Detroit motor show 2016 report and gallery

Official story is the Avista won't be built for production, but one insider suggested Buick (now secure in the role as GM's design-and-style brand) wanted to build "something like it". The car's success brought two big positives: it demonstrated for the millionth time that great looks still draw crowds, and its close link with Vauxhall-Opel seemed to promise good stuff here in future.

While emotions were running high it seemed right to hot-foot to BMW's stand where a solitary blue M2 Coupe sat on a plinth backed by huge running video of a clump of them dicing on a test track, sliding about amid clouds of tyre smoke. This car is closely related is the limited edition 1-series Coupe a few years ago but has extra muscles inside and out. It is sized and powered (370bhp, 168mph, 4.5sec 0-62mph) to be the perfect easy-ownership sporty car, especially if the predicted price of around £45,000 comes true.

The new Lexus LC500 2+2 was enticing and well balanced on three sides (some of us still have trouble with that admittedly eye-grabbing corporate grille) and faithfully brought forward the promise, inside and out, of the LF-LC concept shown here four years ago. It equals the record for the number of speeds in an automatic gearbox - 10 of them - which should give its 5.0-litre V8 a chance of decent economy. Infiniti had a new Q60 that looked nice enough (and proportionally very similar to the outgoing car) without really scaling the heights.

Genesis, making what looked like the most determined bid yet for freedom from Hyundai, had its big silver coupe concept (revealed last year) on hand to draw American eyes, and VW showed production versions of its former Beetle Dune concept, both in coupe and convertible forms. Perhaps this will at last help the third-gen Beetle find a role in life.

Away from coupes, Audi kept the beauty quotient high with a superb h-tron Quattro concept - a yellow estate - powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and expected around 2020. It stole some of Mercedes' thunder as the progressive German marque on hydrogen cars. Far more relevant to today was the Audi A4 Allroad quattro, which looks a guaranteed success when it hits the market in autumn.

Best of the rest was the all-new and extremely tech-heavy Mercedes E-class, described by insiders as "Daimler's Golf" for the venerability of its core concept and the loyalty of its owners. Another superb Mercedes interior offset its OK-but-no-surprises exterior. Volvo's S90 saloon looked graceful but for its large and showy concave grille that (as on the XC90 SUV) seems more Chinese than Swedish. That one can come as a PHEV, as you'd expect.

Among Americans, trucks were curiously in the background, a bit of a surprise given the giveaway price of fuel. But then, most of the big models have recently been revised. Lincoln unveiled a new MKX SUV that looked very handsome and is touted by American hacks as a bit of a breakthrough car for a marque that usually seems to struggle.

But it was coupes that definitely took the limelight at Detroit and they deserved it. As some claimed, the recent rise of SUVs is to blame. It seems every household now has the ultimate in utility cars as its main machine: it can afford to have a more stylish, more personal car as its second- or third-stringer. The proposition accounts for the impressive success of the latest Ford Mustang. Anyway, the air was suddenly full of predictions that more coupes would come, and they'll be welcome.

Detroit motor show 2016 - live blog

Live blog by Darren Moss and Sam Sheehan

1400 - That brings our Detroit motor show live blog to a close. We'll hand over to Steve Cropley, who's been on location in Detroit scoping out the latest unveilings to bring you his show report. Scroll up this page to read it.

1310 - The arrival of Audi's h-tron quattro concept offers us a peek into the future of its line-up. With a claimed refuelling time of just four minutes and a quoted 373-mile range, the hydrogen fuel-cell concept prouces zero emissions, yet it's still good for a sub-seven second 0 to 62mph time and 124mph restricted top speed.

1300 - Would you be interested in a go-faster version of the BMW X4? The M40i version features a turbocharged six-cylinder engine producing 355bhp and 343lb ft of toque. It's claimed to cover the 0-62mph sprint in just 4.9sec.

1255 - We've just received new pictures of the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S at Detroit - is it just us, or do they look even better in the metal?

1250 - Away from Detroit, and Lamborghini has confirmed that all 40 planned examples of its upcoming Centenario car have already sold out - two months ahead of its official unveiling in Geneva. The £1.64m car is designed to celebrate the 100th birthday of Lamborghini.

