Glitter and glam at Detroit auto show amid hard times

Alongside the flashing camera bulbs and sparkling champagne at previews of Detroit auto show Sunday were hints of the high stakes and hard times facing automakers in the United States.

Whispers of a recession and the subprime lending crisis are putting a damper on demand in the world's largest automotive market just as the Big Three US automakers are beginning to emerge from painful restructuring programs.

Toyota Motor's meteoric rise here has been hampered by persistent quality concerns just as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are gaining accolades for fixing the quality problems that dogged them for decades.

High gasoline prices and tighter fuel economy regulations are accelerating the shift away from the highly profitable larger trucks and sports utility vehicles.

And five Chinese automakers -- BYD Auto, Changfeng Motor, Chamco, Hebei Zhongxing, Geely International, and Li Shi Guang Ming Auto Design -- will be taking a stand at the show this year in a sign of the competition to come.

So it's no wonder the automakers pulled out all the stops in trying to grab the attention of 6,700 journalists as they introduce more than 50 new models on Sunday and Monday.

GM hosted a flashy fashion show on Saturday night where their new cars rode the runways as models pranced beside them and musician Kid Rock warmed up the invitation-only crowd with a performance under a spinning Chevy Corvette ZR1 muscle car.

Daimler hosted a more elegant affair at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit where chief Dieter Zetsche made no mention of the divorce with Chrysler as he discussed the company's achievements in 2007.

But it was Mazda who took the cake Monday morning when it was crowned truck of the year by an international group of automotive journalists in a surprise upset with its CX-9 sports utility vehicle.

GM won the prestigious car of the year for the second year in a row with its Chevy Malibu.

Amid the hype and the hoopla, some themes emerged.

"We're going to see the last gasps of the great performance vehicles which the new (corporate average fuel economy) legislation will put an end to -- vehicles like the Corvette ZR1. which is a spectacular vehicle with more than 620 horsepower," said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst with Global Insight.

"We'll be seeing the obligatory green mobiles all over the place," he said in a recent interview.

"It's high fashion now. You're going to see a lot of concept vehicles that have these way-out high-tech power trains that deliver either exceptional fuel mileages, or are exceptionally clean, or both."

Chrysler, which has not yet put a hybrid into its showrooms, will be exhibiting three environmentally-friendly 'concept' cars and both GM and Toyota will be introducing hybrids which can drive long distances at high speeds on electricity alone.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor will be introducing its first luxury car, Honda will be presenting a new and improved version of its popular Pilot sports utility vehicle, and Ford will be introducing an all-new model of its top-selling F-150 series pickup truck.

Meanwhile, the Europeans will continue to vie for attention with plush interiors and smooth styling of their luxury vehicles and the zip of their tiny hits, the Mini and Smart.

Some of the concept cars are still just dreams, like Chrysler's Dodge Zeo sports car whose electric motor can see the vehicle go zero to sixty in less than six seconds.

Others could soon be seen in showrooms with some modifications, like Nissan's minivan with an all-glass roof and seats that swivel 180 degrees.

When the doors are finally opened to the public, some 700,000 people will pay for a glimpse of 750 upcoming models and the concept cars of the future.

The 2008 North American International Auto Show will be open to the public from January 19 through January 27.

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