Detroit Auto Show 2011: Concepts, Hybrids, And Fuel Cells (PHOTOS)

The Detroit Auto Show seems to be dominated by high-end and affordable energy efficient vehicles this year, including hybrids and even fuel-cell vehicles.

With US manufacturers like Ford looking to hire in 2011 and 2012, as well as foreign automakers like Volkswagen, a number of new vehicles have come onto the scene that will likely go into production.

While concepts like the Porsche 918 may not be everyday vehicles, a number of manufacturers are presenting likely more affordable new cars at the Detroit Auto Show, namely hybrids, electric cars, and electric vehicles. Mercedes Benz is even showing a fuel-cell vehicle, which runs on hydrogen.

Check out the photos below for a look at what's coming out of the North American International Automobile Show in Detroit this year.

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Porsche 918 RSR Concept

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Porsche unveiled the 918 RSR at the Detroit Auto Show today, a 767 horsepower hybrid race car. Porsche's concept hybrid gets an extra boost from braking, which triggers the motors to act as generators when the front wheels brake, according to PC Magazine.

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Porsche unveiled the 918 RSR at the Detroit Auto Show today, a 767 horsepower hybrid race car. Porsche's concept hybrid gets an extra boost from braking, which triggers the motors to act as generators when the front wheels brake, according to PC Magazine.

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Comments

[dhk12300]

02:23 PM on 01/20/2011

And let's hear it for the Detroit Municipal Parking Department and 36th district court, who are having a field day ticketing everyone whose front bumper is not parked BEHIND a meter with a $30 "Improper Parking" ticket.

I just saw tickets issued to EVERY car a quarter mile down Fort St. and EVERY car parked between the river and Fort on Third St.

This will surely bring people back into the city for the auto show next year, don't you think ?

Not to mention the poor students attending WCCCD caught in the cross fire who now have to decide whether to pay the ticket or eat next week.

[Tperl]

02:30 PM on 01/11/2011

Forb make such better cars for Europe than they do for the US market it is unfair.

I am glad to see that the Benz A & B models might come here. It would be nice to have a lower end Benz in the driveway.

[Shaun Hensley]

12:47 PM on 01/11/2011

SLS is want.

[USCOASTGUARDVET]

07:41 AM on 01/11/2011

I'm looking for the flying car, like the Jetsons!

[Waterphoneman]

07:40 AM on 01/11/2011

Autos to drool over but the bucks are too long.

[Lancelot Mallia]

07:24 AM on 01/11/2011

I am just not into the car unless it comes with machine guns, rockets, 1 arch-villian and a beautiful femme-fatale in the passenger seat...oh and a wet bar.

[USCOASTGUARDVET]

07:39 AM on 01/11/2011

Don't forget passenger ejection seat!

[Lancelot Mallia]

09:15 AM on 01/11/2011

Damn! I knew I forgot something!

[earto44]

06:44 AM on 01/11/2011

Ok. Could it be out next year? The 1969 style Camaro Convertible plug in hybrid?
Or the even cooler way boss 1966 Chevy Corvair Convertible plug in hybrid?

I can wait. Or build my own.

[kooosh]

05:38 AM on 01/11/2011

The SLS in yellow looks amazing.

[MichaelMcKLA]

05:01 AM on 01/11/2011

Fuel cell cars are finally coming to the market -- cool. I remember some decades ago GM was saying fuel cells were 20 years away. Then 20 years later, saying (again) they are 20 years away.

[Steven Travis]

06:05 AM on 01/11/2011

I would wait until you can actually buy one before proclaiming they are here...just sayin'

[Hunter3203]

08:30 AM on 01/11/2011

The same thing happened with electric cars. I remember all of the cars that were supposed to come out after the oil crisis in the early 70s. They used car batteries are were still supposed to somehow have a range of hundreds of miles. Of course we know that was just hype.

Sometimes we just have to wait for the technology to catch up with the hype wether its EVs, hydrogen or fuel cell.

[PalmReader]

05:00 AM on 01/11/2011

Jeez, that SLS stands out of the crowd, (not) just because of the colour. Brilliant idea!

But my dreamcar would be that Porsche 918 RSR. You got to see this photo:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/detroit-motor-show-2011-porsche-918-rsr-2011-01-10?imageNo=9

That's a Flux Compensator, that is! No, really, it is. Not for temporal flux, but for energy fluctuations. This unit contains strong electro magnets and a disk spinning with 36000 RPM to store breaking-energy and reuse it to accelerate. Regenerative breaking is not new, but doing it without slow and heavy batteries is inovative. I wonder what the FIA will think about this and how a driver might feel going through Eau Rouge with that thing next to him...

