The Detroit Motor Show, what to expect !

A handy round up of all that you can expect to see at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show

The 2014 Detroit Motor Show is the first major motor show in the 2014 automotive calendar. Officially known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), it opens its doors to the world's press on January 13 2014 before inviting the public in on January 18.

The biggest car manufacturers in the world will be showcasing a whole host of new metal at Detroit, from crazy concept cars to production models that we'll be seeing on the road very soon. And, of course, Auto Express will be there bringing you all the stories live as they happen.

Bookmark this page to stay up to date with the latest from the Detroit Motor Show 2014. We’ll be updating it regularly with all that we know on the biggest stories coming out of this year's show.

Click the links below for the hottest Detroit news stories of the moment and scroll down the page for our full manufacturer-by-manufacturer round-up…

Detroit Motor Show 2014: the key cars

Mercedes C-Class - the all-new Mercedes C-Class compact exec will make its world debut at Detroit with BMW's 3 Series in its sights.

Ford Mustang - the new Ford Mustang takes a bow in production form at Detroit and this one will be sold in the UK.

BMW M3 saloon and M4 coupe - the latest instalment in BMW's M3 dynasty is here but now the coupe version's called M4.   

Audi Q1 concept - Audi is gunning for the Nissan Juke with a new baby SUV concept car.

Lexus RC-F coupe - Lexus hopes to eclipse the BMW M3 with this coupe concept car rumoured to be packing a V8.

Volvo XC Concept - the XC concept car from Volvo should tell us a lot about the design of the new XC90 SUV.

Detroit Motor Show 2014: full round-up 

Audi

Audi has just announced 11 all-new models will be added to the range, and as far as we know the baby Q1 concept will be the first of those to make an appearance, with a debut at Detroit rumoured. It’s aimed at Nissan Juke buyers who crave something a little more premium. BMW and Mercedes are also working on entry-level SUVs

Audi has confirmed a three-door Crossover concept will be on display at Detroit, which is likely to be giving us an insight into the future design direction for the brands next-gen road cars.

BMW

BMW will be one of the busiest manufacturers at the Detroit Motor Show next month with five new or facelifted models making their debuts. Taking centre stage will be the new M3 saloon and M4 coupe, both powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine developing 424bhp. The new high-performance models are lighter, more efficient and more powerful than the outgoing M3.

Sharing the limelight will be the new BMW 2 Series. It’s a replacement for the outgoing 1 Series Coupe which goes on sale in March, priced from £25,040. Facelifted versions of the BMW X1 SUV and Z4 will also be making an appearance at Detroit, both featuring subtle visually tweaks inside and out.

Chevrolet

GM has announced Chevrolet will be pulled out of European markets by 2015 but iconic models such as the Camaro and the Corvette will still be available. The new Z06 will debut at Detroit, so far we’ve only seen a teaser image and rumours suggest the muscle car could use a tweaked version of the 7.0-litre V8 tuned to produce around 600bhp.

Ford

Ford has already showcased the new Mustang at several glamorous locations around the world but Detroit will be its motor show debut. For the first time in its 50 years of production, the Mustang will be made available in right-hand drive in the UK. There’s no official word on pricing but the EcoBoost model should start from around £30,000, with the V8 model demanding a further £5,000.

Infiniti

A potential rival for the BMW M3, the Infiniti Eau Rogue concept will be unveiled at Detroit. We only have a few details about the high-performance saloon and we expect a twin-turbocharged 3.7-litre V6 to fitted under the bonnet, producing around 500bhp. The concept is named after one of the most famous corners in the F1 calendar, a sweeping uphill bend at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Kia

Kia has revealed teaser shots of the GT4 Stinger concept car that will be on display at Detroit. We now know it will be  powered by a 311bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, driving the rear wheels. The teaser images show the concept to have a long bonnet, bulging wheels arches and a short tailgate, giving it the classic sports car look. Kia says the new concept is aimed at "delivering head-turning looks".

Lexus

The first image of the new flagship Lexus RC F coupe has leaked online. It’s set to debut at Detroit where the wraps will also be taken off the car's BMW M4 rival. Under the bonnet, a 5.0-litre V8 has been rumoured, with power somewhere in the region of 455bhp.

MINI

The range-topping model in the new MINI range, the John Cooper Works, will be unveiled in concept form at Detroit. It features an aggressive looking body kit and exclusive paint job as well as being powered by a tuned version of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine from the outgoing Cooper S. It should arrive in the UK in summer, priced at around £23,000.

