DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Top five reveals

Motown… Detroit… The city that is the heart and soul of the US car industry. And the location for what has traditionally been North America’s largest motor show and, indeed, one of the most important auto exhibitions on the global calendar.

The 2017 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) was a far cry from the dire days of 2008, nor did it have the completely upbeat feel of the recent LA or Frankfurt  exhibitions.

In fact, if you put aside for a moment the legion of auto industry hangers-on, local and international auto media numbers seemed to be down a touch.

And so were car company exhibitors. While the key US brands were on hand, international marques such as Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche, the Italian supercar brands and even badges like MINI were absent.

There was no uber luxury  either -- both Rolls-Royce and Bentley sat this show out. Aston and McLaren too…

But there were stars of the show. And they were largely ready to go with real world products.

So here’s our pick of the cars important for Aussies but also likely to impress the US consumers at the 2017 Detroit motor show.

Stinger GT
You can perhaps criticise the in-part fussy styling of Kia’s first rear-drive sport sedan, but the Stinger GT's mechanical credentials look set to hold up to examination well.

The range-topping GT version will arrive Down Under late this year with a twin-turbo V6 packing over 270 kW and 510Nm from just 1300rpm.

Pricing is competitive at an expected $52,000 -- $10K less for the turbo-petrol four-cylinder that still packs 190kW.

That Stinger will arrive in Oz around about the same time as Holden shutters local Commodore production is purely coincidence…  Yeah sure…

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe
The all-new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe is as smooth and classy as its predecessor was disjointed and desperately looking for a tidy up.

Benz styling chief Dr Gordon Wagner has either excelled himself with this car or got right out of the way of one of the brand’s nameless legion of designers. A classic, classy, curvaceous Mercedes two-door -- that’s the new E-Class Coupe.

It’s a shame that AMG will sidestep this model, but the combination of serious horsepower, the brand’s clever new AWD system and the new coupe’s looks is still mouth watering.

Volkswagen I.D. Buzz
Volkswagen’s Detroit show appearance did not start well with headlines saying all the wrong things. #Dieselgate claimed another scalp with one senior Volkswagen USA executive arrested and detained as a flight risk by the FBI.

Little wonder then that the brand’s show address stressed its commitment to regaining the US public's trust and championed the arrival of EVs targeted at the US market.

Don’t mention the word diesel! VW did it once but I think it got away with it…

But in the I.D. Buzz concept, Volkswagen produced one of Detroit’s unlikely stars. And the crowd loved it – it was two or three deep on its unveil and plenty of admirers remained on day two of the media preview.

Unlike previous Kombi concepts, the I.D. Buzz is at last the right size with room for eight or a real camper conversion.

The new dedicated EV platform positions the batteries under the floor and provides enough oomph for serious horsepower (think 275kW and God knows how many Nm) and a serious range. Perhaps upwards 600km.

Production is not guaranteed but we'd almost bet this car, in a more conservative form, will be one of the first EVs Volkswagen rolls out early in the next decade.

Holden Equinox
Hands up who wants to wipe the word Captiva from their memo? Well, that’s a touch harsh as the large Holden SUV has been a reasonable performer in terms of sales for the local brand, but it’s not one of the brand’s high points.

Both Holden and consumers will be expecting a more competent and rounded performance from the vehicle that replaces Captiva, the new Chevrolet Equinox.

Like the seven-seat Acadia, which arrives here in 2018, the five-seat Equinox is built on an all-new platform and better packaged than the unloved SUV it replaces.

Promising better refinement, handling and connectivity (as well as safety benefits), the Acadia must perform if Holden is to regain its momentum Down Under.

Yes, it is that important…

Toyota Camry
No, that’s not a misprint. Toyota's new Camry was one of the high-profile and high-interest launches at Detroit.

One wag joked that with every generation Toyota claims to have injected life and sportiness into Camry but at least this latest eighth-generation car looks the part.

There’s more drama to the body sides and tail and even a body kit on the sportiest US version. If we have one observation rather than complaint, it’s that once again Toyota’s designers seem to have strayed into Lexus territory. When will they learn these two brands need to define their own space more than ever?

Australian production of the current generation Camry winds up later in 2017. Contrary to previous expectations, the new-generation car will arrive Down Under from production lines in Japan rather than Thailand. Expect four-cylinder, hybrid and V6 versions.

And sportier handling… Seriously. They promised…