I really liked the Lincoln C concept that we saw at the Detroit motor show.
Just to recap it was designed to show that Ford’s ‘luxury’ and US-only brand could be scaled down – and just to prove it the show car was built on a Focus platform.
But before you think that this has nothing whatsoever to do with us here in the UK, take a look at the engine. It’s a 1.6-litre turbocharged 180bhp engine, using Ford’s Ecoboost technology and the first time that Ford has shown us a four-cylinder version.
Yet despite this motor being previewed in an auspiciously American car, it’s actually built in Bridgend, South Wales and so is going to have plenty of significance for us too. Expect it to replace the 2.0-litre petrol engine in the Mondeo any time soon and it could produce the sort of figures that stops the 2.0-litre diesel being the engine of choice.
Whether the Americans will ever take to it is another matter.
Still, there was much for them to enjoy at Detroit 2009. See for yourself all the cars that made it a bumper show:
Jaguar XFR
Jaguar turns the XF into a super-saloon with an all-new 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine.
New Mercedes E-class
Mercedes has promised class-leading comfort and safety from the conservatively styled E-class, but class-leading reliability would be the real step forward.
New Ford Taurus
America’s Mondeo and Ford’s “premium flagship”. The Taurus was credited with turning around Ford’s fortunes in the mid 1980s; almost as much is required from the seventh generation.
VW Concept BlueSport
Arguably the star of the show. Volkswagen unveiled the perfect car for the current economic climate in the shape of a diesel roadster.
Cadillac Converj concept
GM delivered this concept to prove that Chevy Volt’s technological blueprint could be rescaled.
Audi Sportback concept
The Sportback concept previews the Audi A7, a Mercedes CLS rival.
Lexus HS250h
The HS250h is Lexus’s first stand-alone hybrid model
Chrysler 200C EV concept
Chrysler’s electric vehicle concept also previews the next 300C
Subaru Legacy concept
As the name implies, this concept previews the next Subaru Legacy.
Toyota FT-EV
A zero-emissions electric iQ and part of Toyota’s plan to make a million hybrids and electric vehicles a year by 2010.
Chevrolet Spark
This concept previews the new Spark city car, due on sale early next year.
Lincoln C Concept
A Ford Focus-sized Lincoln, with a welsh-built four-cylinder turbo motor.
Fisker Karma
Fisker unveiled the production version of its hybrid saloon and added a convertible version of the four-door as the concept Karma S.
BYD F3DM
BYD revealed a production version of the F3DM electric saloon, and claimed that the car is already for sale in China. America will have to wait until 2011.
Mercedes BlueZERO
Mercedes announced that it is to create a three-tier range of electric cars that will use the sandwich-floor platform which underpins the current A-class and B-class.
