Dodge Slingshot
It's an open question just which one was the best concept car, but it was obvious which mixed utter coolness with midget proportions best: Dodge's Slingshot. Based on the truly tiny SMART Roadster (a product of Dodge's brother at DCX, Mercedes), the Slingshot uses a rear-mounted normally aspirated three-cylinder engine knocking out about 100 hp while delivering sub-10-second 0-to-60 clockings and 45 mpg. The suspension is independent, the steering is by rack-and-pinion, the gearbox has five forward gears and each of the four wheels has its own disc brake.
With truly neat surface modeling and loads of simple design details, the Sling Shot looked nearly production-ready in Detroit. In fact, this car is so clearly a good idea, we expect something like it to appear in production. Here's hoping a turbocharged SRT version comes soon after that.
2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT
The JDM version of the next-generation Subaru Legacy is already on sale, so its appearance in American-spec form at the Detroit Auto Show was no big whoop. But what's pegging the whoop meter is news that we'll also get a new 2.5 GT sedan (and wagon) powered by a turbocharged and intercooled version of Subie's 2.5-liter flat-four engine. It's not quite an Americanized B4, but it's closer than we've ever been offered before.
Like all Subies, the new Legacy gets all-wheel drive standard. It rides on a 105.1-inch wheelbase (up from 104.3 inches on the 2003 Legacy) and gets all-new sheetmetal that, Subaru says, carries a miniscule 0.28 coefficient of drag in sedan form and just 0.30 Cd as a wagon.
The GT gets 17-inch wheels with 215/45R-17 all-season tires, over-size front brake rotors and ventilated rear brake rotors to further distinguish it from other Legacy models. The hood scoop on the GT is functional and feeds the intercooler that is mounted across the engine. In general specification, the engine is similar to that used in the WRX STi, but the cylinder block, turbocharger and its intercooler are unique to the 2.5 GT. Both five-speed manual and five-speed automatic transmissions will be available, with the new automatic also being shiftable either from the floor shifter or with buttons on the steering wheels.
The new Legacy models, including the 2.5 GT, will be at dealers this spring.
Mazda Micro
Daring to enter a twerpy niche where the MINI only dared tread, Mazda showed its MX Micro Sport at the Detroit Auto Show. Based on the Euro-only Mazda2, the Micro Sport has some MINI in the styling (mostly in the nose), though it's a five-door. Power comes from a 2.0-liter four and those wheels are 17s to give you an idea of how tiny this thing really is. It was shown as a concept at Detroit, but it's going into production for some market some place. Lilliput seems a good guess.
The rumor mill has it that it's still under consideration for America. It would make a lot of sense for America... if everyone here was to wake up one morning 40 percent smaller
Hyundai HCD8
Hyundai seems to produce a fresh coupe concept car every year. At this year's Detroit Auto Show, it was the HCD8, which may (or may not) indicate the Korean company's direction for the next Tiburon.
Supposedly built atop the next-generation Elantra platform, the HCD8 is powered by a supercharged version of Hyundai's 2.7-liter V6 feeding a six-speed manual transaxle. The suspension is an air-filled system that allows the driver to adjust it across a 4-inch span.
Those are 19-inch wheels encased in P255/40R-19 Michelin Sport Pilot tires with the front set 103.6 inches away from the rears. The lighting is by advanced LEDs, while the paint is something called "Ballistic Yellow Nippon."
If the HCD8 has any influence on the next Tib, we'll know in about two years.