Mr. Merks Goes to Motown

Gregg D. Merksamer is no shrinking violet. Heads turn when he enters a space; conversation stops as shock and awe spread through the room. It's no surprise, then, that Gregg D's recent visit to the North American International Auto Show landed him in the pages of the Detroit News. Gregg D., whose regular beat runs to morbid motorcars, is a persistent and perceptive reporter, so we are grateful for his impressions and images of the Detroit show, a bellwether of automobiles to come.

Gregg D. is bullish on the U.S. auto industry. Finding Motown "still the nexus of all things automotive," he pronounced the show "chock full of splendid, American-branded debutantes that might actually attract some showroom traffic." Among them were a Camaro convertible, reprising last year's appearance of a revival F-car coupe, and the 2008 Cadillac CTS. The General drew honors, too, for the North American Car of the Year, the Saturn Aura, and Truck of the Year, the Chevrolet Silverado.

DaimlerChrysler intensified the minivan wars with "Swivel 'n Go" seats for the new Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, oddly counterpoising them with the van that started it all, the late Plymouth Voyager. Collapsible hard tops are all the rage, so Chrysler trotted out one for the Sebring, and showed a Nassau concept wagon dubbed a "shooting brake," replete with a "bird in space" interior.

Wound-licking Ford brought out a concept vehicle called "Airstream," for its aluminum exterior. With camp features like a 360-degree lava lamp, it uses a hydrogen fuel cell to charge a lithium-ion battery. More conventional is the Interceptor, a Mustang-based sedan with shaker hood scoop and a 400-hp V8 that runs on E-85. There were no new Mercs for Merks, but Lincoln showed the MK-R concept, a retro-themed sedan that Gregg says "pays homage to the 1941 Continental." Maybe so, but I find its face frightening.

It wouldn't be an auto show without some kind of new Jeep, and design veep Trevor Creed was only too glad to oblige, lauding the Trailhawk, a T-top terratraveler with retractable quarter windows.

Overseas entries included a concept Jaguar C-XF, intended as a preview of the next X-Type, and a four-door droptop "Ocean Drive" from Mercedes-Benz. Despite the name, it does not appear to be amphibious. Honda marked the silver anniversary of U.S. manufacture with a concept version of an Accord coupe, aimed at younger buyers. Rolls-Royce had a new Phantom drophead on show, its suicide doors restrained with speed-sensitive locks.

The Chinese are coming: it's not a matter of whether but simply when. Chang Feng Motors showed three utility vehicles, a Liebao CS6 SUV, Liebao CS7 crossover, and a UU-CT_3 mini pickup. With Geely in abeyance and Bricklin divorcing Chery, perhaps Chang Feng, based at Hunan, will lead the Chinese charge.

A display of motoring heritage marked the centenary of Detroit's first dealer-sponsored show. A 1912 Standard electric roadster, a 1930 Lincoln Willoughby Town Sedan, a 1927 LaSalle and 1936 Cadillac V-12 were visiting from the Harold E. LeMay collection in Washington State. Corporate retro was represented by the Holden Efijy coupe, an amalgam of Holden's 1950s Australian FJ series with American 1930s themes reminiscent of the 2000 Buick Blackhawk.

EDAG, a German company, showed some concept hardtops, a hatchback on the Pontiac Solstice and a fastback for the Saturn Sky. Truly weird was Chang Feng's Rhombus, a four-wheel car in a diamond pattern, designed by students at Hunan University. Did they know about the 1947 Gordon Diamond, I wonder?

And finally the United States will Get Smart. In 2008, we are told, Roger Penske's United Auto Group will bring the new longer ForTwo to US dealerships. At NAIAS, a continuous parking gymkhana between two stretch limos demonstrated the agility of the little urban coupes.

Detroit may be back in the game, as Gregg D. says, but I think that Chang Feng - with Geely and Chery and probably SAIC, will soon be heavy competition.