Most of the 6000-plus journalists who flock to Detroit in January aim their cameras at the concept and production-car debuts and point their digital voice recorders at the company bosses and design chiefs.

Fair enough, those are the stories most of you are clamoring for during press days. But step behind the curtains and venture up into Cobo’s second-floor meeting rooms.

Here the quiet, pocket-protected engineers shaping the future of the automobile always have lots of cool stuff to show off as well, and now that the fuss has died down over the Dodge Ram’s long-horn(y) cattle and Caddy’s super-cool CTS coupe, we bring you the technical highlights of the North American International Auto Show. Read more »

According to a report from the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Suzuki is planning to unveil a third iteration of its Kizashi mid-size sedan concept in New York and this March.

The same report suggests that the Kizashi 3 will will be powered by a V8 engine driving all four wheels, compared to its turbodiesel and V6 Kizashi 1Kizashi 2 predecessors that where unveiled at the Frankfurt and Tokyo Auto Show respectively, in late 2007.

Guess we’ll have to wait until March to see if those Dutch folks are right or not. Read more »

It’s the sort of car that any self-respecting secret agent would be proud to be seen in.

This high-speed amphibious sports car can swim, hover above water and it’s no slouch when it comes to flat-out speed either.

At the push of a button a hydraulic mechanism transforms the sports car into a propeller-powered boat.

At the flick of a button the car becomes a speeding hydrofoil. Read more »

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, your conundrum has arrived: cars and wine have met in support of the disadvantaged children of south Florida.

Every year for the past eight, the auction at the Naples Winter Wine Festival has drawn the most discerning connoisseurs in the Sunshine State to bid on rare bottles of epic vintage to raise funds for the Naples Children and Education Foundation.

Our sister-site Luxist reports that the auction raised $14 million this year. Read more »

We were captivated by the Karma plug-in hybrid when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month.

Its curvaceous, aggressive design combined with its ability to go 50 miles without using any gas seems like a bargain at the projected starting price of $80,000.

Fisker is hoping to deliver its first Karma to customers in the fourth quarter of 2009, but to do that they will first need to find a place to build the cars (and get the drivetrain sorted and figure out that batteries and…). Read more »

Hyundai is quickly proving with its Genesis luxury sedan that a lower-end Asian automaker can play in the V8-powered big leagues, and if the reports are to be believed, Suzuki wants in.

The Japanese carmaker’s Kizashi concepts, unveiled in Frankfurt and Tokyo last year, proved popular enough for Suzuki to move ahead with production plans and target a late 2009 roll-out.

But before it settles on what form the production version will take, Suzuki is reportedly preparing a third iteration to show at the New York Auto Show in March, and this one will be powered by a V8 driving all four wheels, compared to its turbodiesel and V6 predecessors. Read more »

When I first read the Audi model rollout schedule for the next five years I’ve seen there is a 4-door coupe in line for sale from June 2009 and I’m talking about Audi A7.

They are already doing undercover testing for it for a series of V6 engines from 3.2-liters that develops 268 bhp to a 5-liter bi-turbo V10 engine that gives 570 bhp.

All Audi A7 will come with front-wheel drive or Quattro and the biggest surprise could be the V12 TDI engine with 493 bhp that they are testing on the R8. Read more »