Detroit show a load of bull?

How do you make a splash at the one of the most important motor shows in the world? Well Dodge thought that driving some cows down the main road was a good idea, and the perfect way to reveal its new Ram pick-up. We'd have thought sheep a more suitable livestock given the Ram name, but the cows tap into America's wild-west cowboy psyche, and we imagine if there had been some rams running around the gargantuan offering from Dodge one or two might have gone missing under its wheels. We do wonder quite what all those cows did for emissions in downtown Detroit, though.

Dodge wasn't the only one to be revealing a new 'truck' at the show, Ford rolling out a new version of the best-selling F-150. Did anyone say anti-climax? With the Japanese taking this market increasingly seriously has Ford perhaps been a touch conservative with its new pick-up? Other manufacturers with something to shout about brought along some celebrities to add some glamour to the proceedings. Perfectly underlining that perhaps car execs don't quite have their finger on the pulse of popular culture was Kid Rock on the GM stand to show off the new Corvette ZR1, and Bryan Adams, yep, he of Everything I do, I do it for you, fame being Audi's preferred singer to reveal Audi's sensational new R8 V12 TDI.

Jaw-dropping and genre-busting as Audi's new turbodiesel 'concept' supercar may be, it was German rivals Mercedes that managed perhaps the most cringe-worthy celebrity endorsement on its stand. Unveiling the 'Vision' GLK, Dr Zetsche was joined by a frisky Kim Cattrall, the Sex in the City actress on hand to provide a link to the new Sex in the City film within which the new GLK will feature heavily. To say the creepy flirting between the pair was off-putting is something of an understatement.

Dodgy celebrity endorsement and cow-rustling aside the show underlined its importance with a number of new concepts and production debuts. Most of the concepts are 'green' in some shape or form, most showing drivetrains that are still years - if not decades - away from series production. Not that it's stopping the manufacturers all claiming to be environmentally friendly. Perhaps most tellingly is that even the American firms are waking up to the need to change US consumers attitude to diesel fuel, Jeep showing a diesel hybrid Renegade concept, while the Europeans and Japanese are all bigging up the fuel. None more so than Audi with its R8 V12 TDI. But BMW has diesel engines on its stand, and those GLKs that Cattrell and Dr Z did their best to have us ignore featured diesel engines. Honda's premium Acura division has stated it'll be offering diesels by 2009, too.

Production debuts range from Hyundai's new luxury saloon, the Genesis, which the firm wants to be seen as the next Lexus, while sister company Kia showed its new Borrego, an SUV that's certain to seriously undercut its rivals on price in the USA. Keep a close eye on our news page for our in-depth coverage of the show.

Kyle Fortune
Pictures with the help of United Pictures.

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