Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      Cover-up: More retailers requiring face masks to curb COVID
      USW alleges COVID-19 violations at Kumho plant
    • Stengel promoted to president of NAPA parent Genuine Parts Co.
      Former auto exec Tyrone Jordan joins Cooper board of directors
      Bridgestone crafts virtual city to showcase sustainable-mobility initiatives
      Ford, Hyundai earn 2021 top North American vehicle honors
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      H&H broadens precure OTR business with Continuum mold acquisition
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • Gary Price to head Love's Truck Care operations
      TA opens 6th Oregon location, bringing 50 jobs to area
      Love's opens Speedco shops in Ariz., Calif., Ga.
      TIA adds more Spanish language training
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Wireless auto data debate continues
      World rubber demand in 2021 to recover to 2019 levels — IRSG
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Ferentino Tyre opens Sri Lanka plant; eyes exports to U.S., Europe
      Sailun to expand Vietnam plant capacity over three years
    • TGI secures Cosmo-brand naming rights at Fla. race track
      Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg postponed until April
      MotoGP extends Dunlop race tire contract through 2023
      Revived Yokohama Drivers Cup to feature Ferrari, Porsche models
    • Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
      Ford, Hyundai earn 2021 top North American vehicle honors
      BKT expanding its ATV/UTV lineup with Sierra Max Pro radials
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      J.D. Power survey: Quick greeting key to customer satisfaction
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Marko Ibrahim promoted to president, Bridgestone Retail Operations
    • Point S Canada adds 61 stores to network in 2020
      J.D. Power survey: Quick greeting key to customer satisfaction
      ASE opens registration for upcoming certification testing
      Bolt On, Global Payments aim for easier text payments for auto repairs
    • Denver's Brian Sump named AAPEX Shop Owner of the Year
      DUB, TIS Wheels founder Myles Kovacs is SEMA Person of the Year
      AAPEX: Using social media to promote your business
      AAPEX: Road trips trending, commuting on the wane
    • Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      2020 Review: PPP loans give boost to small businesses
      Latest COVID relief bill includes $325B in small-business support
      AAPEX: Do more cars in the shop mean more profit?
    • Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      Michelin completes rigid dump-truck tire lineup
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Choosing the right balancing equipment
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
    • Video: Demounting
      Demounting Equipment
      Making rims ready for a tight seal
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
    • Video: Safety
      Making friends with OSHA
      Ergonomics on the shop floor
      Customers
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Tire repair: Shining a light on visual inspections
      Staying safe when repairing a tire
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
    • Video: TMPS Service
      Decoding sensor data for TPMS diagnosis
      Replacement TPMS sensor overview
      The life-saving work of TPMS
    • Video: Training
      Advantages of apprentice program partnerships
      Options and resources for CE tech training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      All types of lifts for all types of work
      Tips and recommendations for lifting safety
      The gravity of proper lift points
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      Using torque sticks to speed service times
      The danger of too much, too little torque
      The importance of torque specifications
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
January 09, 2014 01:00 AM

Your guide to the 2014 Detroit auto show

Crain News Service
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    (Crain News Service photo)
    Last year at the Detroit Auto Show, Chevrolet unveiled the 2014 Corvette Stingray. It'll follow up with the Z06 this year.

    By Graham Kozak, Crain News Service

    DETROIT (Jan. 9, 2014) — It's time for the 2014 Detroit auto show, when the Motor City opens its doors to the world and puts on an event competitive with the best anywhere.

    Motown's show is like Christmastime for auto enthusiasts. And this year's event promises to be a good one, with everything from a new F-150 pickup to a new Lexus sports car to the mighty C7 Corvette Z06. Show organizers say they are expecting more than 50 concept- and production car world debuts in what will be the show's 25th year as an international event.

    Here are some highlights:

    Audi

    Audi will show a new crossover concept with styling we hear sheds light on future Audi Q models, including the Q1. The Detroit concept is thus far billed as a styling study, but Audi chairman Rupert Stadler said the Q1 will go into production in 2016.

    The crossover concept has a traditional shooting-brake-like body with a long wheelbase and short overhangs. Also expect to see two long doors and an angled tailgate. Among the more prominent design elements is a new Audi single-frame grille wearing a quattro badge. The concept is 165 inches long, almost 8 inches shorter than the Q3.

