The 2009 Detroit Auto Show, also known as the North American International Auto Show, is in full swing. Being among the largest shows of its kind, it suffered its own minor recession when some manufacturers pulled out, but there are still enough new car launches to keep it interesting. Following is a quick look at all the fresh models.
In Ford’s GCC line-up, the Taurus badge had pretty much disappeared at the turn of the century. However, the name was kept alive in the United States, as the car we know as the Five Hundred was sold as the Taurus in America. The full-size sedan is a competent but boring car, and Ford went back to the drawing board to completely redesign the model, apparently inspired by the immensely smarter design philosophy of their European division. The result is the 2010 Ford Taurus, unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show yesterday.
The most hyper version of Jaguar’s XF sports sedan is going to be revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show this month. The 2010 Jaguar XFR is meaner than ever and official images have already been leaked.
The Tokyo Auto Salon always features the quirkiest concepts, but Honda has toned down the fun this year for the 2009 auto show, showing only modified versions of their existing cars.
The Ford Shelby GT500 returns in the new-and-improved Mustang shell, with more power and refinement to boot. It comes in coupe and convertible forms.
While we get no official love from Maserati’s GCC reps in terms of test cars, we can report that the facelifted 2009 Maserati Quattroporte is now on sale at dealerships in Dubai and the UAE, as newspaper ads for the car appear on a regular basis. The current range includes the standard Quattroporte as well as the Quattroporte S, while a new Quattroporte Sport GT S will debut at the upcoming 2009 Detroit Auto Show and soon join the GCC line-up next year.
The 2008 Abu Dhabi Auto Show played host to a number of new car launches, just in time for the credit crunch. Faisal Khatib attended the show and sent in these photos.
To give the soon-to-be-discontinued SLR McLaren a fine send-off, Mercedes-Benz has introduced a new variant of the supercar, with an overly long name. The Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Sterling Moss will debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The car bears the name of British racing legend and Mille Miglia record-holder Stirling Moss, who drove the original Mercedes-Benz SLR racing cars from victory to victory during the 1950s.
The hot new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro was shown for the first time in the GCC, at the 2008 Abu Dhabi Auto Show. The Camaro will hit Dubai showrooms late next year.
Renault will be launching various new models at the upcoming 2008 Abu Dhabi Auto Show next week. Sitting among the new models will be the attractive 2009 Renault Laguna Coupe.