Joey D
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- Lakes of the North, MI
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So my best friend Jimmy works as an IT guy for a company called the Schaeffler Group (LUK INA FAG) which is a supplier for various automotive companies. Knowing I enjoy cars he was able to snag two tickets to the industry preview with me being his "client" for the day. This involved a trip to the company's suite and the consumption of large quantities of gourmet prepared food.
Anyways on to the car show itself, which was a bit of a let down compared to previous shows but still being able to view these cars before the general public got to was a real treat and I am very appreciative that I was able to attend something many people only wish they could.
Now before I begin the massive onslaught of photos I did actually want to prove that I was there and did not have someone just snap photos for me.
On to the cars. I do have larger images of all these pictures if you would like them but be warned the lighting balance inside Cobo Hall did not agree with my little Olympus point and shoot camera. Some of the photos are a bit blurry at higher resolutions but I will still be happy to get them to you. They are organized in how I took them as well.
Audi
Audi only really had one car I just had to see, that being the new R8 TDI which was truly an amazing site to see. This is a step in the right direction and the way I think supercars or cars in general for that matter should be going. Something that gives you 0-60 in 4.3 seconds and 23mpg is something I want in my life.
There was also the sporty model of the TT which right now slips my mind on the name. Looked cool though.
BMW
Now on to BWM, where I fell in love with the M3 coupe and the slightly cheaper 335xi. The 1-series wasn't really my style and I found it to be a bit uncomfortable inside, however I can see it taking off to some extent here in America.
Mini
Ok, it's obvious that I wanted to see this exhibit in a big way so I won't go on about it. The Clubman is quite cool inside and I wouldn't mind owning one since it has decent space in it. Granted it is fairly ugly but then again the Cooper isn't the best looking vehicle in the world either. I got talking to one of the reps there about it and when he found out I was a Mini owner he slipped me a press kit which included a DVD on the vehicle. Oh and Iwant need a JCW (John Cooper Works) Mini Cooper S.
Volkswagen
I was disappointed in VW this year, they almost always have something cool but it was just kind of 'meh' there this year, not even an R32 in which I could sit in. They did have the Jetta TDI there which was kind of cool and some weird looking Passat.
Subaru
The new Forester didn't really even catch my eye and I forgot it was even there so I didn't get any photos of it...I know I fail. The STI wasn't anything to write home about either and the base Imperza had one of the cheapest feeling interiors in the history of modern cars. I thought I was going to put my finger through the dash the plastic was so cheap. The hood scoop is also ridiculous on the WRX
.
Nissan
Ok I'll admit it now, the GT-R does look better in person even though I still feel it is quite over-rated it is still rather cool to see. All the other Nissan's were just kind of un-inspiring save for the Nismo edition 350Z which had a laughably small short shifter in it and seats that broke my back. I did shoot quite a few GT-R pictures knowing people would want to see them.
Scion
I didn't have a real desire to look through Scion but this caught my eye because it was so unbelievably...uhhh what the hell is the word I'm looking for here?
Toyota
Toyota didn't make the showing they typically do at the NAIAS which was odd since they are slated to take down GM this year as #1 in the world as far as automotive companies are concerned. The Venza was sort of neat for a crossover and the Tundra is still one of the ugliest vehicles on the market. Even their concept hybrid truck was pretty less than thrilling.
Lexus
Lexus held probably my favourite car at the show, the LS-F roadster was just stunning and I just wanted to stare at it all day. If they make it and it sounds like they will according to the buzz on the auto media websites I will be waiting for the day I catch a glimpse of one on the road. I do not know what on earth it is that makes me love this car so much but it's just everything I look for in a design I guess. The IS-F was pretty sweet and I would probably take it over a CTS-V but not an M3 (the prices were quite close). Also the LS Hybrid was an amazing car, I just sat in back to see how it was and it was honestly the quietest car I have ever been in, I was really impressed with it...even the headlamps were cool looking.
Chevy
Chevy didn't have much I really cared about this year, the ZR1 was even a let down. After the amount of press that thing got I expected to walk over to it and witness what the second coming of Christ would be like, all I got was a Z06 with some fancy bits on it and giant engine. This is not to discount the performance of the car, I'm just saying it didn't look like much. Chevy's trio of small cars were kind of cool but they are just concepts so I'm not holding my breath on how they will look.
Cadillac
The CTS-V was another let down, it looked too much like "thug nation" and not refined like the M3 or to a lesser extent Lexus IS-F does. As Jay-Z says in one of his songs "I'm old enough to know what right car to buy but grown enough not to put rims on it". If I was a forty-something year old looking for a fast sedan the CTS-V just wouldn't do it for me. The coupe on the other hand was a brilliant looking vehicle and if GM doesn't make that I might just have to ask the conductor of the fail train to make a stop on the GM tech centre.
