DETROIT, Michigan - Will the 2007--the 100th--version of the Detroit auto show go down in history as the first show that wasn't a "show"?
In reality, if one had access to the Internet, one had pretty much seen what there was behind every manufacturer's curtain well before Christmas.
Call it a lack of confidence by the carmakers, call it "the internet age"--whatever. For car enthusiasts, it was like telling your four-year on December 1 that, well, Santa, he's already been to town...
And that's too bad. Because there was plenty of original, inspiring and groundbreaking sheet metal displayed throughout the Cobo Hall venue.
Of course, there were some dogs as well:
Hit: GM's lighting volt Who would have thought dirty-old General Motors would steal the tree hugger spotlight way from green n' clean Toyota? But that' exactly what The General did with their Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car...
Miss: Ford's lost focus One sign of how bad it's been at Ford the last few years is the new/old Focus. What's with the mish-mash of design pastiches laid on a platform that was launched in that last millennium? What's with dropping from the line-up hatchbacks and wagon? Ford strongly hinted that they're looking at a sub-compact hatch for 2009, but that's about a generation too late...
Hit: Ford discovers rear-wheel drive It may have been a no-brainer--stretch the successful Mustang platform to form a four-door sedan--but at least someone at Ford had the cojones to make the Ford Interceptor and Lincoln MKR concepts happen. Both now need to be in their respective showrooms as soon as corporately possible...
Miss: Plagiarism is the clearest form of laziness Walking the show floor, and all I could think of was how rich designer Walter Da Silva would be if he took royalties for all the rip-offs from Chevrolet to Mercedes-Benz of his audacious Audi chin grille...
Hit: Acura's discovers design With the exception of some of their sportier cars, mainstream Acuras have always been painfully conservative in their style. You can't say that about the bold, full of character and polarizing work coming mainly from the company's California studios. With this year's new MDX, the Advanced Sedan Concept shown at the L.A. show, and now the Acura Advanced Coupe Concept that debuted here in the Motor City, it looks like exciting design has emerged as a priority at Honda's premium brand division.
Photo Credit : General Motors, Ford, Audi, Acura 
