In pictures: The car show, according to Jeremy Cato
All the Motown madness, as see through the eyes of a Globe Drive columnist
The low-awaited and endlessly hyped next-generation Acura NSX was one of the hottest introductions at this year’s Detroit auto show. Journalists gawked and gazed and drooled over this low-slung super sports car. Instant hit. Acura has nailed it.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Alfa Romeo is back in North America. Parent Fiat Chrysler has high hopes for its moribund and slightly upscale brand. Canadian Reid Bigland, charged with re-launching Alfa in North America while also being CEO of Chrysler Canada and running sales and service in the United States, is hoping Alfa showrooms aren’t as lonely as this 4C Spider was in Detroit. Beauty is not always in demand, it seems.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
An unfamiliar sign in Detroit. But will Alfa Romeo be able to capture the imagination of jaded North American buyers? Alfa faces a tough, uphill road.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Really, is this the best Audi’s designers can do for the reinvented Q7? As one wag said, it’s the best-looking Volkswagen we’ve ever seen from Audi.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Buick sold more than a million vehicles around the world last year. The new Cascadia convertible won’t help things in 2015, however.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Nissan’s launch of a new Titan pickup created plenty of buzz in Detroit. Senior Ram officials were seen snooping around the Nissan Titan stand. One of the new Titan’s calling cards is a V-8 Cummins diesel engine. As a Ram official said, that engine has been shopped around for a while.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn held court, taking unfiltered questions and answering them with his sharp intellect and 15 years of running Nissan behind him. He’s still one of the best interviews in the auto industry.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Dianne Craig, president and CEO of Ford of Canada, admits that the race to be No. 1 in sales in Canada – for the fifth straight year – was nip and tuck. Chrysler Canada came within a handful of units of stealing No. 1 from Ford.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
No car company sells sex appeal like Fiat Chrysler and no brand at Fiat Chrysler sells sex appeal like Fiat. The boxy 500X is not exactly a runway model of a car, however.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Ford Motor product boss Raj Nair was jumping for joy about the surprise introduction of a new Ford GT super car.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Here is the hand-sized press kit for the new Acura NSX.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Ford Motor set up quite the working station for media at the Detroit show. Of course, journalists need fuel, so Ford stocked a full candy bar to keep the scribes on a glucose high. Tootsie Roll anyone?Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Hyundai Santa Cruz: Every few years, one car company or another revives the idea of a car/pickup. It was Hyundai’s turn this year.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Work, work, work. Ford Motor captured media members by creating a live work centre with WiFi and comfy chairs.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Acura was careful to make sure only qualified journalists received the press kit for the new NSX. To get a kit, members of the media were forced to allow these hard-working handlers to punch their credential tickets.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Ford Motor CEO took questions from college students during a town hall session. The over-achieving Fields, a Harvard MBA and a 25-year Ford vet, talked about how exciting it is to work in the car business.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail