Detroit 2009: Motor City guys and dolls....but mostly dolls

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Etc.

Click above for a gallery of high-res pics of some of the faces from Detroit '09

There are lots of people here in Detroit for the NAIAS, and there are lots of moments that have little to do with the cars themselves. So we figured we'd do a roundup gallery to show you some of the personal moments from this year's Detroit Auto Show. Some of the faces you'll undoubtedly recognize, while others you'll probably hope to get to know better. Check out the gallery and you'll see sports announcers, execs, kids, even a model or two. As always, we appreciate the tireless work of the booth professionals who have to stand in heels all day and pretend to be happy to see another camera shoved in their faces. Many have mentioned that they are fans of Autoblog, but we suspect they say that to everyone. Still, we know some will be viewing this post so please be civil and keep your comments clean.

Gallery: Detroit 2009: Detroit people gallery

Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Detroit 2009: Motor City guys and dolls....but mostly dolls originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2009: Dodge Circuit EV, now with cross-hairs

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Green, Chrysler, LLC., Dodge, Lotus

Click the Dodge Circuit EV for a high-res gallery

In spite of the large Dodge EV branding that was on this car when it first appeared last fall, it was obvious to all that it was simply a Lotus Europa. In spite of Chrysler's seemingly inexorable drive to insolvency in recent months, the engineers and designers in Auburn Hills have continued to try make the best use of the time they have left with a paycheck. The electric sports car now known as the Circuit EV has been the beneficiary of cross-hair nose job that is actually an improvement over the Lotus original. The tail has also been revamped and the plug socket has moved from the passenger side to the driver's side flank.

The specs haven't changed so the Circuit is still a bit slower than a Tesla Roadster with a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds. The range is also estimated at 150-200 miles. It's anyone's guess what the real world range would be though since no one outside Chrysler or Lotus has thoroughly tested the Circuit yet. The other guess is whether Chrysler LLC will be around long enough to actually sell the Circuit to customers. Maybe we should start a pool to see which company will hold longer, Chrysler or Tesla?

Gallery: Dodge Circuit EV

Continue reading Detroit 2009: Dodge Circuit EV, now with cross-hairs

Detroit 2009: Dodge Circuit EV, now with cross-hairs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi R8 V10: Two More Cylinders For Detroit [Detroit Auto Show]

After revealing the R8 LMS GT3 racer last month, Audi felt we've been good enough to get our first gift of the holiday season — the production Audi R8 V10. The new engine makes it Audi's second most powerful production car ever.

The internet's revealed the new V10 R8 a little bit earlier than we'd expected, but who cares? Nevermind being right before we were wrong, we're simply ecstatic to see the new up-powered R8 will receive a version of the Lamborghini 5.2-liter V10 to feed the most powerful production Audi ever built. The new R8 will get an estimated 528 bhp (552 HP), same as the bull-headed LP560-4 it’s borrowed from. It's also an iteration of the V10 power plant in the LMS GT3 racer and is sure to pack quite the punch in this application.

You can pick the R8 V10 out from the rest of the pack by new headlamps featuring LEDs for both the High and Low beams; less slats in the front and rear grilles; a new set of spider-spoke wheels; larger side blade intake; and a new more effective rear diffuser with large oval tail pipes. The interior will remain the same sans for some new V10 badging. We're still waiting for the Spyder to debut, but you can expect a similar feature set.

Expect to see the production Audi R8 V10 debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

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