2005 North Amercian International Auto Show

This year more than 700 vehicles will be pounced on and pored over by more than 6600 journalists from 68 countries. More than 800,000 people will walk its halls, another two million will visit the show's official website. And they're all there for one reason: the cars.

Power and passion return to centre stage with an unrivalled show of automotive aggression at the 2005 Detroit motor show. Chrysler led the way with no fewer than three performance concepts, hotly followed by GM's awesome 500hp Corvette Z06 -- carrying what could be HSV's next generation GTS engine.

Not to be outdone, Ford trotted out the retro Shelby GR-1 muscle-coupe revealed late in 2004, while Lexus debuted the sleek-bodied LF-A concept, destined to as a halo car for the emerging luxury brand. Jaguar shook off a gloomy close to 2004 with the stunning Advanced Lightweight Coupe concept. Nissan compact AZEAL sports coupe promises plenty of punch, while Porsche lopped the top off the successful 911 coupe.

Aah, but America being America, a flotilla of four-wheel drives and crossovers were never far away. SUVs by the score dotted the stands, including Mazda's striking Crossport, which may come to Australia, and Subaru's challenging B9 Tribeca, which we hope doesn't.

Range Rover's 390hp, supercharged V8 Sport model will turn A into B quicker than ever before, while Ford's compact and apparently bulletproof SynUS is definitely on the nose. Honda and its Acura alter ego showed two striking SUV concepts, GM revealed Graphyte, Jeep's Gladiator... no, we'll resist the pun -- but one look at Infiniti's weird Kuraza and we're sure you see the fun.

So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, and in no particular order, here is CarPoint's highlights from the 2005 North American International Auto Show.

Despite the hint of Honda CR-V in the front end, the Acura RD-X concept is an all-new vehicle and it's destined for big things in the USA. It's a production certainty set for launch next year under Honda's luxury Acura brand, and we've no word on its potential outside the lucrative North American market. The RD-X features Honda's latest all-wheel drive system as debuted on the RL sedan -- our next Honda Legend -- which can split torque between the axles and also to specific rear wheels.

CADILLAC STS-V

If you're still picturing Cadillacs in your mind as long, low cruisers with the manoeuvrability and straight-line performance of a cruise ship, get over it. CarPoint drove the latest range of luxury sedans and convertibles from the world's best-known brand late in 2004, and we liked what we drove, without exception.

The V on the end of this medium-sized, rear-wheel drive sedan's name means performance, and lots of it. Try a Northstar 4.6-litre V8 engine under the bonnet (or should that be a hood), supercharged for near-on 330kW/585Nm. Add a six-speed automatic - which could be Commodore's next cog swapper - and the 1950kg super sedan reputedly charges from rest to 100km/h in under five seconds. Cadillac sources reckon it loses little to a V8 BMW 5 Series around the famous 161corner Nurburgring.

Possibility for Australia? High to very high, as Denny Mooney told CarPoint in a pre-Christmas chat about Cadillac's plans for Australia.

In with the new, out with the ME412 supercar concept. That's the news from Chrysler, the brand with more newspaper column inches per vehicle sold in Australia than any other. Go figure why this brand warrants such phenomenal coverage, but if they keep turning out concepts like the Firepower, we'll keep covering them.

The bad news first: Concept ME412. Remember the mid-engine, carbon fibre supercoupe debuted in 2004? It packed a quad-turbo V12 engine fettled by AMG for 640kW and sub-3.0sec 0-100km/h performance. Despite reaching the prototype phase of development, it's been canned. Conspiracy theorists point to the 412's potential to make the Mercedes-Benz SLR look podgy and ponderous, a situation Chrysler's Daimler-Benz overlords couldn't stomach.

Whatever. The Firepower would sit above the Crossfire in Chrysler's performance coupe portfolio, competing with Chevrolet's C6 Corvette. It's built on a Dodge Viper underbody, and packs a 6.1-litre HEMI V8 punch, good for 320kW and 0-100km/h in less than five seconds. Will it come Downunder? Gotta be approved for production first, then we'll know.

