The Great Detroit Motor Show Preview

Acura really needs a hit sedan. The RLX is solid and has an above-average level of enjoyment, but that's not the same thing as an exciting ride. What Acura really needs is a rear-wheel-drive sedan. The TLX certainly won't be that, but hopefully it will be a bit more inspiring than the TL that it's replacing.

The pseudo-reasonably priced luxury CUV segment is heating up with cars like Mercedes-Benz GLA Class and the BMW X1, and this obviously means that Audi will follow suit. That car that Audi will be following suit with is the Q1, and it will be previewed by a concept that has been previewed by this sketch.

We've seen a good deal of the new M3 and M4 already, but seeing them in the flesh and getting every last little detail from the BMW staff is still high on the auto industry's to do list. These are some of the most hotly anticipated cars in the world, and some are even saying that these two cars are the deciding factor in debate of whether or not BMW has lost its way.

The Cadillac ATS has already proved itself to be a damn good BMW 3-Series alternative, but it can't finish the job until there's a sexier and less practical coupe version available. You'll get your first look at that car next week, and hopefully there will be a V variant following it sometime soon, as well.

Given that we think the C7 Corvette is hands-down the best one ever, we can't wait to see what the race-spec Corvette C7.R car do, and who it can beat. There's a new Viper in town as well, so we're of course happy to see that rivalry play out on the world's race tracks again.

The new Corvette is brilliant, so adding more power and even better handling should turn it into a true giant-killer. All we know so far is that it will be powered by a 620 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque supercharged V8, and that its wheel looks like this. We're already drooling.

The current Chrysler 200 is best known for being way better than the Sebring, which it replaced. Given that "Chrysler Sebring" was mostly used as a punchline in the last couple of years, this isn't saying much. A new 200 is due to debut at the NAIAS, and given Chrysler's recent track record, we're hopeful that this could be a genuinely good car.

It's not the Dart SRT4 that we're really waiting for, but it does look nice. Blacked-out everything really does make the Dart look nice and sinister, and at $295, the package doesn't even cost too much.

We might be more interested in the new Mustang, but for Ford, the F-150 is easily the most important product it has. It's the most profitable vehicle in the world, and single-handedly kept Ford afloat through some rough years. Everybody at Ford knows that this has to be perfect. Goodbye steel, hello aluminum!

It's already been unveiled, but there's still a lot of technical information we've been left wondering about. We expect to get full details on every square inch of this thing next week.

A few short years ago, Lexus was basically just Toyota for people with good salaries and grey hair. Now, the company has suddenly become sexy. It's almost as if BMW's tarnished image among enthusiasts is blood in the water, and the RC F Coupe is Toyota's great white shark.

The new C-Class is, in light of pressure from the CLA, more upscale, more refined, and filled with more cutting edge technology. Expect it to be considerably more expensive than the outgoing model, and expect it to be infinitely more appealing.

The CLA45 AMG is a blast to drive, but we're really just waiting for someone to take the GLA45 and turn it into something made for tackling the Baja 1000 or Dakar. We still can't believe that Mercedes managed to get 355 hp out of a 2.0L and get it stable enough to sell.

The new Mini looks a bit too big and bloated for our tastes, but we certainly wouldn't complain about getting some time in a hotted-up JCW version. The first look at the next-gen of fast Minis is coming soon.

We know that Nissan is bringing this Sport Sedan Concept to the show, but we're left wondering whether it will actually be a sport sedan, or if it's just the next gen Maxima pretending that FWD is sporty. Or maybe a Maxima NISMO? (Hey, they did it with the Sentra) We suspect the latter but hope for the former.

We were a little disappointed in the new bigger, heavier, slower WRX that can't be had as a hatchback, but it still looks like a fun car at a reasonable price. The STI fixes some of the aesthetic problems with blue paint, gold wheels, and a big spoiler and should hopefully fix the "slower" problem in a big way.

Tesla might be bringing a production version of the Model X electric SUV, but we wouldn't recommend holding your breath.

Oh, hell yes! Old school Baja Bugs are awesome, and if this car can capture even five percent of that spirit we're going to love this thing.

VW is going to introduce a 1.4L turbo I4 with cylinder deactivation in a concept Passat that should be good for 42 mpg. With 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque it should even be bearable to drive this eco car.

Rumor has it that Volkswagen is bringing some sort of electric car to the show. We don't know what it is, but keep an eye out.