1245 - Mark Tisshaw has written an interesting blog all about Ford's new Ford Pass service - which aims to link drivers to different mobility solutions and plans to do for cars what iTunes did for music. It's a big idea, but can it work? Here's his blog.

1235 - Another interesting video from Ford in Detroit. This time, it examines the potential of linking a driver's smartwatch to their car, so features and alerts can be controlled and transmitted via the wrist. It suggests cars will soon be connected to even more of our devices.

1230 -  On the subject of car design, we've been considering whether applying 'Russian doll' design to all models in a line-up is actually a good thing. Plenty of cars shown in Detroit bear significant resemblance to other models of the same brand - the new E-Class is a prime example. "Personally I’m a little disappointed by the lack of imagination;" - do you agree with Jim Holder's opinion?

1215 - Lincoln has revealed its new Continental in Detroit. Ford's flagship arm describes the model as 'production-ready', with sales due to commence in autumn. The car's design has been a topic of conversation for many - some have noted similarities with models such as the Jaguar XF. To our eyes, it's a safe, slightly unambitious exterior. But with a raft of luxuries and safety features, and a (yet to be confirmed) price that undercuts European alternatives, there's little doubt it'll appeal to many in the American market.

1205 - Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has responded to Elon Musk's promise that Tesla will produce an autonomous car before anyone else. The Brazilian-born businessman claims that his company will lead the way, but says that 'true' autonomous cars (that can make decisions in almost every situation) won't be possible until 2025 - five years after Renault-Nissan plans to sell its first autonomous vehicle.

1155 - Kia has chosen Detroit to reveal its Telluride concept SUV. It's another US-only model - it's expected to preview a future production SUV designed for the US market - but the technology featured inside and certain design features could make their way into models sold in Kia's other markets. Take a look at that legroom!

1145 - Another US-only model we won't be getting in the UK is this, the aptly named Nissan Titan Warrior. Really, it does exactly what it says on the tin, which is to be a hairy-chested, brute of a truck. It's only a concept, but Nissan says it's been created to emphasise the production Titan's rugged nature. We want one, though admittedly it might look a bit out of place parked outside Waitrose in Twickenham...

1125 - Though it's not coming to the UK, the Chevrolet Bolt - which was unveiled at the CES and is now being shown in Detroit - emphasises just how far electronic technology in car drivetrain systems has come. Chevrolet claims that its lithium-ion batteries can eke out more than 200 miles of range - enough juice to drive from London to Leeds on a single charge.

1120 - Ford has also released footage of it conducting what it calls the first official test of an autonomous vehicle in snowy conditions. The carmaker wants to use the footage to prove that tests are being carried out in the most extreme driving scenarios, and not just sun-baked California highways.

1115 - Of course, this being the USA, there have been plenty of unveilings that won't ever make it to the UK, including this, Ford's 'facelifted' Fusion NASCAR. It's recieved a new face (essentially a new sticker kit) to match the aesthetic updates that have been applied to the 2016 Fusion - which is America's equivalent of the Ford Mondeo. Like its rivals, the NASCAR Fusion produces about 750bhp at 9000rpm.

1110 - Back to our star cars from yesterday. The Ford GT might not be the marque's latest reveal - in fact we've been familiar with its shape for a year - but this white one on the Ford display stand has still managed to hog as much attention as Detroit's newest unveilings. Just look at it.

1105 - Steve Cropley says: â€¨BMW sales and marketing director Ian Robertson compares the progress of BMW's M high performance project at one end of the spectrum with the potential of i at the other. In the UK between 30 and 40 percent of 3 Series have M wheels. “We think i can come to stand for carbon technology and light efficiency measures in our more conventional range, not just special electric vehicles," explains Robertson.

1100 - Steve Cropley says: BMW is close to revealing its plans for a third i model, rumoured to be an i5. Sales and marketing director Ian Robertson says details are likely to be revealed in early March, when BMW will also discuss a suite of activities planned for 2016 – its centenary year. "We will be discussing our activities that point to the future," says Robertson. It's quite likely the i project will come up."

