As the financial bailout dilemma surrounding the American automakers finally started to settle , the Detroit Motor Show breathed in a sigh of relief with exciting new launches and concepts.
 Mercedes-Benz E-class
With a lot of hype surrounding it , the 2010 E-class made its first public appearance at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show. Mercedes-Benz’s most important production car gets a complete redesign for 2009 and trades in the round eyes for rakish and masculine headlight units. The car now boasts of 20 new as well as updated safety features with camera assisted adaptive headlights , night vision with pedestrian detection , speed limit scanner , etc. to name a few. The 200 , 220 and 250 CDI diesel powered variants return a claimed mileage of up to 19kmpl irrespective of the power while the 200 and 250 CGI petrol variants claim mileage figures of 16kmpl and 14kmpl respectively. The entire range will go on sale in India by September 2009.
 Audi Sportback Concept
The Sportback concept is Audi’s vision for their future model , the A7 four-door , four-seater coupé which will take on the Merc CLS and the Porsche Panamera. Though shown as a concept , the car looks ready for production with trade-in required only for street legal components like head and taillights , interiors and wheels. The concept has won the EyesOn award for its design and will also form the base platform for future Audis especially the chassis design.
 Cadillac Converj
Built on the Chevrolet Volt’s Voltec electric propulsion platform , the Cadillac Converj is a four-seater electric sports coupé concept. Powered by a 16 kWh T-shaped battery , the working prototype can run for upto 64 km without a recharge. The car also features a petrol powered generator to supply additional electrical energy for a higher mileage range. This car too won the EyesOn award for excellence in concept design.
 Toyota Prius" width="172" height="114" hspace="7" vspace="0" border="0" align="left" />Toyota Prius
The third generation Prius made its lustrous debut at NAIAS. The new car boasts of 90% new components than its predecessor and 25% more fuel efficiency with a claimed fuel economy figure of 20kmpl. The new beltless four cylinder engine displaces 1.8 litres and produces 100PS of power. The Hybrid Synergy Drive system has been completely overhauled too. Toyota has targeted a sale of 20 , 000 Prius’ this fiscal in the US alone.
 VW BlueSport
Volkswagen’s people’s sports car is slowly coming to life with the showcasing of the BlueSport concept. The design shows the basic idea behind the low-cost rear engined sports project which will see the light of day by 2011. It is also said to benefit Audi and Porsche for sub-TT and sub-Boxster sports cars respectively.
 Chevrolet Spark/Beat
The production version of the Chevrolet Beat was unveiled at the NAIAS. The car will be launched in India soon after its global production debut. However it may either replace the Spark in India or may run alongside. Engine options include 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre petrol mills and in India , the pricing will be on par with the i10 and the A-star.
 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10
The mightier 5.2-litre V10 engined R8 made its global debut at the NAIAS. Dressed is sparkling red , the car was as big an attraction as the original R8 itself when it debuted a couple of years back. There is no news from Audi whether the car will be considered for India as of now.
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As the financial bailout dilemma surrounding the American automakers finally started to settle , the Detroit Motor Show breathed in a sigh of relief with exciting new launches and concepts.
With a lot of hype surrounding it , the 2010 E-class made its first public appearance at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show. Mercedes-Benz’s most important production car gets a complete redesign for 2009 and trades in the round eyes for rakish and masculine headlight units. The car now boasts of 20 new as well as updated safety features with camera assisted adaptive headlights , night vision with pedestrian detection , speed limit scanner , etc. to name a few. The 200 , 220 and 250 CDI diesel powered variants return a claimed mileage of up to 19kmpl irrespective of the power while the 200 and 250 CGI petrol variants claim mileage figures of 16kmpl and 14kmpl respectively. The entire range will go on sale in India by September 2009.
The Sportback concept is Audi’s vision for their future model , the A7 four-door , four-seater coupé which will take on the Merc CLS and the Porsche Panamera. Though shown as a concept , the car looks ready for production with trade-in required only for street legal components like head and taillights , interiors and wheels. The concept has won the EyesOn award for its design and will also form the base platform for future Audis especially the chassis design.
Built on the Chevrolet Volt’s Voltec electric propulsion platform , the Cadillac Converj is a four-seater electric sports coupé concept. Powered by a 16 kWh T-shaped battery , the working prototype can run for upto 64 km without a recharge. The car also features a petrol powered generator to supply additional electrical energy for a higher mileage range. This car too won the EyesOn award for excellence in concept design.
The third generation Prius made its lustrous debut at NAIAS. The new car boasts of 90% new components than its predecessor and 25% more fuel efficiency with a claimed fuel economy figure of 20kmpl. The new beltless four cylinder engine displaces 1.8 litres and produces 100PS of power. The Hybrid Synergy Drive system has been completely overhauled too. Toyota has targeted a sale of 20 , 000 Prius’ this fiscal in the US alone.
Volkswagen’s people’s sports car is slowly coming to life with the showcasing of the BlueSport concept. The design shows the basic idea behind the low-cost rear engined sports project which will see the light of day by 2011. It is also said to benefit Audi and Porsche for sub-TT and sub-Boxster sports cars respectively.
The production version of the Chevrolet Beat was unveiled at the NAIAS. The car will be launched in India soon after its global production debut. However it may either replace the Spark in India or may run alongside. Engine options include 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre petrol mills and in India , the pricing will be on par with the i10 and the A-star.
The mightier 5.2-litre V10 engined R8 made its global debut at the NAIAS. Dressed is sparkling red , the car was as big an attraction as the original R8 itself when it debuted a couple of years back. There is no news from Audi whether the car will be considered for India as of now.