Detroit Motor Show 2013 highlights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: 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

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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'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

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: 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: 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