1055 - Infiniti announces that it sold 215,250 vehicles last year, which is 16 percent more than the year before and a new record for the carmaker. But while sales in the Americas and China were strong, just 1,195 Infinitis were sold in the UK in 2015. This represents a 60.2 percent increase on the year before, illustrating just how small the numbers were.

1050 - Cropley has also recieved confirmation that Mercedes has plans for a full electric car with a 250-300 mile range, built on the same electrical architecture, but Mercedes R&D chief Dr Thomas Weber refuses to say which Mercedes model will be used. "Stay tuned for that" is all he will say.

1045 - Steve Cropley says: Mercedes will launch a hydrogen fuel cell version of its GLC soft roader next year. The car is 'in the middle of roll out' according to Mercedes R&D chief Dr Thomas Weber.

1040 - Overnight we've also had big news from Jaguar, which has revealed the XF saloon will get an all-wheel drive version for 2016. Get the full story here.

1035 - We've updated our main show gallery with plenty of pictures from the Detroit show floor. Take a look at the gallery above to pick your favourites!

1030 - Cropley has also been speaking to BMW's marketing director Ian Robertson, who has confirmed that plans for the company's i brand will be revealed in early March, possibly at the Geneva motor show. Those plans are likely to center around a third model, dubbed i5.

1025 - Steve Cropley says: Mercedes R&D boss Dr Thomas Weber reckons he has a particular problem with engineers and craftsmen engaged in seat, combustion or suspension design thinking their jobs aren't as important as they were. "They think they are doing old stuff that doesn't matter like it used to," Weber explains, "but of course they are completely wrong. We need them just as much as ever."

1015 - Let's remember some of yesterday's star cars, starting with the Infiniti Q60 coupé . Infiniti has struggled to gain traction in the UK market, but in the States, the story is far better. This model is therefore expected to fare quite well against rivals such as the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5. It's endowed with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, capable of producing as much as 396bhp.

1000, 12th January 2016 - Good morning from the Autocar team, back here for day two of our Detroit motor show live blog coverage. Before the doors open on the other side of the pond, you can catch up with yesterday's action below, or visit and follow our Vine page to view several video clips.

2000 - And with that, we'll close our live coverage of the opening day of the Detroit motor show. Remember to check back tomorrow morning for more coverage from our teams on the ground and in the UK, including plenty more pictures and analysis. For now, goodnight.

1930 - Kia has released the first teaser pictures of its upcoming Niro hybrid, which will be revealed at the Chicago motor show. Read more here.

1915 - We're not certain, but we reckon this facelifted Ford Escape previews whats to come on the Ford Kuga.

1905 - Proof the Lexus LC 500 has been created by lovers of driving comes with Lexus cheif Akio Toyoda's comments: "I really love cars, always have, always will. I wanted to be a taxi driver when I grew up... I don't want to sit behind the desk, I want to sit behind the wheel. That's how I can best advise my team and create cars for people who love cars as passionately as I do."

1855 - It might not be coming to the UK, but we can certainly appreciate Ford's new F-150 Raptor. Not only does it look the part, it's also powered by Ford's 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6, producing 411bhp and 434lb ft of torque. Ford says it's been developed with the DNA of a Baja race truck, so expect blistering performance and bullet-proof rigidity.

1840 - Time for another unveiling now, and this time it's the 400bhp Buick Avista. It's a 2+2 coupé and a direct rival for the likes of the BMW M4. The future of the Avista as a production car is still uncertain, however.

1830 - Here's some news you may have missed over the weekend - Tesla's Autopilot function has been updated for safety reasons. The system is now restricted on residential roads and roads without a central reservation, and the Model S is limited to the speed limit of the road plus an additional 6.2mph.

1820 - Caterham has added a new model to its line-up, the 620S. Designed to offer a more road-friendly alternative to the hardcore 620R, it features 15-inch wheels and different tyres than its performance-oriented sibling. Get the full story here.

