Auto Shows (Page 66)

One look at Fiat at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show and you wonder when there will be a Fiat that runs on natural gas. Surely, the company led by Sergio Marchionne has the technical leadership experience and now the American brand identity with Chrysler.

Last year marked the first time in years that the Fiat brand showed a vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show but 2011 marked the Detroit debut of the new Fiat 500 as a production model.

Chrysler’s Ram brand (formerly Dodge trucks) is the most consistent of the companies under the automakers umbrella and at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Ram showed off their luxury side with the new Laramie Longhorn alongside their sporty side – the Mopar Ram Runner.

Buick headed into the 2011 Detroit Auto Show with a bright outlook for the new year, supported by strong sales throughout 2010 and the unveiling of the new c-segment luxury sedan – the Buick Verano.

The Chevrolet area at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show was among the largest, running the length of the GM-devoted area of Cobo Hall and offering a look at the diversity of the brand – from the new Chevy Volt to the Silverado HD (2011 Motor Trend Truck of the Year) and everything in between.

Chevrolet has worked with the people from Microsoft to offer special GM branded packages on the new game Joyride, which uses Microsoft’s controller-free Kinect gaming system and at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Chevy has a collection of special Kinect gaming stations where you can try out the cutting edge video game technology.

The exit of Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and Hummer allowed some extra elbow room for the existing General Motors brands and Cadillac made the most of it, offering a whole area to feature their popular high-performance V-Series models and the new CTS-V Coupe race car.

Ford Motor Company may have shed a brand in the past year but they used the extra space at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show to offer an absolutely massive display for the Ford brand.