Detroit Motor Show - The first day of the 2014 show served up a glut of new cars for a US market that shows no sign of slowing, or moderating its taste for power and glitz.
But one of the sharpest talking points was about aluminum - and how Ford is introducing it to the body of its iconic F150 pickup truck.
Here are some of the highlights of day one of North America’s leading motor show:
CHEVROLET
Swept the car of the year and truck of the year honors, awarded to the Corvette Stingray and the Silverado pickup.
Not resting on all the kudos of the past year, Corvette introduced two new hyper-powered models, the 466kW street-legal Z06 and, for its GT racing team, the CR.7, which will see its first test at the January 24-25 Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona.
FORD
Dared to change its long market-dominant F150 pickup truck by cladding it in aluminum, cutting up to 317kg to conserve fuel while not sacrificing, Ford says, body strength. That saw every other maker of cars and trucks quizzed on whether they would take up the aluminum challenge.
HONDA
Found ways to make the inside of its Fit (Jazz) compact hatch larger without lengthening it, and only adding a little to width. What’s more, power was upped to 97kW and convenient features like the lane assist and rearview cameras (among others) have migrated from more upmarket Hondas.
TOYOTA
Showed a “spiritual pace car”: the FT-1 sports concept hit its aim of generating excitement, the concept car reflecting the push by boss Akido Toyoda to take more risks. Let’s see how this attitude change translates onto the showroom floor...
CHRYSLER
Now a wholly-owned unit of Fiat, Chrysler added Italianate lines and Alfa Romeo components to midsize 200 sedan , taking aim at the more stately competition.
KIA
Unveiled its GT4 Stinger concept , a hotly sculpted pocket-rocket for the youth market with a turbocharged 2-litre engine.
NISSAN
The future of Maxima? Nissan's new sport sedan had some of the Rogue's exaggerated haunches over the front wheels, sweeping across the side for a brassy but still elegant and sporty ride. This could turn into something hitting the streets in 2016.
BMW
Hat trick: a glut of enticing choices with a new 2 Series to replace the 1, and a new M3 and M4 .
Source: AFP