Saturn
God this was just painful, the Astra was a huge let down and isn't much better than the Ion it replaces. I had huge hopes for this car because I though hey GM is bringing us an Opel/Vauxhall and Europeans wouldn't tolerate shoddiness with their vehicles...guess I was wrong. It felt cheap and unfinished on the inside and the boot was oddly shaped which would make it difficult to put things in there. I folded myself up and got in there and failed to see how you could even manage a normal sized box (this was the 3-door). The smaller Cooper had more space. They had a fairly cool concept car though.
Saab
Nothing really to say here.
Opel
They had the Corsa OPC that lapped the Ring in the fastest time for a supermini...I had to ask myself why the US doesn't get it but I suppose since it was at the NAIAS then GM must be considering it.
Pontiac
The Pontiac G8 was another huge let down as far as cars go, I mean what in the hell possessed GM to build a great looking with a sound engine at the right price and forget we like interiors that don't fail. If you are going to do something do it right don't half ass it.
Jaguar
Just had a look at the XF and I still do not like it and it still looks like a Chrysler product.
Volvo
I really do like the C30 and for all intensive purposes it's the grown up, business man's Mini Cooper as far as I can tell. The coolest thing was that the controls for the sat nav where on the backside of the steering wheel making it easy to use and even though everything was in Swedish on the sat nav I figured it out in about 30 seconds...easiest sat nav system I have ever used.
Mazda
They had that weird looking supercar/racecar thing there that I am unable to think of the name off the top of my head. I was impressed at the design even though it was quite ugly. The new RX-8 is alright though.
Ford
Ford is one American company that "get's it" they are making an efforf to build products that don't feel really cheap and the new F-150 is a pretty awesome truck both inside and out. I'm typically not a huge Ford fan but they have improved by leaps and bounds, you can tell they are in it to win it.
Honda/Acura
The coolest Honda was the CR-Z concept car, which if they were to build I would have to think about getting one. Kind of made me miss the older CRX from the 90's that so many people turn into go-karts now.
Fisker
This is was sort of cool although I'm still convinced it looked rather phallic in nature as well as too long for its frame.
Lamborghini
The cars were cool but they never make a huge showing at the NAIAS, although they had some nice models posing with the cars.
Ferrari
Another one of those companies that do not make a huge showing here.
Mitsubishi
The only really cool thing here was the old school rally cars, the Ralliart Lancer was just meh since it looked like every other Lancer and I was unable to pop the hood.
Anyways on to the car show itself, which was a bit of a let down compared to previous shows but still being able to view these cars before the general public got to was a real treat and I am very appreciative that I was able to attend something many people only wish they could.
Now before I begin the massive onslaught of photos I did actually want to prove that I was there and did not have someone just snap photos for me.
On to the cars. I do have larger images of all these pictures if you would like them but be warned the lighting balance inside Cobo Hall did not agree with my little Olympus point and shoot camera. Some of the photos are a bit blurry at higher resolutions but I will still be happy to get them to you. They are organized in how I took them as well.
Audi
Audi only really had one car I just had to see, that being the new R8 TDI which was truly an amazing site to see. This is a step in the right direction and the way I think supercars or cars in general for that matter should be going. Something that gives you 0-60 in 4.3 seconds and 23mpg is something I want in my life.
There was also the sporty model of the TT which right now slips my mind on the name. Looked cool though.
BMW
Now on to BWM, where I fell in love with the M3 coupe and the slightly cheaper 335xi. The 1-series wasn't really my style and I found it to be a bit uncomfortable inside, however I can see it taking off to some extent here in America.
Mini
Ok, it's obvious that I wanted to see this exhibit in a big way so I won't go on about it. The Clubman is quite cool inside and I wouldn't mind owning one since it has decent space in it. Granted it is fairly ugly but then again the Cooper isn't the best looking vehicle in the world either. I got talking to one of the reps there about it and when he found out I was a Mini owner he slipped me a press kit which included a DVD on the vehicle. Oh and I
Volkswagen
I was disappointed in VW this year, they almost always have something cool but it was just kind of 'meh' there this year, not even an R32 in which I could sit in. They did have the Jetta TDI there which was kind of cool and some weird looking Passat.
Subaru
The new Forester didn't really even catch my eye and I forgot it was even there so I didn't get any photos of it...I know I fail. The STI wasn't anything to write home about either and the base Imperza had one of the cheapest feeling interiors in the history of modern cars. I thought I was going to put my finger through the dash the plastic was so cheap. The hood scoop is also ridiculous on the WRX
.
Nissan
Ok I'll admit it now, the GT-R does look better in person even though I still feel it is quite over-rated it is still rather cool to see. All the other Nissan's were just kind of un-inspiring save for the Nismo edition 350Z which had a laughably small short shifter in it and seats that broke my back. I did shoot quite a few GT-R pictures knowing people would want to see them.