1815 - More on the new Lexus LC 500 - it features a 5.0-litre V8 engine, the same unit found in the RC F and GS F, which produces 467bhp at 7100rpm. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

1810 - Breaking news from Lexus now - the Japanese brand has pulled the covers off its new LC 500 coupé. The car's pricing and launch date have yet to be confirmed, but order books are set to open later this year.

1805 - We've got full details on Ford's winter autonomous driving tech, and its new FordPass system, which will launch in April. FordPass gives users free access to a range of mobility services, including software which can find car parking spaces, and allows participation in car sharing schemes.

1800 - Another car we've now had the chance to see live is the Mercedes-AMG S65 Cabriolet. This luxurious open-top four-seater will go on sale in the UK in April, costing around £200,000. It features a twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V12 engine producing 621bhp.

1755 - In case you missed it earlier, Autocar's editor-in-chief has explained how he's mightily impressed with the new Mercedes E-Class, particularly its potential when it comes to autonomous driving technology. Read his thoughts here.

1749 - Another car that's turning heads of Detroit show goers is the Infiniti Q60, which has just been revealed on the Japanese manufacturer's stand. Highlights of the sleek new BMW 4 Series worrier is a fierce new 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine.

1740 - In the unveiling of the new Ford Fusion, Ford gave some stick to two of its main rivals, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. "What's that about?" asked the chap doing the voiceover when a presentation on the big screen explained that neither of the two Japanese saloons came with a plug-in hybrid option.

1736 - An astonishing statistic from the Ford press conference that has made Autocar’s Mark Tisshaw sit up and take notice: the Ford F-150 is not just popular in the US; around the world, a Ford truck is sold every 19 seconds.

1734 - There was a cringe-worthy moment at the Ford press conference when vertically challenged host Ryan Seacrest made a height gag to Ford development boss Raj Nair. There wasn't much laughter in the stands.

1730 - Mark Tisshaw has just been at the Ford press conference: "Ford brought along American Idol's Ryan Seacrest (me neither) to host its press conference. The big news away from the Fusion's unveiling was the launch of Ford Pass, which Ford claims will do for cars and automotive services what iTunes did to music."

1725 - And here's the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the metal. What do you think?

1720 - Some more information on VW's Tiguan GTE Active now. It's understood that the unveiling of the car hints at VW's desire to offer its second-generation Tiguan with an off-road styling package. Exterior changes for this concept give it a more muscular appearance, and include new bumpers, prominent kickplates at the front and rear, and a reworked aluminium roof panel.

1715 - As this graphic shows, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class fits very well into the current line-up, slotting in between the C-Class and S-class. Maybe a little too well, in fact?

1705 - Arguably the biggest story of the show so far has been the unveiling of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class. You can read all about the car here, learn about its autonomous driving technology here and read Jim Holder's blog on 'Russian Doll' car design here.

1700 - Away from Detroit, we've got new spy pictures of a compact Jaguar SUV. This test mule, which hints at a possible E-Pace model, could be on track for launch in around 2017.

1655 - There's already been plenty of news to come out of Detroit today, and you can stay up to date with all of it by reading our Detroit show hub here.

1650 - Don't forget that while the Detroit show is going on, we're also following British racing driver Harry Hunt on the epic Dakar Rally every day. Here's his latest update, as the race reaches its halfway strage.

1645 - We've now seen the new Audi A4 Allroad in the metal. It's longer, wider and lower than the car it replaces, but is it better looking?

1640 - Volvo has confirmed that all of its future models will come with a twin-engine hybrid version across both of its two modular platforms - SPA for larger cars and CMA for compact models.

1635 - As you might remember, the S90 is Volvo's rival for the likes of the Jaguar XF, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and - handily - the new Mercedes E-Class. We've got full pictures and spec information here.

1630 - More from Mark Tisshaw, who has been over to the Volvo stand. "Volvo announced at the unveiling of its new S90 in Detroit that it had broken through the 500,000 sales barrier for the first time in 2015. It was also announced today that the XC90 was the winner of the coveted North American Truck of the Year award."

