By: Jason Woosey
As if to celebrate those plunging oil prices, the performance heavy-hitters were out in full force at this year's North American International Auto Show.
Ford resurrected its legendary GT nameplate for the second time this century and this new GT supercar stole the show hands down, although many enthusiasts are less than pleased that it ditched the V8 for a twin-turbo V6. How times change.
Another supercar that goes the six route, and further aided by electric motors, is the long-awaited Honda NSX , which was revealed in its final showroom clothing for the first time.
Also riding on the show's performance tsunami were hot-shots like the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider , Ford Shelby Mustang GT350R and Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS .
The 477kW Cadillac CTS-V took a bow for those seeking their speed fix in a roomier package, while also flipping a finger at the M5 and E63. On the subject of practical performers, Ford took the wraps off its seriously wild F150 Raptor pick-up , while Mercedes-AMG flaunted its new X6 M-rivalling GLE 63 Coupé .
It seems a new niche emerges every second day and a particularly enticing one has been proposed by Hyundai's new Santa Cruz Concept , created to lure potential compact crossover buyers who want the separate load bin of a bakkie but in a more urban-friendly wrapping.
Volkswagen's Cross Coupe GTE Concept takes a more pragmatic approach to the crossover business, although it was Audi's new Q7 (shown in production form) that took conservative to new heights. In fact it garnered attention for that very reason.
No modern motor show would be complete (or devoid of protest, at least) without an army of green machines, and this year served up an all-new Chevy Volt as well as the all-electric Bolt Concept from the same maker and an updated Honda FCV fuel cell concept car also created a small buzz in the kingdom of squeaky clean motoring.