Detroit auto show notebook: Hummer goes off-road, more
— -- The North American International Auto Show, held each year in Detroit, is a chance for automakers to show off their goods. It opens to the public Jan. 19; the media get an early look starting Sunday, but many automakers could not wait for the show and released their models early. Here are a few:
Hummer HX concept: When it comes to rumbling off road, this smaller Hummer could challenge Jeep if it were ever built as a production vehicle.
The HX concept has two removable doors and roof panels. Fender flares can be taken off easily to maneuver through a tight spot along a rocky trail. The beefy vehicle is smaller than a Hummer H3.
The concept has a 3.6-liter V-6 capable of running on E85 fuel, as well as a six-speed transmission. The four-seat HX has full-time four-wheel drive.
Audi TTS: Luxury carmaker Audi is marking 10 years since its TT sports car hit the road with the top-of-the-line TTS model, which makes its debut Sunday at the show.
The TTS, available as a four-seat coupe and two-seat roadster convertible, features a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that boasts 272 horsepower and a governor-limited top speed of about 155 mph.
The engine produces nearly as much power as a 3.2-liter, six-cylinder engine, but with better fuel efficiency.
Audi, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, says the TTS is scheduled to be in U.S. dealer showrooms in late November.
Pricing will be released later.
BMW X6:This five-door hatchback is making its American debut in Detroit.
Dubbed a "sports activity coupe," the X6 is designed to be roomy and offer good performance.
The space in back is big enough to store four full golf bags.
The performance is provided by either a 300-horsepower 3-liter inline six-cylinder engine or a 400-horsepower 4.4-liter V-8. All-wheel-drive comes standard.
The V-8 has twin turbos and direct gasoline injection, features that help boost its power.
Toyota A-BAT concept: If Toyota's Prius were ever made into a pickup, this would be it.
The A-BAT, which would be positioned below a Toyota Tacoma pickup if it is eventually built, is given a gas-electric hybrid powerplant and translucent solar panels on the instrument panel.
Though envisioned as a compact pickup, a segment that's fallen out of favor from its heyday among college-age boomers in the 1970s, the A-BAT rides on a car-like unibody platform.
A-BAT is envisioned as "a vehicle capable of maneuvering the suburbs as well as dirt roads," says Kevin Hunter, president of Toyota's California-based design group.
The design was derived from studying the side silhouette of Prius and applying it to a truck. The passenger compartment, seating four, was moved forward, based on the look of a European military transport truck.
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