Scion
I didn't have a real desire to look through Scion but this caught my eye because it was so unbelievably...uhhh what the hell is the word I'm looking for here?
Toyota
Toyota didn't make the showing they typically do at the NAIAS which was odd since they are slated to take down GM this year as #1 in the world as far as automotive companies are concerned. The Venza was sort of neat for a crossover and the Tundra is still one of the ugliest vehicles on the market. Even their concept hybrid truck was pretty less than thrilling.
Lexus
Lexus held probably my favourite car at the show, the LS-F roadster was just stunning and I just wanted to stare at it all day. If they make it and it sounds like they will according to the buzz on the auto media websites I will be waiting for the day I catch a glimpse of one on the road. I do not know what on earth it is that makes me love this car so much but it's just everything I look for in a design I guess. The IS-F was pretty sweet and I would probably take it over a CTS-V but not an M3 (the prices were quite close). Also the LS Hybrid was an amazing car, I just sat in back to see how it was and it was honestly the quietest car I have ever been in, I was really impressed with it...even the headlamps were cool looking.
Chevy
Chevy didn't have much I really cared about this year, the ZR1 was even a let down. After the amount of press that thing got I expected to walk over to it and witness what the second coming of Christ would be like, all I got was a Z06 with some fancy bits on it and giant engine. This is not to discount the performance of the car, I'm just saying it didn't look like much. Chevy's trio of small cars were kind of cool but they are just concepts so I'm not holding my breath on how they will look.
Cadillac
The CTS-V was another let down, it looked too much like "thug nation" and not refined like the M3 or to a lesser extent Lexus IS-F does. As Jay-Z says in one of his songs "I'm old enough to know what right car to buy but grown enough not to put rims on it". If I was a forty-something year old looking for a fast sedan the CTS-V just wouldn't do it for me. The coupe on the other hand was a brilliant looking vehicle and if GM doesn't make that I might just have to ask the conductor of the fail train to make a stop on the GM tech centre.
Saturn
God this was just painful, the Astra was a huge let down and isn't much better than the Ion it replaces. I had huge hopes for this car because I though hey GM is bringing us an Opel/Vauxhall and Europeans wouldn't tolerate shoddiness with their vehicles...guess I was wrong. It felt cheap and unfinished on the inside and the boot was oddly shaped which would make it difficult to put things in there. I folded myself up and got in there and failed to see how you could even manage a normal sized box (this was the 3-door). The smaller Cooper had more space. They had a fairly cool concept car though.
Saab
Nothing really to say here.
Opel
They had the Corsa OPC that lapped the Ring in the fastest time for a supermini...I had to ask myself why the US doesn't get it but I suppose since it was at the NAIAS then GM must be considering it.
Pontiac
The Pontiac G8 was another huge let down as far as cars go, I mean what in the hell possessed GM to build a great looking with a sound engine at the right price and forget we like interiors that don't fail. If you are going to do something do it right don't half ass it.
Jaguar
Just had a look at the XF and I still do not like it and it still looks like a Chrysler product.
Volvo
I really do like the C30 and for all intensive purposes it's the grown up, business man's Mini Cooper as far as I can tell. The coolest thing was that the controls for the sat nav where on the backside of the steering wheel making it easy to use and even though everything was in Swedish on the sat nav I figured it out in about 30 seconds...easiest sat nav system I have ever used.
Mazda
They had that weird looking supercar/racecar thing there that I am unable to think of the name off the top of my head. I was impressed at the design even though it was quite ugly. The new RX-8 is alright though.
Ford
Ford is one American company that "get's it" they are making an efforf to build products that don't feel really cheap and the new F-150 is a pretty awesome truck both inside and out. I'm typically not a huge Ford fan but they have improved by leaps and bounds, you can tell they are in it to win it.
Honda/Acura
The coolest Honda was the CR-Z concept car, which if they were to build I would have to think about getting one. Kind of made me miss the older CRX from the 90's that so many people turn into go-karts now.
Fisker
This is was sort of cool although I'm still convinced it looked rather phallic in nature as well as too long for its frame.
Lamborghini
The cars were cool but they never make a huge showing at the NAIAS, although they had some nice models posing with the cars.
Ferrari
Another one of those companies that do not make a huge showing here.
Mitsubishi
The only really cool thing here was the old school rally cars, the Ralliart Lancer was just meh since it looked like every other Lancer and I was unable to pop the hood.
.
.
. If an old hybrid is the highlight of NAIAS, I guess it means Detroit is really in trouble. That said, it doesn't sound like a bad technology. Is the 150 mpg combined or highway? That would be insane street mileage. And the 0-60 time isn't bad at all. That's all my car can do, and it feels very fast.
