Preview: 2017 Detroit Motor Show

2017 has just begun and it’s already time to carve our way around the Detroit Motor Show which will take place next week. Set in Detroit which is long recognized as the historic heart of the American car industry, the motor show will display an array of highly anticipated production cars and concepts.

Now we ought to make it clear that most of these show cars wouldn’t make it to the Indian market, however, there are some important debuts that we have got to look forward to.

As ever, CarWale will bring you all the unveilings as they happen but in the meantime here’s a full rundown of what to expect at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show.    

Mercedes E-Class coupe

One of the most anticipated debuts at this year’s Detroit Motor Show is the new E-Class Coupe from Mercedes. The company unveiled the latest-gen E sedan last year in Detroit and is now readying the more desirable Coupe model.  

Thanks to Mercedes’ new design approach, the new E-Class has ended up becoming a cross between the S-Class and the C-Class. Looking at the official pictures, the same can be said for the Coupe which shares plenty of design DNA with other Mercedes two-door models. That said, the Detroit-bound model won’t be just a glorified C Coupe. The former, in fact, is based on the MRA rear-wheel-drive modular architecture, meaning more interior room and a boot that can be labelled practical.

Kia GT 

Buyers usually deem Kia as a maker of affordable and practical cars. The Korean automaker though has plans to venture into the performance side of things and it intends to do it with an all-new high power model that will appear in Detroit. The vehicle is likely to be based on the GT sedan and will be labelled as a fast yet practical four-door. Kia has already revealed its 0-100kmph time of 5.1 seconds which is mighty fast. To put a perspective, that’s Porsche Boxster territory and to think it’s coming from Kia is an impressive feat indeed. 

BMW 5 Series 

This year, Motor City will play host to a range of entirely new models from BMW. This will include the US debut of the latest-gen 5 Series. The latter, as we know, is headed for the Indian market as well.

Now in its seventh generation, the 5 Series range will include the 530e iPerformance – a plug-in hybrid variant which will go on sale starting March 2017. The sporty model can run purely on electric power for a certain driving range. The US premiere of the new 5 will also feature the M550i xDrive variant. Powered by a twin-turbo V8 motor, the rear-biased xDrive all-wheel-drive system allows the vehicle to sprint from 0-100kmph in just 4 seconds. Interestingly, that’s quicker than the current gen M5 which does the same sprint in 4.4 seconds.

Audi Q8 Concept

For years, Mercedes and BMW have been experimenting with the full-size Coupe SUV style and now it’s Audi’s turn to join the bandwagon. The Ingolstadt-based brand has the all-new Q8 E-Tron lined up for the Detroit Motor Show.  

Audi has even previewed this new model and the images reveal a sleeker and sportier version of the Q7. The leaner appearance is courtesy of a lowered rear roof line and lengthy overhangs both in the front and rear. The letters E-Tron indicate that this will be offered as a hybrid and full electric model with a plethora of technologies related to autonomous driving and safety. The Q8 will be shown in production form sometime next year with a market launch in 2019. It will come to India as Audi’s new flagship and slot in above the Q7 in the lineup. 

2018 Toyota Camry 

The Toyota Camry is as big a deal to Americans as the Honda City is to us Indians. The former is among the best-selling sedans in America and is due for a comprehensive update. Naturally, there is a lot of buzz around the all-new Camry. 

Toyota has released a teaser for the new Camry, showing the car’s smart-looking LED taillight. Going by the reports, the next Camry will be a surprisingly stylish sedan with plenty of new-age cuts and creases seen in recent Toyota models. We will have to wait for the official reveal at the show for full details. 

Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace

We have reported about the long-wheelbase VW Tiguan longer than we can recollect. Fortunately, the vehicle now has an identity as it will be called the Tiguan AllSpace for European markets. The US and China-spec models however will retain the Tiguan nameplate. 

For the AllSpace, VW has extended the standard Tiguan’s wheelbase by a fair bit. As a result, the rear door is longer and the rear quarter glass is bigger in size as well. This long wheelbase version will have a seven-seat configuration. Now although the Indian market will not be getting this very model, Volkswagen India has confirmed that the regular 5-seater Tiguan will be introduced as a locally assembled vehicle.

Honda Odyssey 

The Honda Odyssey is an unfamiliar name here in India but it’s a different story in the US. The Odyssey is among the more popular models in the buzzing minivan segment in America and soon there will be a new one.  

The Detroit-bound Odyssey is the fifth-gen model and it will be more of an evolution of the current car. Going by the teaser images, it appears lower and longer than the outgoing model. There’s only so much info out relating to this minivan though we will have full details by January 9 – that’s when the new Odyssey will break covers.    

Infiniti QX50

Among lesser known debuts at this year’s Detroit Motor Show is that of Infiniti’s QX50 concept. The concept is an evolution of the QX Sport Inspiration which was shown at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show. 

The QX50 evolves this concept further and shows how Infiniti could develop its future presence in the mid-size SUV space which is currently the fastest-growing segment globally. Infiniti has announced that its show car will also preview a few autonomous drive support technologies. The tech will act as a co-pilot for the driver and delegate more arduous driving tasks such as navigating stop-start traffic on the highway or keeping track of surrounding vehicles.

Mercedes S-Class Coupe Night Edition 

Besides the E-Class Coupe, Mercedes will also showcase the S-Class Coupe albeit in a special avatar. Labelled S-Class Coupe Night Edition, this new offering will feature jet black exterior trim inserts, bigger 20-inch alloy wheels and a meaner looking fascia. The interior, too, will have a different upholstery to suit the meaner look on the outside. 

The Night Edition will go on sale later in the year in both US and certain European markets. 

New Lexus LS

Lexus dropped a teaser of the new LS sometime back. In all probability, the flagship sedan will be larger than its predecessor and that’s fitting for the competition it will be facing. The new LS will make use of Toyota’s new platform called the Global Architecture-Luxury, or GA-L for short which currently underpins the Lexus LC500h.

The new LS could be powered by a 3.5-litre V6 hybrid powertrain or the 5-litre V8 from the LC500h and LC500 respectively. It will eventually compete with the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8.