The best of the Detroit motor show 2015: Fast Fords, hybrid Hondas and a 200-mile range electric Chevrolet
Motor City was awash with the hottest new concepts and groundbreaking technical innovations
If this year’s CES in Las Vegas was a platform for automotive manufacturers to show off their wildest science-fiction creations, Detroit was the analogue antidote – a feast of high-performance metal, much of it powered by old-fashioned fuels and noisy engines.
But nestled in amongst the V6 and V8-powered monsters were a number of innovative concepts, hybrid performance machines and futuristic fuel-cell vehicles.
Here’s our pick of the most interesting.
READ MORE: Six things CES 2015 taught us about the future
Ford GT
Say hello to the ultimate performance Ford: the all-new GT. Take one extremely lightweight carbon-fibre and aluminium shell, slap a brand new 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine under the rear window and marvel at a 600bhp machine that will scare the pants off Lamborghini and Ferrari owners.
Expect a price tag in excess of £150,000-£200,00 when it hits roads in 2016. Can’t wait or afford to get behind the wheel? Fear not, as the Ford GT will star in the upcoming Forza Motorsport 6 XBox One game
Honda NSX
Modern motorists are a fussy bunch; they want performance and thrills without the earth-battering emissions. Honda thinks it has cracked it with the upcoming NSX supercar; a re-imagining of the 1990s original that is powered by a potent V6 petrol engine and two electric motors.
The result is a staggering 550bhp and cutting-edge handling thanks to the brilliantly named Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system. Order books for the £100,000 stunner open this summer, so have those credit cards at the ready.
Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE
Do you fancy adding a bit of hybrid spice to the school run? Why not cross fingers and toes and hope that Volkswagen brings this petrol/electric behemoth to the UK. It’s pegged for US-only release at the moment and will feature a stonking 355bhp V6 hybrid petrol engine when it goes on sale. There’s also a new infotainment system inside, which is controlled via a 10.1-inch touchscreen, plus a 12.3-inch Active Info Display – similar to that recently previewed on the new Passat – that produces high-quality interactive graphics instead of bog-standard gauges. Neat.
Honda FCV
Honda is going full steam ahead with hydrogen fuel-cell technology as this latest futuristic concept proves. The FCV builds on the groundwork already laid by the current FCX Clarity model, which is no longer available to lease by US and Japanese customers, and 2013’s FCEV concept.
The abbreviations get confusing but the latest FCV has basically taken old fuel-cell technology, shrunk it and tweaked it so power output is up 60% over the current FCX Clarity model. Are you still with us? Well, Honda engineers claim the FCV can be topped up from a 10,000-psi hydrogen nozzle in just three minutes, while offering a 300-mile range.
Let’s hope Toyota’s recent act of patent altruism improves the hydrogen-fuelling network, otherwise the FCV could just be another flash-in-the-pan alternative fuel vehicle.
READ MORE: Stuff Talks #2 – In the future, your pockets will be full of hydrogen
Chevrolet Volt and Bolt
No, these aren’t characters from an upcoming Disney Pixar animation but rather two all-new electric and hybrid models from General Motors.
The new Volt features the same petrol/electric motor set-up as its predecessors but can now travel up to 50 miles on electric drive alone, as opposed to 35. The interior has also been improved somewhat, with a stylish touchscreen in the dash taking care of infotainment needs and digital displays nestled behind the steering wheel.
The Chevrolet Bolt is slightly more revolutionary, as the concept hints at an electric family vehicle that can travel 200 miles before the batteries need topping up. That puts it right up there with the best of Elon Musk’s Tesla products but here’s the really good bit: it is slated to cost less than £20,000 when it goes on sale in 2017.
READ MORE: Chevrolet unveils the Bolt EV
Alfa Romeo 4C Spider
How do you make the Alfa Romeo Spider even better looking? You chop its roof off. At least that’s what the Italian designers behind this two-seater stunner think.
The roof is manually removable, rather than an electrically folding number, in order to keep the weight down. In fact, this topless version only weighs 10kg more than the coupe, plus it’s had those slightly awkward front headlamps redesigned. Expect to part with around £52,000 this summer if you fancy one.
Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG 63
The world’s automotive manufacturers seem hell-bent on continuing the trend for producing ever larger, ever more garish Sports Utility Vehicles, but the focus for luxury carmakers has now shifted to sumptuous Chelsea tractors that will happily take on any modern performance machine.
The Mercedes GLE AMG 63 is the latest example of said speedy SUV, as it features the marque’s massive 5.5-litre twin-turbo. It produces 585bhp, which is enough to embarrass the BMW X6M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
READ MORE: These are the most excting cars of 2015
Leon Poultney
Freelance Automotive and Tech Writer 
