Autoblog UK

We may have another six months to wait before the identity of the 2010 Car of the Year is revealed at the Detroit Auto Show, but a shortlist is already beginning to emerge. Fifty journalists from all over the world have picked out 37 likely candidates. Twelve of these are from Japan, with America and Europe contributing eleven each and the other three coming from Korea. Strangely, the Suzuki Kizashi gets a mention, even though it has not yet made its debut at any motor show. You will find some hot favourites in the gallery below. Any suggestions regarding new cars that you think have been overlooked?

In 2010, the first electric car from Chrysler is due to make its debut, with three more plug-in models set to follow by 2013. The hopes of the US automotive giant are initially pinned on the 200C which was unveiled in Detroit this January. Chrysler's vision of what a 'green' vehicle should be is a saloon car with a 272bhp electric motor. There are striking similarities with the larger Chrysler 300C which is due to get a smaller brother in the lower mid-range segment by 2012. A few words of encouragement then from all of us here in Europe: Welcome to the future, Chrysler!

It seems that the insolvent automotive manufacturer General Motors has found a purchaser for the Hummer SUV brand. The company advised that an appropriate provisional agreement has been signed. The deal is to apparently to be concluded in the third quarter of 2009. General Motors did not release further information about either purchaser or purchase price, so there is still a seething hotbed of rumours in the States. We can but hope that the brand will indeed continue. To see you through the waiting period, there is a gallery of pictures of the Hummer HX concept vehicle.

The US auto giant Chrysler aims to equip the national postal service with electrically powered vehicles. A trial run with four such vans is due to commence in the near future. At the Detroit Motor Show in January 2009, Chrysler unveiled an e-vehicle based on the Grand Voyager (badged in the USA as the 'Chrysler Town and Country'). The US Postal Service already has a fleet of more than 10,000 Chrysler vans. The switchover to electric will be part-financed by state subsidies and also by partnerships with the energy supply sector.

Wildly fluctuating fuel prices and the global downturn have persuaded motor manufacturers that they need to work harder on the production of thrifty models. At this year's Detroit Auto Show, there were plenty of new generation 'green' cars on display. Our fellow journalists at Autoblog Green have compiled their list of the Top Ten eco-models as seen in the photo gallery below:

Next year, US manufacturer Ford plans to fit its latest models with a new technological device. Under the unassuming name 'MyKey', they have come up with a system that should allow parents to sleep more soundly in their beds when the children are out and about in the family car late at night.

'MyKey' is indeed a car key – one that parents can program to their own specification. They can set the maximum speed – for example to 75mph – with the young driver getting an audible alert before this threshold is reached. The radio too can be preset to a maximum environmentally (and socially) responsible volume. And of course, there is also an automatic check on whether the seat belts have been done up.

Although motorised 'children' won't be all that keen on the idea, their parents will love it! Parent appeal: Ford demo 'MyKey'.

If your busy schedule prevented you from attending Detroit this year and you'd like to drool over a dream car on your computer screen, this is for you – a gallery of 25 images from the showrooms at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show 2009. Inspect, download and enjoy!

Every year, the Detroit Auto Show presents its Design Awards for the best concept cars and the best series production models. In the Design Excellence for a Production Vehicle category, the Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI and the 2010 BMW Z4 came out ahead of the other nominations. The jury awarded the Design Excellence for a Concept Vehicle prize to the Audi Sportback Concept and the Cadillac Converj.

You can admire the judges' choices in the gallery below.

The dramatic fluctuations in petrol prices over the last few years have compelled motor manufacturers to rethink their product palette. Customers started to demand fuel-thrifty vehicles, and that's what they got. Eco-cars with hybrid drivetrains are all the rage. Gone is the age of supersports cars and gas guzzlers. Or so you might think... The Detroit Auto Show still managed to parade ten vehicles where the process of filling the tank requires a deep pocket and/or a sense of humour.

Click on the link below to launch the Gas Guzzler Top Ten with a real burn-out.

Gone are the days when concepts with big V8 engines and unlimited performance were presented. We may delight in bargains, but low cost does not mean having less fascination or fun from a car. This is precisely what VW proved to us in Detroit when presenting the Blue Sport BIO Roadster.

Apart from the name and its connotations of a diesel/muesli/low consumption engine as an excuse for what is indeed a magnificently unreasonable car in times of crisis, the Blue Sport is a true delight for purists.

Nice and compact (less than 4 metres in length) and good and light (approx. 1200 kg) you only need little in terms of power to coax respectable performance from this 'funmobile' from Wolfsburg. It's fully in tune with the times