Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7: The American icon has been given a bold new look, hopefully with the dynamic abilities to match. But will the heavily sculpted new Stingray tempt American - and European - sports car fanatics out of their Porsches?
(Image credit: Chevrolet)

Car sales are finally edging up in the UK, although many of Europe's big manufacturers are still searching for the killer product that'll elevate them above their rivals. Premium cars are still doing best of all, with the big German brands now outselling their mid-market equivalents in some territories. The American car market is a different beast altogether, slower, more conservative and rather eccentric in its predilection for big trucks and nostalgic muscle cars. On the other hand, hybrids have been taken by the US in bigger numbers than almost anywhere else, while the ultra-compact city car beloved in central Europe is still seen as a wayward aberration to be confined to the coasts.

This year's Detroit Motor Show, the traditional bellwether of the US Industry's state of mind, was rather more upbeat than in recent years. The headline car was an all-new Corvette, the C7 Stingray, a sharp-edged statement that - Chevrolet hopes - signals a switch to American supercar supremacy. Elsewhere, the focus wasn't so much on eco-flavoured minimalism, but a rather pumped up self-confidence; expensive cars are starting to look rather similar as the fashion for swirling, muscular body styles and jutting, angular grilles sweeps across the market.

See the image gallery above for our round-up of the most significant machines at the show.

car

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7: The American icon has been given a bold new look, hopefully with the dynamic abilities to match. But will the heavily sculpted new Stingray tempt American - and European - sports car fanatics out of their Porsches?

(Image credit: Chevrolet)

Ford Atlas Concept

Ford Atlas Concept: This leviathan pick-up truck is a conceptual preview of the next generation Ford F-150 - the country's best-selling truck for over a quarter of a century. For all the talk of downsizing, the country still has a massive market for tough, no-nonsense Tonka-style supertrucks

(Image credit: Ford)

Cadillac ELR

Cadillac ELR: GM's Cadillac brand spent big money on building the Volt, the range-extended saloon that's been highly acclaimed. The ELR takes the Volt's clever tech upmarket, swathing the chassis in Cadillac's signature creases

(Image credit: Cadillac)

VL Automotive Destino

VL Automotive Destino: A clever provocation - the Destino takes the elegant lines of the Fisker Karma, strips out of the efficient four-cylinder engine and battery pack and replaces them with an all-American V8. The brainchild of industry veteran Bob Lutz, the Destino is almost an automotive two-fingers to the idea of an eco car

(Image credit: VL Automotive)

Infiniti Q50

Infiniti Q50: In the future, all Infinitis will be 'Q' cars, as the luxury arm of Nissan attempts to simplify its line-up. The Q50 is first to go, a sleek, elegant saloon (with a hybrid option) stuffed full of tech

(Image credit: Infiniti)

Nissan Resonance Concept

Nissan Resonance Concept: Voted the official 'best concept' of the show, the Resonance shows how hard car companies are trying to transform their larger products into svelte shadows of their former selves. The Resonance isn't for production, but it should inform the next generation Murano, replacing the current awkward-looking machine

(Image credit: Nissan)

Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept

Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept: Here's a prime reason why Korean car culture is racing ahead right now. The Genesis Concept was one of the show's highlights, an evocative piece of car design that looks suitably futuristic without resorting to retro design

(Image credit: Hyundai)

Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept

Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept: Here's a prime reason why Korean car culture is racing ahead right now. The Genesis Concept was one of the show's highlights, an evocative piece of car design that looks suitably futuristic without resorting to retro design

(Image credit: Hyundai)

Lincoln MK C Concept

Lincoln MK C Concept: Proof that European designers are still calling the shots, the MK C is a downsized design study aimed squarely at the runaway success of the Range Rover Evoque. Lincoln is best known for its supersized saloons and SUVs. The MK C shows that small(er) might be the way forward

(Image credit: Lincoln)

Smart forstars Sports Utility Coupe

Smart forstars Sports Utility Coupe: After the feathered fiasco of the Jeremy Scott Smart show in LA, the German micro-car brand continues to prep the world for an all-new product. Squat, cartoonish but still friendly and fresh, the forstars is a taste of much anticipated new product

(Image credit: Smart)

BMW 4-Series Coupé Concept

BMW 4-Series Coupé Concept: BMW is also playing the name-changing game, introducing a new categorisation - the 4-Series - for the coupe variants of the acclaimed 3-Series. Shown in near production-ready concept form, this elegant 2-door will arrive in showrooms later this year

(Image credit: BMW)

BMW 4-Series Coupé Concept

BMW 4-Series Coupé Concept: BMW is also playing the name-changing game, introducing a new categorisation - the 4-Series - for the coupe variants of the acclaimed 3-Series. Shown in near production-ready concept form, this elegant 2-door will arrive in showrooms later this year

(Image credit: BMW)