Mercedes

After months of leaked images and spy shots the Mercedes C-Class was finally unveiled in December. The baby exec will draw in the crowds at Detroit with an Estate variant sharing the stage. A whole host of petrol and diesel engines will be availble, with a new 1.6-litre diesel engine adopted from Nissan being the entry-level motor.

Mercedes will again be showcasing the S-Class coupe at Detroit after the concept first debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September. We’ll have to wait until March at the Geneva Motor Show before we get to see the production model, however.  

Porsche

Porsche will unveil the 991-generation Targa at Detroit, with leaked images online suggesting the car will revert back the original Targa style body that was first seen in 1966.

Toyota

There has been a lot of speculation about a replacement for the Toyota Supra and the Japanese manufacturer has confirmed there will be ‘some form of performance concept at Detroit’. Rumours started circulating about a successor to the Supra back in 2007, when the Toyota FT-HS concept first appeared at the Detroit Motor Show.

Volvo

Volvo will be showcasing the Concept XC Coupe at Detroit, which gives us a glimpse into the future styling of the manufacturers SUVs. It will also influence the design of the XC90, scheduled to arrive in the UK in the middle of 2014.

MORE HERE

SEAT breaks sales record with over a month to go.

• SEAT UK last week surpassed its record-breaking 2012 yearly sales total
• 38,871 registrations by last Monday (11 November) beats 2012’s 38,798 total
• 2013 is already the company’s best ever year, with six weeks remaining
• SEAT achieves its fifth consecutive annual sales rise

SEAT UK can announce that it has already broken its annual sales record, with more than six weeks to spare.

By the morning of Monday 11 November, SEAT had reached 38,871 registrations, surpassing the 38,798 tally posted for 2012, itself a record-breaking year. It means that SEAT can already announce its best year ever, and its fifth consecutive annual sales improvement.

During what has been a fantastic 2013, SEAT has broken its monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and now annual sales records; September 2013 was SEAT’s best ever month (8,498 registrations), which topped off its best ever quarter (July – September 2013), which had followed its best ever half year (Jan – June 2013).

And October 2013 too has been a landmark month for SEAT, with 2,903 registrations making it the company’s best October ever. Retail sales alone were up by 34% compared to October 2012’s.

SEAT UK Director Neil Williamson says: “In a competitive marketplace it’s a testament to both the quality of our cars and the effort of our dealerships that we’ve broken our annual sales record already. A brilliant team effort.

“What’s most pleasing is that we’ve achieved much of this success in the showrooms: our year-to-date retail sales have gone up by almost a third. We’ve put a lot of focus on getting happy customers into great cars via an outstanding dealership experience.”

The SEAT Leon, which currently holds the Auto Express Car of the Year crown, is now available as a five-door hatchback, a three-door SC and an ST estate. SEAT showrooms now offer the most complete model line-up that the company has ever produced, from the Mii city car, through the ever-popular Ibiza supermini, the new Leon family, the highly practical new Toledo, the Altea and Altea XL MPVs, and the multi-award winning  Alhambra people carrier.

AUTO EXPRESS drives the C-X17 with a video review.

We've had the chance to drive the Jaguar C-X17 4x4 concept in this video review

We’ve waited for a long time to see a Jaguar 4x4, and finally the Jaguar C-X17 concept was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this year. The blue paintwork of the show car is gone with this version getting silver paint. Jaguar has kindly let us drive it, too – though not for very long.

The most we can really hope to learn from this drive, though, it what the car will look like. In this intense Dubai sun it looks like almost every Jaguar in the range, with the XJ-inspired grille and F-Type-style rear lights meaning it looks fantastic.

It’s likely to stay this way, too. Julian Thomson, Advanced Design Director, told us: “we’re not in the business of letting customers down, we can’t show this concept and then come out with something that looks nothing like it.”

The interior reveals the purpose of this car: you sit low down in the car, which makes it feel much more sporty that something like a Range Rover. You feel quite cocooned in, with the sleek concept styling meaning the interior is very futuristic, too.

The 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine booms away in the car – it’s the same engine used in the Jaguar F-Type. In this concept car it’s not insulated – so the roar of the engine is always there. The steering is very basic, and the ride is harsh too – but that can be forgiven for a concept car that won’t be driven by customers.

There’s not much we can get out of this drive in terms of handling or performance, but we have learned that this is being launched as the most dynamic, the most efficient and the best-looking” car in the large SUV class.

