2012 Detroit Motor Show Sees Best Attendance Numbers Since 2005

It may not have hosted as many world premieres as the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, but there were plenty of important debuts at this year's edition of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which closed its doors on Sunday, January 22, to draw in the crowds. According to the show's organizers, Sunday's attendance of 101,141 topped last year's final day numbers of 98,106, and brought total attendance of the 2012 NAIAS to 770,932 over a period of nine days (for the general public), which is a little over 35,000 more than last year and the highest since 2005.
"People want to feel good again about the industry, which is now obviously in a better place than it was a few years ago," said Bill Perkins, chairman of NAIAS. "As a result, this year's show was a 'must-see' event, as the attendance numbers indicate. Everything that could go right... did," he added.

NAIAS Highlights:

• 5,196 media from 61 countries attended Press Preview Days
• 22,788 auto suppliers, designers, engineers, etc., attended Industry Preview Days representing 28 countries, and more than 2,000 companies
• 12,000 people attended Charity Preview raising $3 million for children's charities
• And 770,932 car enthusiasts attended public show (compared to 735,370 in 2011)

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All-Electric Lincoln Continental for 2025

At the 2012 Detroit Auto Show that comes to an end on Sunday, January 22, Lincoln put on display the MKZ Concept to preview both the looks of its soon to be launched mid-size sedan as well the brand's new styling direction. But FoMoCo isn't the only one to present a design concept for a future Lincoln as the Lawrence Tech University had its own proposal in the form of a quarter-scale model for a pure-electric Continental for 2025.
The study for a luxury sedan model is the work of Lawrence Tech students Colin Bonathan and Jeeho Cha and it was endorsed by the Ford Motor Company.
It all started in the summer of 2011 when Bonathan and Cha came up with plans for a Lincoln concept as part of their undergraduate degree program in transportation design. The university said that Ford officials liked the concept so much that they commissioned the quarter-scale model for display at the Detroit event.
Bonathan, who was responsible for the exterior design, says that he began by choosing the desired wheelbase length and then placed the occupants, the electrical system and other components in the Continental study before finalizing the design.
His partner Cha created the interior of the Lincoln concept model. It was his first take on designing the cabin of an automobile. "I like doing interiors more now. It’s not just one form, but several forms that have to be designed in a cohesive way. There are more problems to solve,” said Cha.
Hop over the break to check out the design renderings from the various phases of the project.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Which Chevrolet Concept Coupe Would You Like to be Built?

The 2012 Detroit Motor Show is more or less consigned to the dustbin of history, but that doesn't mean we'll stop talking about the vehicles that made their world premiere at the Cobo Center and especially the concept models.
Truth to be said, high-end sports cars such as the Acura NSX and Lexus LF-LC studies are the ones we'd really like to drive in the not so distant future, but for most of us, it's models like the two Chevrolet coupe concepts that correspond to mainstream reality.
While very different in philosophy, Chevrolet's Code 130R and Tru 140S Concepts share several attributes: both models were designed as four-seater coupes for the young at age (or young at heart); both are based on existing platform architectures and use production hardware, and finally, if they were to be built, their price would be in the low $20,000s.
General Motors says that it designed the two concepts to open a discussion with potential buyers and gauge interest on the possible development of a production model in the future.
Which brings to today's poll: If GM were to give the green light, which one would you want to see in Chevrolet's showrooms?
Your first option is the more classic Code 130R, which as we pointed out the first time we saw it, reminds us in many ways of the BMW 1-Series Coupe. It rides on rear-wheel drive architecture – most likely a shortened version of the Cadillac ATS platform.
Your second option is the Tru 140S, which brings to mind the Mitsubishi Eclipse for more reasons than one. It is built on the front-wheel drive chassis of the Cruze.
Both concepts are designed to be able to be equipped with a 1.4-liter Ecotec turbo engine with eAssist micro-hybrid technology that returns 150HP and up to 40mpg (5.9 lt/100km). We reckon that if any of the two were to be built, GM's new 2.0-liter Ecotec Turbo with 270-horses or more would surely be offered down the line.

CHEVROLET CODE 130R CONCEPT

CHEVROLET TRU 140S CONCEPT

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