Read all about it here:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/detroit-2011-porsche-918-rsr-2011-01-10

[Mr Crabs]

04:02 AM on 01/11/2011

Mercedes and BMW got boring. I'm surprised because I'm liking the Buick and Caddy's looks better.

[dcdesignr]

07:21 AM on 01/11/2011

Agree. I noticed a new Buick a few days ago. At first, I didn't know what it was - only that it looked very cool and upscale; couldn't believe it was a Buick. The Ford and Hyundai small SUVs look cool too.

[Tperl]

02:26 PM on 01/11/2011

The American Cars may be better looking but check back in 3 years and see what they are worth. Not as much % wise as a Benz or BMW.

[ChristianCooper]

03:29 AM on 01/11/2011

Thank youVW for creating jobs, but your cars still suck.

[Fretchen]

06:27 AM on 01/11/2011

Not all of VW's line is boring. VW also owns Bughatti whose Veron Supersport is a nice production vehicle if you have a spare $2.5 million or so (depending on the exchange rate at time of purchase) - all-wheel drive, 1,200 horsepower, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, 0-100 in 4.3 seconds, top-end electronically limited to 263 mph (actually timed at 268+ on the test facility's track) to prevent tire blow-out before the fuel is exhausted. Thus far, 32 have been built.

If you don't have the spare $2,5 million, there is the Veron 16.4 with all-wheel drive, 1,000 HP and a top end of 253 mph. The 0-60 is the same, but it is marginally slower from 0-100. It's about $1.5 million each, again depending on the exchange rate at time of purchase.

[Boxxy Girl]

06:57 AM on 01/11/2011

The Veron is a rip-off! Grab yourself an American made SSC Aero car for $654,000 and pocket the rest.

[ChristianCooper]

11:42 AM on 01/11/2011

The Veyron is far from being a car that you could consider part of VW's accessable line up.

But, I will correct in saying that Almost All of VW's line up is boring.

[RhiannonRings]

10:51 AM on 01/11/2011

I'd take an old aircooled vw over a new one any day! Hence my avatar.

[mioffe]

02:44 AM on 01/11/2011

Our transportation system are relic from previous century.
Our cars industry, our train industry are following yesterday solution from countries with bigger density of population and smaller road system.

[Syrob]

02:24 AM on 01/11/2011

"Porsche's concept hybrid gets an extra boost from braking, which triggers the motors to act as generators when the front wheels brake" - Amazing! What a technology!
Hey wait a minute - isn't that what all hybrids do?

[mioffe]

02:36 AM on 01/11/2011

When generator charge the battery we lose energy, when battery is working as source of energy, we also lose energy.
When one person driving in heavy car, section of car responsible for aerodynamics at least 5 times bigger, than need to move one person on small cart.
Hybrid is the same heavy as usual car.

[Hunter3203]

08:34 AM on 01/11/2011

That's true but the Porsche doesn't use a battery to store energy it uses a flywheel. That innovation could prove to be more efficient than the heavy and expensive batteries used in other hybrids.

[mioffe]

02:18 AM on 01/11/2011

Transportation system:

Perhaps mass (m) of car is 2,000 kg, mass of driver 100 kg and speed (V) of car 65 miles per hour or 110.5 km/hour or 30.7 m/sec

Kinetic energy of this car will be as follows:

K=1/2mv²=1/2 x 2100 x 30.7 x 30.7=1/2 x2100 x 942

As you can see in this case, the mass of car and its driver change the amount of kinetic energy twice more than the speed.
It is less important, if we drive on strait road without stop on long distance.
Butt usually it is traffic, or driving in city with stop on every light.
We are losing energy in vain.
If we will analyze situation with public transportation—cars, busses, trains, high speeds transportation situation will be even worst than for car. These types of transportation are heavier than car and Have many people aboard, which will wait few people going in and out.
It will be better to move one person on small cart with weight 20 Lb.
To escape engine, transmission, tires road must move this cart,
To escape fuel tank, fuel, exhaust system, electricity must be as source of energy.
To escape losing of energy on every stop roads for this cart must be without intersection.
We can’t move usual car on third floor or roof. It is possible for this 20 Lb. cart.

[Notawingnut]

02:33 AM on 01/11/2011

But my stereo weighs more than 20 lbs.

[mioffe]

02:40 AM on 01/11/2011

You (perhaps 200 lbs.)+ your stereo-50 lbs, + cart -20 lb = 270 it is still less than 4200