We wouldn’t bet against the success of the Jaguar C-X17 – or even Jaguar as a company in the future.

REPORT HERE

Stunning Jaguar SUV (C-X17), new colour, makes this a stunning car.

Seeing the Jaguar C-X17 moving under its own steam really brings to the fore just how striking its design is.

The concept may be full of rough edges but the packaging and character of this car is clear to see from behind the wheel. If Jaguar’s design team can deliver on the styling and the engineering team can deliver on this new aluminium-mix architecture then the big three German brands will seriously have to start watching their backs.

We waited forever to see a Jaguar SUV, then finally the Jaguar C-X17 concept arrived at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this year. Now, the blue paintwork of that original show car has been ditched in favour of silver, and Jaguar has allowed Auto Express behind the wheel ahead of the production car’s debut late in 2015.

It’s worth remembering that this is a hand-built concept so we’re not expecting the most refined driving experience in the world, but it’s great for showing off how the C-X17 will look. Sitting in the blazing Dubai sunshine it looks every inch a Jaguar, from its large XJ-inspired grille to the muscular rear wheelarches and narrow taillights borrowed from the F-Type.

The design team behind this concept is keen to see it through to production almost unchanged as well; as Julian Thomson, Advanced Design Director revealed: “we’re not in the business of letting customers down, we can’t show this concept and then come out with something that looks nothing like it.”

Step in to the cabin and you start to get a sense of what the C-X17 is about; it’s the four-seat layout and sporty F-Type steering wheel that reveal this isn’t so much an SUV but a dynamic crossover. You sit relatively low down so you feel a little more connected to the action than you do in a Range Rover.

Underneath the bonnet is the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine used to great effect in the F-Type but also available detuned in the XJ limo and XF. In the production car it would be bolted in to Jaguar’s new iQ[Al] aluminium architecture – set to underpin all future Jags except the sports cars – but here it’s a mixture of unique parts and XF leftovers.

Without any sound insulation the roar of the V6 is always with you and there’s no polish on the ride or steering but you really get the sense of being cocooned within the C-X17, much like you do in a sports car. That’s no accident, as design and engineering teams have worked together from day one to help create these proportions, including the long bonnet and a shallow glass area.

In terms of what a drive like this can actually teach us about how the C-X17 will drive, there’s actually very little to learn. But it is interesting to talk to the team behind the project and hear how they want the production version to be “the most dynamic, the most efficient and the best-looking” car in its class.

Those are ambitions that Jaguar holds for each one of its future line-up, and with a generous head of steam behind it, you wouldn’t bet against a seriously strong future for Jaguar, bolstered by models like the C-X17.

REPORT HERE

Rolls Royce plans an SUV, please dont !!!!!!!!!

Our friends over on Auto Express have today released an artists impression of what could be a new Rolls Royce SUV, as a personal comment, I feel that if BMW do decide to go down this route would be a really bad mistake, neither the Bentley or Lamborghini SUV's are pretty, and this is equally as ungainly, I feel that Rolls Royce would be better off heading down the grand tourer route, like a Mercedes SL, now that, I feel would be better than this monster.

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Rolls-Royce CEO confirms designers are already working on SUV - and our exclusive image shows how car could look

Rolls-Royce has given the clearest indication yet that it will build an SUV - and our exclusive image show how the amazing model could look.

Built at its Goodwood factory, and going on sale by 2017 at the earliest, the Rolls-Royce SUV will take on a rash of luxury 4x4s due over the next few years.

Rolls CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos has just put the successful launch of the Rolls-Royce Wraith coupe behind him. Now he’s desperate to develop new products for an increasingly important, fresher, younger breed of super-rich buyers – from high-profile sports, music and film stars to dot com billionaires. Despite their wealth, many are in their thirties or even twenties, could well be Chinese, and have a desire to own a Rolls – but not necessarily a ‘traditional’ limousine.

“The SUV segment is an interesting one,” Muller-Otvos told Auto Express. “There’s growth in the SUV sector and such a vehicle is thinkable. I'm open to that. Our design director, Giles Taylor, is already doing the first sketches.”

Our images show how Rolls’ latest design language – as seen on the Ghost and Wraith – could translate into a higher-riding SUV. The traditional chrome grille sits proud at the front, topped off by the signature Spirit of Ecstasy. Meanwhile, the graceful lines and rear-hinged doors both provide plenty of Rolls-Royce class.

REPORT HERE