1620 - We've updated our show gallery with plenty of pictures from the show floor in Detroit - take a look above.

1610 - Ford has unveiled a new conceptual lightweight version of its 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine - full story here.

1600 - Robertson talked up the new BMW M2 as being from the same breed as the famous 2002 Turbo, which he drove on stage in Detroit. "The M2 continues the story of a compact, high-performance sports car. The 2002 was the first and is the very soul of what BMW stands for."

1555 - Mark Tisshaw has been at the BMW press conference. "BMW Group had its fifth successive year for record sales in 2015, posting sales of two and a quarter million. BMW and Mini had their best ever sales years and Rolls-Royce its second. Sales of M cars also shot up 65% to 35,000 units. The BMW i3, the world's the best selling electric vehicle, and i8 sold 30,000 between them."

1545 - Aside from the cars on every stand, most vehicle manufacturers also have 'alternative' attractions too.

1535 - Another chance to see a new car in the metal now: here's the new BMW M2. There are plenty more pictures at the link, too.

1525 - Here's a blog from Steve Cropley. He says drivers of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class should embrace autonomy, as it's the first Mercedes model to come with semi-driverless functionality. Read the full blog here.

1515 - Mark Tisshaw has seen the new Chrysler Pacifica. He says it's "surprisingly well resolved for a car of its type and country of origin; this is anything but a box on wheels. Lord Sugar will be pleased."

1510 - Over on the Ford stand, the Blue Oval has chopped the roof off of its Fusion to show the plush new interior of the Platinum model, which is the US's version of Vignale.

1505 - Oh dear, Mark Tisshaw has found the Jeep stand and isn't impressed by this Cherokee SUV. "I assure you the colour doesn't look any better in the metal," he says.

1500 - Steve Cropley: "Zetsche appears on Mercedes-Benz stage again in grey suit, white shirt. Open neck, same as last night. Looks like a bloke who forgot to bring his tie. Introduces S65 cabriolet by making amusing link with original Karl Benz trike exactly 130 years ago "also a convertible". Big differences are power (first car had 0.75hp) and seat warmers. Never anything wrong with his sense of humour."

1450 - Mark Tisshaw says: "The star of the show of 2015, the Ford GT, is back again at Detroit in 2016. It's now painted white. It looks stunning. Phwoar."

1430 - Steve Cropley says: "Just ran into ex-Bentley chief engineer, Ulrich Eichorn, who is to rejoin VW as chief of research and development, replacing Ulrich Hackenburg. "I'll probably see you in March," he told me. New job is even bigger than the one he left at VW. Then, he was head of research only."

1420 - Steve Cropley says: "VW group chief Matthias Muller was on hand for reveal of Audi's concept - and was clapped, German-style when he was announced. He had been at CES where he apologised some more a few days ago - he may say more at VW's stand in a few mins.

"The floor is then taken by Audi boss Rupert Stadler who seems almost to be relishing the current difficulties. He referred to 'the exhaust issue' as 'a reflecting point' and undertook to resolve all open questions, find simple solutions, and swore that 'we are 100% determined to get this resolved'.

"Stadler presented the latest events as 'a unique opportunity for change and innovation, talking of 20 new models worldwide in 2016. 'We will turn our company to the better', he said, 'and make the four rings shine on'."

1410 - This is the new Audi A4 Allroad. It will go on sale this summer, and is based on the new A4 Avant estate. Engines will provide up to 268bhp. Read more on this car in our full reveal story.

1405 - The headline statistics on Audi's h-tron quattro concept make for interesting reading. The new conceptual SUV is tentatively scheduled to reach production in 2020, and features a hydrogen fuel cell stack which feeds two electric motors. A lithium-ion battery pack can also provide small bursts of extra power. Audi says the concept has a range of 373 miles.

1400 - And here's Audi's promised hydrogen concept, the h-tron quattro. It may look similar to the previous e-tron quattro concept, but this car runs on next-generation hydrogen technology.

1355 - The Audi A4 Allroad has just made its debut in Detroit. This high-riding version of the A4 Avant is due to go on sale in the UK this summer. We'll have the full story for you soon.

