There have been some official announcements, some official leaks, some unofficial leaks and plenty of all-out speculation heading into the 2015 North American International Autoshow - better known simply as Detroit. What is known, is that there will be more than 40 vehicles making their world debuts in Detroit. Here are a few of the ones we are most excited to see.
Acura NSX
It has been three years since the concept for Acura鈥檚 mid-mounted NSX supercar was first shown in Detroit, and the Japanese maker promises the car we鈥檒l see this January is the production-ready version. We know it will be driven by a three-motor, twin-turbocharged sport hybrid powerplant, which sounds a lot like the BMW i8. The official bumph says it will be 鈥渁 human-centred supercar that responds to the will of the driver and that builds upon the NSX heritage.鈥� All we really know for sure is it will be curvy and sexy and one of the hits of the show.
Cadillac CTS-V
640 horsepower and a top speed of 201 mph (326 km/h) makes the performance version of GM鈥檚 CTS sedan the fastest and most powerful production Cadillac ever produced. A direct-injection, supercharged 6.2L V8 under its vented hood creates all that power, and 630 lbs.-ft. of torque too. Put your foot down and you can run this luxury sedan from 0 to 100 km/h in an estimated 3.7 seconds. Does the world really need it? Of course it does...
Chevrolet Volt
General Motors rolled out the 2016 Volt for a one minute teaser on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but its official debut comes at Detroit. Not much is known, except that the Volt's gas engine is believed to be slightly larger and more powerful, running on regular fuel instead of premium like the current generation. Its battery will surely have a greater range, too, which owners have been calling for since the first Volt debuted in 2010.
Ford GT Successor
This one is a hot rumour, but if it鈥檚 true that Ford will debut a successor to the GT, it could be the car of the show. The story goes that Ford is getting ready a Le Mans GTE-class car to race in 2016, which is the 50th anniversary of its first Le Mans victory in 1966. So it makes sense to have a road-going car to complement that. Let鈥檚 hope so.
Ford F-150 Raptor
Ford has not released much information other than a nudge here and a wink there about the Raptor version of their new F-150. This will be a halo truck though and a sign that Ford is taking performance seriously in 2015. Expect the F-150's new, lightweight aluminum body to give the new Raptor even more punch than the previous generation.
Infiniti Q60 Concept
It is considered a concept, but this Q60 is really testing the water for Infiniti's next production premium sport coupe. The Q60 takes its low roofline and quilted leather seats from the larger Q80 seen at October鈥檚 Paris auto show, and combines them with some of the aerodynamic touches from the Q50 Eau Rouge. This concept is intended to target the BMW 4 Series, though it will be a little larger. No word yet on the engine, but don鈥檛 be surprised to see the Q80鈥檚 3.0L V6 under the hood.
Lexus GS F
The performance version of the full-size GS sedan shares the same 467 horsepower V8 engine as the RC F coupe that went on sale last year. Lexus calls the GS F a 鈥渢rack-ready鈥� sedan that offers the remarkable 鈥渢orque-vectoring differential鈥� introduced in the coupe. It replaces the smaller IS F that鈥檚 no longer in production.
Mercedes-Benz GLE63
The German maker says it will debut 鈥渢he sportiest SUV that Mercedes-Benz has ever made鈥� in Detroit and that is expected to be the GLE63 AMG Coupe. Rumour has it the flagship SUV will keep the old 5.5L V8 engine, pumped up to around 550 horsepower. Spyshots suggest an aggressive-looking AMG body kit with four-pipe exhaust, and presumably stronger brakes and stiffer suspension.
Nissan Titan
Nissan has only teased a video for the new Titan so far, but we know that the next generation of the full-sized pickup truck will feature a new 5.0L Cummins diesel V8 under the hood, as well as an available gas engine. The Japanese maker is promoting the truck鈥檚 American roots, making a big deal of it being designed in California, engineered in Michigan, tested in Arizona and built in Mississippi.
Toyota Tacoma
We know even less about the latest Tacoma than we do the Titan, except that Toyota calls it an 鈥渁ll-new brute.鈥� Teaser photos show design cues from the Toyota 4Runner SUV while more efficient 4 and 6-cylinder engines should also mark improvements in the new generation of Tacoma. This truck will compete in a suddenly very active segment that also features the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon as well as the Nissan Frontier.