    E-tron identification indicates the concept will showcase a plug-in gas-electric hybrid system, most likely similar to that in the A3 e-tron -- the company's first plug-in hybrid production model.

    BMW

    BMW will show the Z4 Pure Fusion, a special-edition convertible with new interior options including napa leather trim and specially designed sport seats in ivory white. The lower dash will also have ivory white leather, in addition to the armrests, door panels, and passenger pull handles. The dash also will feature a horizontal trimline made of saddle brown napa leather with bright contrast stitching.

    BMW will also show the 2-series coupe, M3 sedan, M4 coupe and i-series. The 2-series will replace the 1-series coupes, conforming to the company's naming scheme in which sedans have odd numbers and coupes have even numbers. BMW says it will be offered both as a 228i (240 hp) and a 235i (322 hp), meaning they'll get the same turbocharged I4s and I6s as the outgoing 1-series. An M235i will sit atop the 2-series range, with go-fast bits from the other M cars.

    The 2-series will launch in the first quarter of 2014, with a $33,025 starting price. Detroit will also be the first time most of us get to see the new M3 sedan and M4 coupe up close and personal. The Ms will debut side by side, sporting 425-hp, 406-lb-ft inline six engines, dual-clutch or manual transmissions and 0-60 sprint times in less than 4 seconds.

    Chrysler

    The Chrysler stand highlight will be a new 200 sedan. Word is the front-wheel-drive midsize sedan will share the Fiat-derived CUSW platform with the Dodge Dart and Jeep Cherokee. It will also share the Cherokee's nine-speed automatic transmission. The new 200 will also have stop-start, active grille shutters, electric steering, electronic parking brake and LED lighting, according to sources. Chrysler's 3.6-liter V6 engine or 2.4-liter inline four will power the car. No word on whether Chrysler will produce a convertible version of the new car, as it does with today's 200.

    Ford

    Ford will show a new version of the U.S.'s perennial best-seller, the F-150 pickup. F-150s have been America's best-selling truck for 37 years, and its best-selling vehicle, period, for 32. Some 750,000 will be sold this year, so the new truck has enormous shoes to fill.

    We hear the new F-150 will look a lot like the Atlas concept from last year's show and that it will be aluminum. The company wants to demonstrate aluminum's toughness and light weight to pickup buyers. In fact, Autoweek sister publication Automotive News reported that Ford asked Alcoa Inc., makers of aluminum blast shields for battlefield vehicles, to lend it some military-grade metal for the auto maker's display.

    At last year's show, Ford COO Mark Fields said the company would take some 750 pounds out of its next generation trucks to meet tightening fuel-economy regulations. The next-generation F-150 will probably offer a new 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine, part of a family of powertrains code-named Nano. Ford hopes the new full-size truck will approach 30 mpg on the highway.

    General Motors

    The GM highlight will undoubtedly be the 2015 Corvette Stingray Z06. The car will sport more aggressive rocker panels and black multispoke wheels.

    Horsepower? We don't know yet, but we liked the 2013 Z06's 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. If the new Z06 improves on the old one to the degree the C7 has already improved on the C6, we're going to love this thing when it arrives. Production is expected in late 2014.

    Also from GM, look for a Cadillac ATS coupe and a GMC Canyon.

    Honda

    Honda's big news will be its new, third-generation Fit small car. Honda says the 2015 Fit will build on the car's innovative packaging, flexible cargo capability and fun-to drive character. Honda also says the interior will be bigger and more refined and have “leading-edge connected car technologies.” According to Honda, the new Fit will be more fuel-efficient, though powertrain specifics haven't been given. The platform is new, and Honda says it thinks the car will earn class-leading safety ratings. Automotive News says the new Fit will have Honda's Earth Dreams 1.5-liter inline four producing 127 hp and 111 lb-ft of torque, as well as a CVT.

    Over on the Acura side of the house, we expect to see a TLX sedan prototype. What's the TLX? It will be the new name for Acura's midsize sedan, replacing the outgoing TL and TSX. Acura says the TLX will have “more emotional styling with tidier, sports sedan proportions” and two new powertrains. The production version will launch in the second half of the year, when TSX sales end.