1350 - Ford will have sold 20 million EcoBoost-powered cars by 2020, says Mark Tisshaw. The Blue Oval passed the five million car mark in 2015.

1345 - Ford has just unveiled a new lightweight version of its 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine in Detroit. This conceptual version is over 15% lighter than the regular EcoBoost engine. Ford has also confirmed it is working on new cylinder deactivation technology for the EcoBoost unit, which would see it run on only two cylinders.

1340 - Audi's US boss Scott Keogh says his company recently recorded its sixth year of record sales in the US. "This couldn't have happened without the best team in the business," he tells the gathered audience.

1335 - Audi's press conference is now underway. A clear stage has two spaces on it for cars.

1330 - The next big press conference of today is from Audi - the German marque is expected to reveal a new concept featuring hydrogen fuel cell technology.

1325 - Away from the Detroit show, most car manufacturers are expected to reveal their global sales results today. So far, we know that Volkswagen sold a total of 5,823,400 cars in 2015, a 4.8% decrease.

1320 - Of course, speaking of Nevada, Autocar was there only last week for the annual CES tech show. Read our full report and round-up here, including the full story on this car, the FFZERO1.

1315 - "Mercedes-Benz was recently granted special dispensation from the mayor of Las Vegas in order to test autonomous cars in Nevada, including the new E-Class" says Cropley.

1310 - More from Cropley, who says Mercedes-Benz in the UK is so confident of the appeal of its new E-Class, it reckons local volume could double to 20% by 2017.

1305 - Steve Cropley's been reading local media reports in Detroit, he says: "Local rag USA Today calls the Detroit show the 'nations most closely watched auto show' on account of its usual scandals. Better to concentrate on the actual cars, I reckon."

1300 - Another unveiling today is the Ford Fusion facelift. The Fusion is the US-market version of the Mondeo, so its update shows how the shape of the Mondeo in Europe will evolve over its production run.

1255 - Another concept car to be revealed ahead of the Detroit show is the Volkswagen Tiguan GTE Active. It's an off-road version of the Tiguan GTE, and mates a 1.4-litre petrol engine with two electric motors.

1250 - As we've already reported, Carlos Ghosn has taken aim at Tesla's Elon Musk over his claims on autonomy. Mark Tisshaw says: "As is becoming a typical motor show theme, autonomy is already making headlines with the handbag swing Carlos Ghosn has taken at Elon Musk.

"Had a chat with Ford's Stephen Odell on the subject last night, who said autonomy should stop being viewed as a black or white, good or bad thing, and be embraced as a technology that is going to play a role as part of several other mobility options and find its feet, particularly between 2020-25.

1245 - Mark Tisshaw has just got into the Detroit show. He says: "The thing I'm most looking forward to today is having a nose around the interior of the new Mercedes E-Class. Design boss Gorden Wagener has previously called it a two-generation leap. Looks great in pictures, and looking forward to feeling if it has the quality to match."

1240 - Carlos Ghosn has also said he isn't concerned over China's car market tremors. He said the Renault-Nissan brand is concerned over that market in terms of years, rather than months, and remains convinced that China's demand for mobility will ensure stability for those brands heavily invested in the region.

1235 - The night before the Detroit show is always a great chance to meet with car executives. At a Renault-Nissan dinner last night, CEO Carlos Ghosn poured cold water on Tesla boss Elon Musk's claim that his company will have a fully autonomous car on the road within three years. Ghosn has targetted 2020 as his target for having a fully driverless car in production.

1230 - In the last few minutes Aston Martin has revealed its new twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 engine. The new engine could produce up to 600bhp and is likely to first see service in the upcoming DB11. See more of the new engine in the video below.

1225 - The new E-Class is the first model from Mercedes-Benz to come with Drive Pilot, which houses all of the firm's autonomous driving technology. One of its key features is the ability to follow the car in front at speeds of up to 130mph. Click here to read more.

1220 - The styling of the new E-Class is already dividing opinions. Jim Holder wonders whether the 'Russian Doll' design used by German car makers is something owners really want. Read his full blog here.