drivetofive

Greetings from Motor City!

Weather’s been cool, but the action’s been hot.  Sixteen automakers today set out to dazzle the press with their latest models and extravagant displays.  Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit provided more sights and sounds than I could even dream of soaking in, my I did my best to learn about the direction the automotive industry is going.

Tomorrow I’ll be seeking a front-row seat for the reveal of the 2015 Acura TLX at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.  In the meantime, here are some of the adventures from my first day at the 25th Annual North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

What have we here?  This would be the successor to the Acura TL and TSX.  It was oh-so-tempting to grab a corner of that sheet and just have a little peek.  Rest assured I’ll give you all a look at what’s under the cover promptly after its unveil tomorrow.

In the background, the Acura RL Sport Hybrid SH-AWD in Pearl White looks on.

Are you as excited as I am?  Tune into Acura’s YouTube channel tomorrow.

Recapping the trip so far:  Here’s the ILX as I was preparing for departure via Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

36 degrees when I landed?  Brrrrr.

Dinner in Dearborn Heights with local friends Waseem and Hass.

Waseem’s 1990 Legend sedan has taken a licking and keeps on ticking!

Map of the facility at Cobo Center.  Lots of area to cover — too much for just one day, in fact.

I spent a good chunk of my time here.

One of the cars that caught my eye was the new 2015 Honda Fit.  It’s lighter and faster, yet more fuel efficient than the outgoing model.

Lexus had a beautiful RC350 coupe on display.

Lexus’ booth always does make me feel like I need sunglasses!  Bright & shiny.

Big news for Toyota was the FT-1 Concept.  Could this be the next Supra?  Some say so.

Infiniti showed a performance edition of the Q50 sedan called the “Eau Rouge” with over 500 horsepower.  That’s some serious get-up-and-go.  Loved the color, too.

Audi’s S3 is a handsome little sedan.

And the Chrysler 200 shares a lot of lines with its Dodge Dart sibling.

You’ll probably recognize the Honda FCEV Concept from the Los Angeles Auto Show reveal last November.

Check out the 2015 Ford F-150.  It has a ton of new features like an illuminated cargo bay.

Aside from the great cars, NAIAS has been full of great people too.  I met up with Sofyan Bey of “2theRedline” along with his crew.

My friends Christian and Davis, of Rockland Media Group, made the rounds with me as I walked around a bit.

Vince Manganiello, Acura Western Region PR, talked with me a little about the TLX.  We’re both excited for tomorrow’s presentation.

This is Mat Hargett who’s spent the last 5 years designing the TLX.  He said he didn’t sleep last night (and probably won’t sleep tonight) in anticipation of his baby’s big debut.

Acura VP Sales, Jeff Conrad, was soaking up the sights as well.  He and I caught up for a few minutes near the Mercedes-Benz booth before checking out the brand new C-Class.

Vicki Poponi works in the Service area currently but she has a long history with Acura.  She asked me how my ILX travels are going and I brought her up to speed.

Finally, I ran into Jon Ikeda, Chief Designer.  He’s got a keen eye for style.

It’s time for me to get out of the Media Center and get back to the circus!  See you all tomorrow.

This entry was posted on January 13, 2014 at 2:54 pm and is filed under Car Show, TLX. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.