CHEVROLET Z06 CORVETTE

Awesome car, monstrous performance, stunning looks, but even more important is the engine lurking beneath that long, low bonnet. Seven litres and 373kW of GM Gen IV small block V8 built at GM's high performance engine shop in Wixom, Michigan. Sound familiar? That's right, CarPoint's got a funny feeling that Holden's friends at HSV are sizing this full-blooded engine up for duty beneath the bonnet of the next Commodore-based GTS. Will that be VE (2006) or before? Good question, and make sure you let us know the answer.

Chevrolet's going Ferrari hunting with the Z06. Acceleration times under four-seconds and a top speed tipped at 300km/h makes this US$70,000 supercar an absolute bargain. But it's a bargain Australia is unlikely to enjoy because the 'Vette's currently built only in left-hand drive.

The 427 cubic inch V8 -- the biggest small block GM has ever built -- shares its basic architecture with the 6.0-litre LS2 just released in HSV's VZ range. It uses a different cylinder block casting to fit 104.8mm cylinder bores (up 3.2mm), gets different cylinder heads and exhaust manifold. Conrods and valves are titanium, allowing the engine to rev to 7000rpm.

The high-performance Z06 Corvette cops a truckload of upgrades along with that ferocious engine. Bigger, badder brakes, modified suspension and plenty more rubber lies beneath the Z06's widened bodywork.

GM SEQUEL

General Motors' advanced drivetrain guru Larry Burns is dogged if nothing else. More than five years after he stunned the world with the skateboard-like AUTOnomy concept, Burns is back with a real-world example of how hydrogen-powered cars could look. "This is a real car," Burns said at Detroit. "This is a do-able car."

It's also a big step forward in the race for alternate fuels. It doubles GM's previous attempts for touring range, a big achievement, and packs 25 percent more power. Don't race out to your Holden dealer just yet -- hydrogen powered vehicles are still more than a decade away from mass production -- but the Sequel's appeal goes beyond its radical minivan appearance.

According to Burns, the Sequel sets new benchmarks in alternative fuel vehicles.

"Sequel is quicker at launch, more sure-footed, more stable, corners better, stops sooner, and is more maneuverable than conventional vehicles of similar size. By-wire operation and electric drive take steering, braking, chassis, torque, and traction control to new heights.

"Sequel accelerates to 30mph in just three seconds and to 60mph in just over nine seconds, on par with today's cars and several seconds faster than any other fuel cell vehicle."

JAGUAR ADVANCED LIGHTWEIGHT COUPE

Ford-owned Jaguar has had a tough time of late, with the closing of its Browns Lane plant in the UK and its withdrawal from Formula One. Sales in Australia, and around the world, are not the sort CEOs like to boast about, but that looks likely to change. You're looking at a thinly-disguised concept of the 2006 XK coupe replacement. Officially the ALC is "an indication of what the XK coupe may look like" - but that's just car company-speak for "here she is, boys!"

It previews a new design 'language' that director Ian Callum will use to "bring Jaguar firmly into the 21st century". Does this mean the end of new models no different visually to the ones they replace? We sincerely hope so. Dynamically, Jaguar wants the XK replacement to step up from grand tourer to Porsche 911-killer, hence the extensive use of lightweight aluminium to keep weight down. Little information has been released about the drivetrain, except that it will be a V8 engine.

LEXUS LF-A

Benz has some, BMW's got a couple and new Lexus looks set to get a high performance flagship to enhance the brand's prestige. Lexus claims the wedge-shaped LF-A two-seater has strong links with Toyota's Formula One effort, and is rumoured to show the production version at the Tokyo show in October. It's an about-face for Toyota, which has been cutting sports coupes from its portfolio in recent times, and we can only hope this baby makes it to production.

If so, talk abounds of a V10 engine with less than 5.0 litres displacement and around 373kW for the rear-drive supercar, with six forward gears and 4.0-second 0-100km/h performance. Target weight is below 1400kg for the low-bodied coupe which measures just 1.2m high and 1.8m wide.

MAZDA CROSSPORT

We love Mazda's passenger car range, but its people movers are another story. Hard to get all zoom-zoomy about a blandish econobox like the Premacy designed predominantly for the European market, and Mazda, it seems, agrees. First they kept the aforementioned mini-MPV from our shores, now they've lifted the covers on the Crossport, a evocative blend of four-wheel drive and people mover which would find a ready home in Mazda's portfolio above the Tribute.

