Detroit Motor Show 2008

Nodz86 · January 26, 2008

Heres a few cars from the show that caught my eye or are interesting. If I've missed anything that you like thought was interesting add it to the thread.

Mazda's concept for the Detroit Show is called Furai: the 'sound of the wind'.

It's an evolution of the Nagare concept shown in Los Angeles last year - now built on the Courage C65 chassis as used in an American Le Mans Series racer. Power comes from a 450bhp, three-rotor version of Mazda's rotary engine, adapted to run on 100% ethanol fuel.

Former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker - who has been selling his own-brand coachbuilt high-performance vehicles from his new HQ in California - has revealed his hybrid. The Fisker Karma is a high-performance four-seater, with plug-in facility to boost battery power.

The Karma was developed for Fisker by Quantum Technologies and is capable of over 125mph and 0-60mph in six seconds. It can also go for up to 50 miles in electric-only mode and up to 620 miles on all power sources. Its battery pack is mid-mounted for optimum weight distribution, and its construction is aluminium, keeping weight down overall. Options will include a solar roof panel to collect energy to charge the battery and power the climate control system.

Land Rover's 'baby' SUV concept, the LRX, is a small and sporty three-door diesel hybrid that the company says shows 'a vision of its future'.

Considerably smaller than the Freelander, this 'cross-coupe' is nonetheless intended to be a premium-class product, capturing much of the cachet of the Range Rover in a compact package.

The Dodge Zeo is a shooting brake-style 2+2 wagon, with electric-only powertrain. Its new-generation lithium-ion batteries give a range of up to 250 miles and its 250kW motor is good for 0-60mph in less than six seconds.

The two-door RA coupe is built around a lightweight aluminium spaceframe, with bonnet, bumpers and other panels made from an easily recyclable but highly crash-resistant plastic. It incorporates the four-wheel drive system of the Evo X, including the active centre differential, active yaw control and stability control. It also has the Evo's twin-clutch automated manual gearbox, plus active steering. The result should be excellent traction, cornering control and stability.