’s designed to be aggressive enough to appeal to Maserati’s current core of Western European and North American customers, but also elegant enough to appeal to Chinese buyers. In another concession to the Asian market, the new car is longer than the previous model’s 5,097mm to increase rear passenger and boot space.

Under the bonnet is an evolution of the current Ferrari-built 4.7-litre V8. In the current Quattroporte, this develops 424bhp - but the numberplate of the car in our pictures does say 530hp, which equates to 523bhp. This figure is higher than the same engine’s output in the Maserati GranTurismo, but still less than a 552bhp BMW M5.

Maserati is expected to broaden the Quattroporte’s engine range with smaller V6 models and even a diesel, with Maserati Powertrain Director and former Ferrari engine boss, Paolo Martinelli, saying: “The new engines that will be mounted on the next generation of Maserati vehicles are not only more powerful than ever, or more exciting to drive than ever – but also more fuel efficient than ever before.”

The engines won’t just power the new Quattroporte. The new luxury saloon is the first of three key new models, as it will be joined by a new E-Class-sized saloon called the Ghibli and an SUV called the Levante, that’s based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee by 2014.

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