The Crossport's size (4.63m long, 1.93m wide) suggests it could compete with the Lexus RX330 and Honda MDX in the prestige SUV market. No information on engines or driven wheels, but we're expecting fours and sixes with either front or all-wheel drive. The sporty concept features a totally glass roof, dynamic side window shapes and a broad, low stance finished off with big 20-inch wheels. Its innovative interior includes "floating" seats which connected via a solitary pole to a monorail type fore and aft adjusting system.

It's not confirmed for production yet, but North America is the clear target for a vehicle like the Crossport. It's too early to speculate on right-hand drive models, with Mazda willing only to say the car "hints at future design potential".

MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS

No Jurassic Park debut for the second generation Mercedes-Benz M-class, but wholesale changes certainly make the old model appear prehistoric. Classy new clobber dress up a much bigger body (150mm longer, 70mm wider and 5mm lower than before), but seating capacity remains at five. Three of the four new V6 and V8 engines, sourced from other models within the expansive Mercedes-Benz vehicle range, increase power and torque over previous engines, and the new 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox reduces fuel consumption further while enhancing performance.

Front and rear suspension has been redeveloped, as has the four-wheel drive system, now available in two specifications depending on your offroad needs. Air suspension is also offered on the M-class in conjunction with active damping for a wider range of on and off-road handling -- for example the ride height can be adjusted across a 110mm range.

Typical for a new Benz, the list of changes and modifications could quite possibly fill every page on the internet, but we'll leave it there. The 2005 M-class will launch globally around May 2005, but won't land in Australia until very late 2005.

North America is a market vital to Mitsubishi's global future, and the company is due to unveil its revitalisation plans for this region next month. Until then Americans will have to be satisfied with a first look at the 2006 model Eclipse which goes on sale mid-year 2005. It features a more dynamic design than the previous model, and picks up substantially in the performance department thanks to Mitsubishi's new 3.8-litre, 195kW V6 engine.

It's not known whether the svelte coupe, which will spawn a convertible model next year, will come to Australia. A car like this would certainly ignite a little passion around the triple diamond badge, and that's got to be a good thing. Memo to Tom Phillips...

RANGE ROVER SPORT

Unmistakably a Range Rover and yet intrinsically different. It'll take a real Rangie fanatic to spot the performance-oriented Sport in isolation, and yet chuck them together and the differences bludgeon your senses. For starters not a single panel is shared with the traditional Range Rover. The Sport isn't as tall, nor as long, and sits closer to the road, but it still has five doors and seats for five inside. It's powered by Jaguar's 4.2-litre supercharged V8 belting out 287kW and capable of 0-100km/h under seven seconds.

The Sport's reason for being is to challenge the likes of BMW's X5 4.8iS and Mercedes-Benz's ML55AMG uber-offroaders for the road. Forget crossing deserts, mudslinging in marshes or running rivers, these cars are bitumen bound by their owners -- owners in one heck of a hurry. That said, all vehicles carrying the Land Rover badge must have top-of-class offroad abilities, as Land Rover boss Matthew Taylor points out.

"The Range Rover Sport, we believe, will appeal to customers who want the on-road dynamics and refinement of luxury sedans, but who also want the capability of a Land Rover. We see it as a less frenetic, more refined alternative to existing performance SUVs. It is ideal for fast, comfortable, long-distance driving and practical enough for everyday use. Yet it is also exceptional off-road, offering better all-terrain ability than any competitor and the broadest range of capability in its class."

Are we being unkind to the B9 Tribeca by poo-pooing its, err, striking styling? We're not averse to criticising cars that don't try hard enough, but wethinks this baby tries too hard. Whatever your opinion, fact is we're not likely to see this vehicle on Australian roads if CarPoint's information is accurate. But what's under it will definitely be headed Downunder.

The left-hand drive B9 Tribeca seven-seat crossover SUV/MPV is a production model and will go on sale Stateside later this year. Subaru's trademark symmetrical all-wheel drive system puts power from a 3.0-litre flat six to the ground through a five-speed automatic transmission.

The Tribeca - also a hip suburb of New York - will form the basis of the next Saabaru, the 9-6X, due for reveal at the New York motor show in April before it too goes on sale Stateside in 2006. The Tribeca's underpinnings will form the basis for a third vehicle, a right hand drive prestige SUV which - we understand - will come to Australia, Europe and possibly Japan. Let's hope it's got a different set of clothes.