CAR is on the show floor at the COBO Centre for the 2015 NAIAS (North American International Auto Show), or, more simply, the Detroit motor show. This live blog will bring you the latest news, photos, product reveals and gossip direct from Detroit. New updates are added to the top, so keep checking for the latest NAIAS news.
NAIAS 2015 is full of surprises. Bentley has announced its upcoming SUV will be called Bentayga, after the Roque Bentayga mountain peak in the Canary Islands. Just as we’d got our heads around F-Pace… Click here for the full story.
Etch-a-Sketch design language on VW’s Cross Coupe concept a shape of things to come for both US and European models in the near future, we’re told. Could this be our first sight of the next Tiguan? Click here for the full story.
Porsche’s given the 911 Targa the GTS treatment. Power’s up to 424bhp, and the price up to £104k. GTS spec (including those divine centre-nut wheels) with that folding roof; slick and contemporary with just enough retro to remind you of the legacy you’re buying into. The most desirable 911 in the range right now? Click here for the full details.
This being the States, Porsche hasn’t forgotten SUV fans either so there’s also a new Cayenne Turbo S to top the range. A 20bhp power hike over the previous Turbo S to more than 560bhp. That should get the school run done quickly.
Alfa has unveiled the open-air Spider version of the 4C, neatly timed to coincide with its recent return to the American market. Not much has changed since the concept shown at Geneva 2014. Quite simply, it’s a 4C with a removable canvas roof, so it’ll be easier for onlookers to see the look of panic on the driver’s face judging by the wayward manners of some of the 4Cs we’ve tried. The 4C’s carbonfibre tub means not much has been lost in the way of rigidity and there’s only a 10kg weight difference between roofed and unroofed US market cars.
SUV-mad Detroit could barely contain its excitement at a new Q7 and Q3 from Audi. Both are perpetually being crawled over, with most visitors climbing inside and sitting in quiet awe of the cabin build quality.
Champagne reception for the next-gen NSX. Twin-turbo V6 plays its part in the hybrid powertrain’s 550bhp+, but presumably it’s got a face for radio, hence the all-enveloping plastic cover. Click here for the full story on the new Honda NSX at Detroit.
Three little letters. So much expectation.
Some nifty surfacing on Infiniti’s Q60 concept. Click here for the full story on Infiniti’s BMW 4-series/Audi A5 chaser.
X6-baiting GLE Coupe is ‘a coupe with SUV genes’ according to Merc’s Ola Kallenius. So we’re still no clearer, then, but it’ll sell like the elixir of life.
And in other Ford news, here’s the new Shelby GT350R. It’s the ‘most track-capable Mustang yet,’ 130lb lighter than the regular GT350, thanks in part to carbonfibre wheels, with a 5.2-litre flat-plane crank V8 under the hood.
Well, whaddya know? The rumours are true. A new GT it is! On the way in 2016 to mark 50 years since the GT40’s first win at Le Mans, it’s wrapped in carbonfibre bodywork with cutting-edge aerodynamics and powered by a twin-turbo Ecoboost V6 engine. Click here for the full story
A hike out to a converted stadium – this should be big. New GT? Please – the last two weren’t bad…
Nice bank of Daylighters up front. New performance Fords to be unveiled within the hour.
Nissan reckons 150,000 US truck buyers can’t decide between a light-duty (almost affordable running costs) and a heavy-duty machine (power and payload to move mountains). Titan XD is the answer apparently – phew.
Bolt EV concept looks a bit (a lot) like an i3 and promises a 200-mile electric range in return for your $30,000.
Rapturous applause for Mary Barra’s introduction of Chevrolet’s electric offerings, the next-generation Volt and Bolt EV concept. The Volt promises 50 miles on electric power alone, a petrol/electric range of 400 miles and perkier performance thanks to next-generation battery and motor tech and a 200lb weight reduction.
It’s the new Mercedes-AMG GLE 63. Although perhaps OMG would be more appropriate. 5.5 litres, two turbochargers, eight cylinders, 561lb ft and 569bhp. The hottest crossover yet? In the performance department, anyway, if perhaps not aesthetically. BMW’s X6 M has its niche to itself no more. Read more about the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe here.
Maybach is back, on the fabulously appointed and still rapid (0-60mph in 5sec if you don’t mind spilling your passengers’ Moët) S600.
Caddy’s ATS GT racer, complete with side-exit exhaust and typically understated finish. Wing not yet confirmed as an option on the CTS-V, due to be unveiled tomorrow morning….
Here’s the snowy venue for NAIAS 2015: Detroit’s COBO Centre. Plenty of new metal and announcements in store within…
Only 12 days into 2015, it’s already time for the first major motor show of the year. Ben Miller is CAR‘s man on the ground at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, beaming back breaking news and snaps from the show floor. Hope he’s packed a coat!