Mini cabrio debuts in Detroit

Ahead of it’s public debut, Mini shows off its latest version of its convertible. Building off the popularity of not only it’s previous cabrio, but the marque in general, Mini claims to have improved “design, quality, handling, performance, efficiency and functionality.”

The Mini convertible debuts alongside the all electric Mini E at the NAIAS this week in Detroit. With the addition of these two models, Mini has quickly grown to a four-model range, with the Cooper, the convertible, the Clubman, and the E.

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New Ford Taurus unveiled at NAIAS

Sure to be a hit at the 2009 NAIAS with the press and the public, Ford’s flagship, the Taurus, is all new for 2009. Ford unveiled it’s handsome sedan ahead of its public debut on the floor of the Cobo Center in Detroit.

Ford has a lot riding on the Taurus. “The new Taurus sets the pace for Ford’s growing new car launch momentum,” said Mark Fields, Executive VP of Ford. “This sedan completely redefines expectations of what Taurus stands for – and helps further define what Ford is capable of delivering – quality, fuel-efficient vehicles featuring the latest technologies, wrapped in bold, sporty and expressive designs.” Available later this summer, the all-new Taurus will be priced the same as last year’s model.

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2010 Jaguar XFR leaked ahead of Detroit reveal

Thanks to the leaky ship at 4wheelsnews we can now show you the upcoming 2010 Jaguar XFR that was originally scheduled to debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week. Built to battle with the BMW M5, Audi RS6, Mercedes-Benz E63 and the Cadillac CTS-V, the up-spec Jaguar looks to be quite the contender.

The 2010 Jaguar XFR receives a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with the ability to power down 510 horsepower and 460lb-ft of torque through its new 20-inch Nevis aluminum wheels. After the smoke clears, you’ll notice that the XFR is capable of rocketing to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and will continue on to an electronically limited 155 mph. Stopping a pussy cat with this kind of speed requires some heavy rollers and the XFR receives up-rated ventilated discs and R-spec calipers.

Continue to read: 2010 Jaguar XFR leaked ahead of Detroit reveal with 19 pictures

2009 Detroit Auto Show Kia Soul’ster Concept revealed

The Kia Soul’ster Concept was unofficially let loose on the inter-webs today. We had more or less expected what we see in this single image of the Soul’ster though it looks much better than what we previously imagined.

While Kia didn’t add a cargo bed to the 2010 Kia Soul, they did remove some of the upper body work and the two rear doors to create a modern day Suzuki Samurai. The roll-over bars extend from the rear of the mini-cargo area behind the rear seats, to the roof mounted cargo racks and houses a pair of fog lamps.

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Production Chevy Beat to debut in Detroit?

On this morning’s Today Show, Matt Lauer talked to GM design chief Ed Welburn about GM’s new products that will debut at this years NAIAS. Featured were the Buick LaCrosse
and Chevrolet Camaro.

More interestingly and, considering the current market, more importantly, Welburn teased the front end of what is sure to be a production version of the Chevy Beat Concept that was shown in New York in 2007. Welburn states that of the three concepts shown that year, the Beat was the one that was most popular.

It is unclear and unknown if the Beat will go into production worldwide, or if it is meant for the European and Asian markets only. Video and more after the jump.

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Rendered speculation: Fisker Karma Sunset Concept

We were able to show you a teaser of Fisker’s 2009 Detroit Auto Show concept last week, but now thanks to the talented guys at KORS Design, we’re able to take an early peak at the full concept.

Fisker will debut two vehicles at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show; the first being the production Karma luxury plug-in hybrid sedan, the second is the Fisker Karma Sunset Concept. The Sunset Concept is a drop-top and will share all mechanical components with the production Karma sedan.

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2010 Honda Insight Hybrid: production photos leak onto web

Images of the 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid leaked onto the web today and we can now show you for the first time what the little production hybrid looks like. While not a far cry from the Insight Concept shown at the Paris Motor Show, there are quite a few noticeable changes.

The front end design has lost the show car LED lighting in favor of conventional halogen/hid units and the lower fascia has grown a pair of oddly placed fog lamps. Fortunately the happy grin of the concept remains as it should – This little guy is going to sell by the boat load.

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Maserati Quattroporte GT S to debut in Detroit

Maserati has announced the debut of the all new Quattroporte GT S at this years North American International Auto Show in Detroit beginning January 11, 2009. This car is being launched to commemorate Maserati’s first win at Indianapolis 70 years ago, as well as to compete against BMW’s M-class and Mercedes’ AMG super saloons.

Maserati says that the GT S is “the ultimate expression of Maserati’s sportiness in the Quattroporte range.”

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