Detroit 2009: Is blue the new green?

Is blue the new green? That's the question showgoers were asking at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), which opened just hours ago in the heart of the US auto industry, Detroit, in the snow-bound state of Michigan.

BlueZERO, BlueSport, BluePerformance -- aside from noses, there were more than enough blues at the show to suggest it should have been moved elsewhere. Perhaps the brands involved confused Memphis with Motown.

Dancing to their own beat, the home teams, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler were facing a different form of the blues. Though still with their begging bowls firmly outstretched, the big three were being more vocal about their treatment by the US federal government. How come the banks got $700 billion without strings, while the car industry is being made to jump through hoops was the message, it seems.

While the 2008 Detroit exhibition had a significant performance bent, this year's show was predictably more politically correct. And with a few exceptions there was a conscious toning down of the glitz and glamour normally associated with new model reveals.

Mitsubishi dumped a handful of cars on a small unmanned stand, while Nissan (and Infiniti) stayed away. Normally bursting at the seams, the Cobo Center's exhibition floor had room for 'unmarked' and untended Veyrons and the ubiquitous filler of surplus motor show space -- car design competition models. You'd be forgiven too, for walking past the worldwide debut of the production version of Honda's potentially game-changing Insight hybrid, such was the low-key nature of the Japanese giant's presentation... Even the Chinese brands, BYD and Brillance, got floor space in the main game.

GM hired a crowd to 'rally' at its kick-off reveal which included an unconvincing electric Cadillac coupe and news that a production version of the spunky Spark mini car would arrive in the USA in 2011 -- after a host of introductions around the world. In contrast to past show presentations there was less effort to separate GM's domestic brands -- even Cadillac seemed to have been stirred into the 'monotone' mix. Unloved Saab looked like an afterthought.

There was less brand separation and razzmatazz at Ford and Chrysler too.

The rather handsome front-wheel-drive 2010 model Taurus was the main game at Ford, but so too was electrification. The carmaker pledged to introduce a plug-in commercial van into the North American market in 2010, a battery-powered small car in 2011 (in conjunction with Magna International) and also committed to market a brace of new hybrids, including plug-in versions, as early as 2012.

Ford's stand was an oasis for the petrolheads -- a blue with white GT striped Shelby GT500. With a supercharged 5.4-litre V8, if you need to ask fuel consumption stats you're missing the point.

While last year Chrysler's Detroit publicity stunt involved a hundred or so live cattle, this year the company relied on marginally less bull and slightly more substance, in the shape of the surprise new 200C concept car.

We tipped you off to this car, which caught the industry by surprise, just last night. In a business where secrets are hard kept, the Pentastar people did a great job keeping it under wraps. Look for our separate story on the rear-wheel drive hybrid electric vehicle (and more mainstream versions) in the coming days.

And while we're talking hybrid, let's not forget the brands that have leveraged this technology better than any -- Lexus and Toyota. We'll have to wait until tomorrow Detroit time to view the new Prius in the flesh, but its cousin, Lexus' new HS250h hybrid had the covers lifted from it today. It could come Down Under -- again more details to come in separate stories...

The measure of Detroit's importance as an international show was reinforced with major European marques all bringing key new cars to the US show.

While Mercedes-Benz chose not to show its all-new E-Class at the show, it nonetheless debuted the car in Motor City (see separate story). It kept a single E-Class in a locked room at the show and in the halls instead centred attention on its latest zero emission concept car, five-door BlueZERO.

Benz has promised plug-in electric, fuel-cell and hybrid versions of the car will all be in limited series production within two years. It won't however commit on what the volumes may be... The car is equally important for the more mundane models it previews -- peer past the showcar glitz and the plug-in electric drivetrain and you're looking at the next A-Class, albeit with lines that look like they are straight from a Bangle BMW.

Details of a true Bangle BMW, the new Z4, were released before the show (more here) but the car nonetheless made its public debut today at NAIAS. The hero colour? You guessed it... Blue!

Volkswagen's star was CONCEPT BlueSport  -- a mid-engined diesel two-seater sportscar that could easily be viewed as a mini R8... Forget the concept line, it is absolutely destined for production. Fresh faced and with pleasing hints to the heritage of VW in the subtle engine cover louvres, the BlueSport could potentially be built in the USA, say VW insiders.

Audi kicked off a year in which it says it will not slow its R&D, and what's more launch six worldwide new models, with its latest Sportback concept. A "glimpse at Audi's future design vocabulary", there's some debate on whether the handsome five-door will be badged A5 or A7, but one thing's for sure -- underneath it's a production-ready car.

The Sportback sported a low emission 3.0 V6 TDI engine -- an interesting counterpoint to Audi's bread and butter launch at Detroit, the first A3 TDI to go on sale in the USA.

In the midst of the prestige brands two lower profile sedans were also quiet achievers in terms of crowd satisfaction at Detroit. Both Subaru's Liberty (nee Legacy) concept and Volvo S60 show car point at solid steps forward for there respective brands.

With its strong shoulders and wheel at each corner look, the Legacy (more here) needs only to eschew its fussy front and rear end detailing to emerge as a truly handsome production car.

The new Volvo midsizer (more here) doesn't even need that much work. All Gotenburg needs to do is ensure the production version is true to the concept's form. With strong individual looks and a new twin-turbo five-cylinder turbodiesel engine (more here) that promises big performance at low fuel cost, the sassy Swede could be just the thing for Aussies to use to kick their 2009 mid-winter blues...

Look out for more on the 2009 NAIAS at the Carsales Network soon.