Come January and Detroit will be freezing in cold, but that does not deter the automobile manufacturers to put a stellar show, the first Automobile Expo of the year, on hold from fresh launches to bizarre concepts. Every manufacturer will be trying to outdo others to catch the limelight at the show held on the grounds of what is considered as the spiritual home of automobile.
This year's show was not an exception and there were some launches that the world was looking with so much expectation, like the new Mercedes-Benz E class, the new Porsche 911 and the BMW M2 and there were some wild card entries like the incredibly beautiful Buick Avista and the flagship Lexus LC 500. Let's have a look at what this grand Auto Show (NAIAS 2016) holds within it, which started on the 11th of January 2016 and continued till 24th January 2016 in Detroit, US.
Mercedes-Benz E Class
Undoubtedly, the most awaited launch of this year was the new and updated Mercedes-Benz E class, the most important sedan in the Mercedes portfolio. E class is the last to get the new and aesthetically much improved sensuous pure design language, which ditched the stiff lines of the older generation to more fluidic lines of the current generation.
Mercedes teased the world and enticed its fans for months before the actual launch by revealing teasers and videos along with the short yet alluring glimpse of the interiors before the launch. The car did manage to woo the spectators when the cover came off, and now resembles a scaled down S class, both from outside and inside.
2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S
Porsche unveiled the new 911 Turbo and Turbo S at this year's Detroit auto show, and the car continues to have all the traits that made it a household name among the enthusiast, but slightly more than earlier. Since this is a midlife facelift, there are no dramatic changes outside but, under the hood, it is a different story. Armed with an extra of 20 thoroughbred horses, the Turbo does the 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds while the big brother Turbo S does the same in 2.8 seconds, thanks to the twin turbo 3.8-liter 6-cylinder mill that now peaks at 580hp and redline at 7,200rpm. Both the siblings now comes with a dynamic boost that improves the throttle response and maintains the boost pressure for longer duration, when driven pedal to metal.
BMW M2 and X4 M40i
The magicians from Bavaria are at it again. The spiritual successor to what is considered as arguably the best driver's car by BMW ever – the M3 – the M2 has got the oomph, both outside and under the hood, and might be the BEST performance deal out there in the market now. Powered by a 3-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder mill, with a peak output of 365hp, and mated with a beautiful manual transmission (which itself warrants a place for M2 in the garage, since not many performance cars comes with manual tranny these days), this car will just outperform the elder brother M5, from the same garage.
BMW has kitted the car with 19-inch wheels, leather seats, Harman Kardon surround sound system – well, to make a long story short, there are only few options left to choose if you want the M2 to be fully kitted – the car comes with a very impressive array of features straight from the factory, at a mouthwatering price.
Lexus LC 500
A radical departure from the staid image that is usually associated with the Lexus brand, the LC 500 is the most stunning car from the company after the LFA. The car looks stunning – underlined by the fact that the LC 500 bagged top honors at the 10th annual EyesOn Design awards, at Detroit Auto Show, for the best-designed production car and the best interior. The brainchild of Toyota's CEO, Akio Toyoda, the LC 500 will be the flagship offering from Lexus and will take the fight to the rivals.
The car looks like it is made for two, but the clever design hides the fact that it is actually a four seater. The car is powered by a big, naturally aspirated V8 motor – a departure from today's norm of turbos and hybrids. The front of the car is dominated by the now signature Lexus spindle grill (which will polarize the opinion to an extent). The whole car now looks more cohesive and organic and to an extent, shockingly beautiful. Well done, LEXUS.
Buick Avista
Think Buick and you will never ever imagine a car as beautiful as Avista, even in your wildest of the dreams. Till yesterday, if you have said someone that a Buick car is sexy and sporty, chances are that they will laugh at you – but with a single sweep, Buick has confirmed the opinion. The Avista is what a sports car dreams to be – sleek, sporty, and fluid. The effort put by Buick in building this beauty as awarded by the Design Excellence for a concept car award in this year's EyesOn Design awards.
The car looks angry from the front, thanks to the sculptured headlamps and the eyebrows, and all the lines on the car are designed in a way to appear that they originate from the Buick emblem proudly sitting on the front grill. The car is powered by a 3.0-liter twin turbo motor, which produces a peak 400hp and is mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Avista rides on 20-inch wheels aided by the Magnetic Ride Control and has space to seat 4 in relative comfort.
Lincoln Continental
The traditional America Luxury liner saw its rebirth during this year's Detroit Auto Show and it looks like the car is poised to bring back the "Quiet Luxury" (which incidentally, is Lincoln's new motto). The car is a study in understated luxury, with confidence and sleek lines and a stately mesh grill that dominates the front and with luxurious interiors that boast 30-way adjustable seats and a Revel audio system with 19 speakers, the car is ready to take the fight for luxury to the rivals.
The car spots impressive and intelligent E-latch door handles (you don't pull the door handle to open the door like a conventional door handle – you place your hand and the door opens automatically) which fits into the chrome window trim and allows the designers to place the speakers at the perfect position for that perfect sound. The car is powered by a 3.0-liter bi-turbo V6 motor that outputs a peak 400hp.
Volvo S90
Volvo has unveiled its luxury sedan, the S90 at this year's Detroit Auto Show. With its subtle styling (which don't strike you at the first look, but grows on you as you look at it more) and with painstakingly detailed interiors clad in finest of Swedish luxury, the car is going to be a stellar performer for sure and will offer strong fight to the 2017 E class.
When goes on sale, the car will have three different powertrains to choose from – the base T5 will have a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, the middle of the line T6 will be equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder mill that will be both turbocharged and supercharged and the top of the line T8 will be powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine working in tandem with an electric drive system, with a peak output of 410hp. The interiors have acres of real wood and leather and come with a high end Bowers and Wilkins audio system.
Fisker Force 1
A comeback attempt from Henrik Fisker (Does any one remembers the Fisker Karma? The plug in hybrid supercar that did not take off!), the Fisker Force 1 is a supercar with a mammoth 8.4-liter V10 engine, under the hood, and comes with no electrical assist features. The engine outputs 745hp at peak and 639 lb-ft torque, which will see the Force one doing 0-60mph in 3 seconds. The car comes with a 6-speed manual tranny and is shod with Pirelli PZero tyres.
There is no doubting that the car looks aggressive, and makes no apologies for being as environment friendly as a coal burning locomotive. The body is dominated by rakish angles, and the blade thin headlights and brake lights along with the deep dish alloys give the car a unique character. The interior is luxuriously appointed and is draped in leather, Alcantara and even diamonds, and comes with a champagne holder too that can hold two bottles of champagne.
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