BMW M6 Gran Coupé

BMW M6 Gran Coupé: Perhaps the best-looking BMW in current product, the 6-Series Gran Coupé is now topped by a new flagship, the M6, an ultra-high performance variant of this smooth big four-door

(Image credit: BMW)

BMW i3 Concept Coupé


(Image credit: BMW)

BMW i3 Concept Coupé: Playing fast and loose with the word 'coupé' doesn't seem to do BMW much harm, but the third coupé model on show in Detroit couldn't be more removed from its namesakes. 2013 is the year that BMWi finally arrives, and the Concept Coupé version of the i3 city car offers the best look yet at the final product's true form

Mini Paceman JCW

Mini Paceman JCW: Subtlety isn't a factor in Mini's JCW (John Cooper Works) models, which feature lairy bodykits and highly tuned engines. The Paceman is Mini's 'crossover' 2-door, and the JCW version offers a niche within a niche for the brand's many fans

(Image credit: Mini)

Maserati's Quattroporte


(Image credit: Maserati)

Maserati's Quattroporte: The Quattroporte has always been an outlier, a quirky choice for the aesthete who hankers after a sporting image and isn't afraid to put up with a little bit of Italian idiosyncracy. With the arrival of the last generation model, the V, back in 2004, most of those kinks were ironed out without losing the fluid lines (penned by Pininfarina) and the sonorous engine sound. The newest Quattroporte is the VI, whose styling is rather more sober, and not in a good way. Larger and plusher than ever, the Quattroporte is moving upmarket to make way for a new, smaller Maserati saloon, the Ghibli, later in the year

Maserati's Quattroporte

(Image credit: Maserati)

Maserati's Quattroporte: The Quattroporte has always been an outlier, a quirky choice for the aesthete who hankers after a sporting image and isn't afraid to put up with a little bit of Italian idiosyncracy. With the arrival of the last generation model, the V, back in 2004, most of those kinks were ironed out without losing the fluid lines (penned by Pininfarina) and the sonorous engine sound. The newest Quattroporte is the VI, whose styling is rather more sober, and not in a good way. Larger and plusher than ever, the Quattroporte is moving upmarket to make way for a new, smaller Maserati saloon, the Ghibli, later in the year

Mercedes E-Class facelift


(Image credit: Mercedes)

Mercedes E-Class facelift: Most cars get a discrete mid-life nip and tuck or two before their replacement model comes along, out-patient surgery that's often hard to spot. Mercedes has always done things rather differently, preferring to exercise serious mid-life face-lifts on its model line. The new E-Class is no different, having been comprehensively overhauled with a new face and bodywork, upgraded interior, electronics and engines

Mercedes E-Class facelift

(Image credit: Mercedes)

Mercedes E-Class facelift: Most cars get a discrete mid-life nip and tuck or two before their replacement model comes along, out-patient surgery that's often hard to spot. Mercedes has always done things rather differently, preferring to exercise serious mid-life face-lifts on its model line. The new E-Class is no different, having been comprehensively overhauled with a new face and bodywork, upgraded interior, electronics and engines

Acura NSX Concept


(Image credit: Acura)

Acura NSX Concept: Acura (Honda to the rest of the world) has been touting the idea of a new NSX for years now. The original was a true classic, last made in 2005. This new concept, badged as an Acura, is updated from its first outing in early 2012, with a complete - and rather seductive-looking - interior and the promise of a sophisticated hybrid system to give it a sporting edge

VW Beetle Cabriolet


(Image credit: VW)

VW Beetle Cabriolet: Volkswagen has all but admitted that the revival of the Beetle, now in its second iteration, is little more than a bit of fashion-driven fun. Smart buyers should choose a Golf, but if you want a car with a sense of history and humour, the Beetle is more than a match for the Mini

Audi RS7

Audi RS7: Audi's RS7 is the high performance version of the big, svelte A7 four-door coupe, one of the best production car designs of recent years. Four wheel drive, 500 horsepower and five seats make this autobahn stormer a respectable substitute for a supercar

(Image credit: Audi)

Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible


(Image credit: Bentley)

Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible: Like Aston Martin, Bentley is adept at cutting and dicing a straightforward-looking product range into any number of subtle variations. The Speed Convertible proclaims itself the world's fastest four-seater drop top - 205mph, no less - and the fixtures and finishes are as always a cut above the rest

Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible:

(Image credit: Bentley)

Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible: Like Aston Martin, Bentley is adept at cutting and dicing a straightforward-looking product range into any number of subtle variations. The Speed Convertible proclaims itself the world's fastest four-seater drop top - 205mph, no less - and the fixtures and finishes are as always a cut above the rest

Lexus IS F Sport


(Image credit: Lexus)

Lexus IS F Sport: Lexus has mastered the art of making discrete but hi-tech saloons and SUVs - and has even turned its hand to a quirky supercar, the LF-A. The new IS F looks set to up its standing amongst aficionados of sporting saloons, furthering the brand's aggressive new design language

Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.