The Detroit Auto Show – or the North American International Auto Show, as the American Big Three like to call it – is the biggest auto show on U.S. soil. It should come as no surprise, then, that there will be some spectacular unveils taking place at this year’s snowy event.
Luckily for you, we here at Digital Trends will be braving the artic blast and making our way to the Midwest for this year’s show. While we’re on the show floor, we’ll be bringing you up-to-date specs on all the big announcements, including plenty of first-glimpse walk-arounds and some deeper-dive videos.
Before we unpack our long johns, though, let’s take a quick look at a few of the cars we expect to be the highlights of this years show:
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Chevy blew us away with the all-new Corvette Stingray at last year’s Detroit Auto Show. And then it tickled our tech fancy with the Performance Data Recorder at last week’s CES. This week, it’ll likely knock our socks off with its all-new performance Corvette the Z06. Not much is known yet of the track-taming beast. If rumors are true, though, it should be powered by a 625-horsepower supercharged LT4 V8 and slathered in some bright yellow paint.
2015 Subaru WRX STI
We just got back from driving the all-new WRX and were blown away with its power and poise. So the WRX STI – the hopped-up version of the WRX road-going rally racer – should be absolutely mental … in a good way. Just like the Z06, we don’t know what will be under the hood. We suspect, though, it’ll be a version of the WRX’s turbocharged 2.0-liter BOXER four-cylinder punched out to 2.5-liters, which should be good for 300+ hp. If you plan on buying one of these bad boys, you better befriend a good chiropractor.
Lexus RC F
Lexus already revealed the RC F last week ahead of the scheduled unveiling. The show floor will be our first chance, though, to glance this two-door beauty in person. If you’re wondering what the RC F is all about: consider it a BMW M4 fighter. Powered by a modified version of the IS F’s 5.0-liter V8, the RC F coupe should make around 500 horsepower, which will be sent through an eight speed automatic to the rear wheels. Granted, the auto should zap some sportiness, but that power output should more than make up for it. Especially considering the M4’s turbo inline six-cylinder only makes 430 ponies. Take that, Germans!
Porsche 911 Targa and Targa S
The 911 Targa twins are a bit of a mystery. We don’t yet know what they’ll look like. Regardless, we already know for certain they’ll be brilliant. We know we’ll upset some Porsche fans when we say that these will be the first seriously cool 911s since, well, the last Targas went out of production. As for power, we suspect the Targa and Targa S will be offered with a 3.4-liter flat-six producing 350 horsepower and 287 pound-feet of torque or a 3.8-liter six with 400 hp and 325 lb-ft.
Volvo Concept XC Coupe
Some of the Digital Trends auto writers, namely Nick Jaynes and Peter Braun, are Volvo nerds. Delightfully, Volvo’s already-revealed Concept XC Coupe should prove interesting for more than just us Volvo geeks. Here’s why: The XC Coupe marks Volvo’s entry into a new world. It’s finally thrown off the shackles of its former overlord, Ford, and designed an all-new platform and a series of drivetrains. Not only will the XC Coupe prove beautiful, it should be sporty and efficient as well. We dare say that the XC Coupe could mark the end of the German’s reign on sport luxury.
