What Turned Heads At The 2019 Detroit Auto Show So Far?

It has been a day since things kicked off at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and we cannot tame our joy with the monikers that have already been revealed. While we resonate with the ones who think it is too early for such an article, there is plenty to discuss already and we didn't want to miss out on any in the future. And here are a few of them.

Toyota Supra

Yes, the Supra does top this list and for good reasons indeed. Resurrecting a 17-year old dormant model requires answers for tonnes of questions. Why bring it back? Will it be better than the previous one? How advanced will it be? Will it grace the needs of today? Toyota knew this and thus a rather odd partnership was signed with German automaker BMW to develop the new moniker.

The design on the new Supra has evolved along with its mechanical counterparts. Complying with safety and emission standards these days are not a joke after all. The car retains the front-engined, two-seater, rear-wheel drive from its predecessor, which it also shares with the new BMW Z4. Coupling the 330hp on the car is a massive 494Nm of torque. This along with a few electronic trickeries helps the model reach triple-digit speeds in a brisk 4.0 seconds. Need we say more? Yes, we do.

The BMW-developed engine features a twin-scroll turbocharger along with direct fuel injection and variable valve control. Toyota has tuned this engine to offer 'segment-leading' torque performance even from low revs.

2020 Ford Shelby Mustang

With its new power figures, the refreshed Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is evidently a walloping attack on the current dominators in the performance muscle segment. Caroll Shelby had a dream, and while he managed to live up to most of them, Ford thinks that Shelby would be happy with this one.

Ford claims that the new GT500 is its most powerful street-legal car ever with more than 700hp on tap. The American auto giant has graced the new Shelbys with a handbuilt supercharged 5.2-litre V8 aluminium alloy engine that has surpassed the output figures of its previous generation models.

The engine transfers its juice to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission through a new carbon-fibre prop shaft, powering the rear wheels. The new Mustang Shelby GT500 reaches triple-digit speeds in a claimed 3.5 seconds and is capable of shifting gears in under 100 milliseconds.

To tame the 700 and more ponies, Ford has given two handling packages. The less extreme version does with adjustable suspension top-mounts and a fixed rear lip-spoiler, while the hardcore pack adds wider 20-inch carbon-fibre wheels, an adjustable GT4 wing, and a functional splitter with canards.

Infiniti QX Inspiration

While autonomous driving tech and electric cars took centre stage at this year's Detroit Auto Show, Infiniti grounded the flag with the new Infiniti QX Inspiration. Marking 30 years of Infiniti, after Nissan first launched the brand at the NAIAS Detroit in 1989, the car is a metaphor depicting the brand's further steps. The QX Inspiration will spawn a production model which will be the first to use Infiniti's modular electric platform. More electric cars will follow the crossover in the future.

Models which will feature the new platform and the subsequent battery tech will be able to charge their batteries by a combination of energy regeneration and internal combustion engine acting as a generator.

Nissan IM Concept

We can hear Nissan execs repeating the words “A limo to conquer all”. At the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan IM's electric sedan concept might have easily pushed the barricades for the perfect luxury EV.

A wheelbase is of 2895mm is not the only thing that makes the car huge. Nissan claims that this employs a sumptuous battery that is comparatively isn't any longer than an Altima. The 115-kilowatt battery can deliver a range of close to 610km of range, which is a good thing. Except for the fact that Nissan did not specify the time taken for it to be charged.

That battery pack is also thick under the car, giving it its elevated ride height. It rides on big 22-inch wheels, with adaptive air suspension and various driving modes, so the IMs may be intended to have at least some off-road ability. With an electric motor at each axle, the IM gets a total of 483hp and 800Nm of torque.

Cadillac EV

General Motors' announcement about Cadillac as its lead EV brand to counter Tesla and drive sales away from it and the reveal of its first electric concept at the Detroit Auto Show was not far apart. While a specific date has not been tagged for the launch but we can be looking at launch as early as the 2020 model.

The new concept is a part of aggressive product push up at Cadillac that will see one new model in roughly every six months through 2021.