    Acura didn't give powertrain specifics, only saying two new direct-injected engines and a new transmission will be offered, and that the car will be available with front- and all-wheel-drive.

    Infiniti

    Hoping to capitalize on its Formula One involvement with Red Bull Racing, Infiniti will show the Q50 Eau Rouge concept. That's a high-performance version of the Q50 and takes its name from the notoriously challenging Spa corner.

    The Eau Rouge takes design cues from the aerodynamic styling of F1 racers, Infiniti says, with a new front air dam and sleek carbon-fiber side mirrors. No word on what lurks under the hood.

    Kia

    Kia's Detroit concept, called the GT4 Stinger, was born at the auto maker's U.S. design studio in Irvine, Calif. Kia says the rear-drive 2+2 hatch concept promises a 2.0-liter turbo four developing 315 hp. Nice!

    Lexus

    Lexus will show the RC F coupe, the F version of the RC 350 coupe shown in Tokyo. The performance F is rumored to have some 460 hp. Toyota is being very tight-lipped about what it will bring to the show, just saying it is the debut of an “exciting” concept vehicle.

    Mercedes-Benz

    Mercedes will show the new C300 and C400 sedans. The car is codenamed W205, and it looks like a baby S-class. It will go on sale here in September, and it's set to take on the BMW 3-series and Audi A4. Benz says the car has a new high-strength steel platform and mostly aluminum body. The auto maker also says the car weighs 220 pounds less than the car it will replace and should get 20 percent better fuel economy without any performance loss.

    We haven't seen the new car in person yet, but it sure looks pretty in pictures, with clear S-class hints in the bold front end. The new car is 3.7 inches longer with a 3.1-inch longer wheelbase and is 1.6 inches wider than the outgoing C. Base C300 4Matic models will have a 2.0-liter turbo four developing 235 hp and 273 lb-ft. The C400 4Matic will have a 3.5-liter turbo V6 with 329 hp and 354 lb-ft. Both engines are mated to a standard seven-speed automatic gearbox.

    Eventually we'll see a wagon and a new five-door liftback to compete with the Audi A5 and BMW 3-series GT (the wagon is not for us, the liftback is waiting for a U.S. green light). Also expect a new C-class coupe and convertible -- the convertible tentatively scheduled for 2016. The new C-class will also spawn the new GLK, planned for 2015. Look for the mighty C63 by the end of the year.

    Mini Cooper

    The new Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) will have exclusive gray paintwork, red accents, new aerodynamics and new 18-inch JCW light alloy wheels.

    Mini says the concept is lighter, but has a longer wheelbase and wider track than the outgoing model. Look for new air intakes in place of fog lights, and a general reworking of the bumper all around. LED headlights and a black grille surround complete the package.

    The “Bright Highways” gray paint is made with a manufacturing process that gives it a brushed-aluminum look. Red stripes run across the hood and rear, and there are red accents on the wheels, calipers, turn signal surrounds and contour lines.

    The last JCW Mini came with a turbocharged 1.6-liter making 211 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque, plenty for the 2,612-pound hatch. With upgrades all around, we'd be surprised if the engine compartment didn't get a boost as well.

    Nissan

    Nissan's concept will be new sports sedan, and is in fact called the Sports Sedan Concept. The car is expected to hint at the next Maxima. It will be joined by the IDx Freeflow and Nismo we saw in Tokyo.

    Volkswagen

    Volkswagen will show the new Golf R for the first time in the U.S. and will have two concepts: A Passat BlueMotion Concept, and something called the Beetle Dune Concept. VW says the Beetle Dune Concept looks like a modernized Baja Bug. It is raised a couple inches, has wider and flared wheel arches and skid plates.

    Volvo

    Volvo will present a new concept car, called the Concept XC Coupé, and says the car will be a departure from the sleek coupe we saw a couple months ago at the Frankfurt show. The Concept XC Coupé looks to take styling cues from the C30, but the body is taller and more creased, and the car has more ground clearance.

    The North American International Auto Show, known to most as the Detroit auto show, continues to serve as a barometer for the entire industry. This year, we'll expect to see the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the 2015 Ford Mustang and the BMW M3 and M4. The 2014 Detroit auto show is held at Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI and is open to the public Jan. 18-26.

    This report appeared on the website of Autoweek magazine, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • List Rental
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION