Detroit 08 was not only a showcase for General Motors & other US manufacturers with their pick-up trucks, crossovers & SUVs - the Germans & the Japanese were there as well. However it was Audi that mesmerized the show with its diesel-powered Audi R8…

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
No need to present the ZR1… it’s best supercar made in the US. & this new version of the ZR1 is just as stunning. Carbon fibre body, carbon ceramic disc brakes & the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 LS9 (620hp). The Corvette ZR1 is a pure muscle car!

Ford Verve Concept
This is an eco-friendly fuel efficient sedan concept that Ford hopes to sell in 2010. The design is quite good & it’s supposed to have a 4-cylinder engine & PowerShift dual clutch transmission.

Hyundai Genesis
Lexus have some competition in the luxury sedan section with the Hyundai Genesis that wants to become the next LS400. & it has all those luxury items like cooled & heated seats, adaptive headlights, sat-nav, backup camera, cruise control & Lexicon 7.1 stereo system. Watch out for these!

Ford F-150
The new 2009 Ford F-150 comes in different looks, & is expected to be as best-selling as the previous version (it’s the best-selling pickup in the US). & I must admit it has great looks!

Lexus LF-A Roadster
This is it!!! In addition to the GT-R & the R8, Porsche 911s now have to contend with the LF-A series… The Lexus LF-A Roadster is as good as the original LF-A coupe, if not better with that stunning red colour! & the engine is a 5-litre V10 with transmission at the back, with a power rating at 500hp. Toyota is back!!!

Land Rover LRX Concept
Great cheers to Land Rover’s Design team for bringing out a new life out of those boring Land Rover’s. How about a Defender concept?

Mazda Furai
The best concept in Detroit… front design is awesome! Although it doesn’t have a proper engine (with only 450hp), it would be great if Mazda could just tweak it a little bit more & it would be a race car to contend with (in the likes of the Pagani Zonda?)

Toyota Venza
Toyota have presented this crossover that is expected to rival Nissan’s Murano. Not bad.

Ferrari 430 Spider Bio-fuel
Ferrari goes green! Well, not exactly… this F430 runs on E85 (85% ethanol & 15% gasoline), which results in a 10hp power increase and only 5% fuel economy.

Dodge Ram
There’s nothing special about this pickup except the way it was presented at Detroit. A large herd of cattle was made to stampede through Detroit streets as the Dodge Ram 2009 was unveiled.

Honda Pilot Prototype
The Honda Pilot is a SUV with Honda's ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) safety technology and VCM cylinder deactivation management system. The Variable Cylinder Managaement system allows this V6 to run on 6, 4 or 3 cylinders depending on the need. Wow! That should drastically reduce fuel consumption. The design is not that good with those upward-looking headlights.

BMW X6
This is the hybrid crossover, which BMW presented last year at Frankfurt, now in production version.

Audi TT-S
The Audi TT-S is the new version of the Audi TT with 265hp, large 19-inch wheels & a dual-clutch automatic allowing 0-100 in 5.2s.

Mitsubishi Concept-RA
A sports coupe concept that shows off the blending of aluminium, carbon & plastic. Hope it stays as a concept…

Hummer HX Eco-friendly
Hummer & eco-friendly are two words that are poles apart… but against all odds, Hummer have managed it with this E85 flex-fuel concept. The design is great… let’s hope now that the US Army will consider using this design in its future Hummers!

Lamborghini Ad Personam
Unfortunately there was no Reventón on display at Detroit, but Lamborghini have announced that they will be launching the Ad Personam program where customers will be able to customise the colours & the interior of their Lamborghinis.

Toyota A-BAT Hybrid Concept
I think Toyota have created this concept to allow Top Gear to reach the South Pole. Unlike what it suggests, this really fat truck is a hybrid & has solar panels as well!

Ford Explorer Concept
Yet another SUV, but this one is a really cool concept (except for the “humped” bonnet)

Dodge Zeo
This Zeo concept is an electric car that provides 64KWh to the rear wheels via a 265hp engine. It can cover 250 miles before it runs out of juice.

Chevrolet Camaro SS
Bumblebee was there as well!!!

Audi R8 V12 TDI

The R8 V12 TDI is a concept that melds the 6.0L V-12 diesel engine from last year’s Q7 concept with the award winning R8 sports car.

The concept engine shares a cylinder count with the race-winning R10, but it's actually a completely new engine with a 60-degree bank angle instead of the 90 degrees used on the race engine. While the 500 hp is only par for the course in its class, the 738 lb-ft of torque is enough to shred all four tires with ease.

While the R8 V12 TDI storms to 62mph in 4.2 seconds and maxes out at 186mph, it also manages to get 23 MPG. The combination of a 29,000-psi direct-inject fuel injection system, particulate filters and urea injection allows this beast to pass 2014 EuroVI emissions standards, too.
Check out the video here.

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Gallery of all Detroit cars…