DETROIT — At the Detroit auto show, Acura broke news on three new models crucial to the brand’s growth: the NSX hybrid supercar, a prototype of the next MDX mid-size crossover SUV, and its flagship sedan, the RLX.

These new products come at an important time for the luxury division of Honda. After peaking in 2005 with 210,000 vehicles sold, Acura’s 2011 sales plummeted to just 123,000. The company says sales rebounded 26.7% in 2012 and it hopes to continue this growth with a refreshed product line in 2013.

Here’s a look at what was on display:

NSX: 

Good news for those tracking the progress of Acura’s upcoming NSX hybrid supercar: It has an interior.

Acura showed off the latest iteration of the NSX concept Tuesday at the Detroit auto show. For the first time in the concept’s auto show lifespan, it was displayed with a hint at what the production car’s interior will look like when it comes to market around 2015.

PHOTOS: Acura NSX concept

The...

Shelby American Inc. has long been known to turn out fire-breathing autos with powerful turbo-charged engines, but with its diminutive new “pocket rocket,” the car company has changed things up a bit.

At the 2013 Detroit Auto show, Shelby American unveiled a souped-up version of a Ford Focus. The company took the four-cylinder compact car with front-wheel drive and wrenched in a new turbo-charged Ford EcoBoost engine the cranks out more than 300 horsepower.

Named the Shelby Focus ST, the hot hatchback was designed at Shelby American’s skunkworks division in Las Vegas and tested extensively at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

PHOTOS: 2013 Shelby Focus ST

The term "pocket rocket” was coined by the late auto legend Carroll Shelby in the 1980s, when he helped out his buddy and then-Chrysler Chief Executive Lee Iacocca to soup up an array of Chrysler's front-drive compact cars. From the Shelby Performance Center in Santa Fe Springs, Shelby churned out cars such as the...

DETROIT -- With GM trucks making their debut at the Detroit Auto Show, and Ram’s 1500 winning North American Truck of the Year, how does Ford stay in the spotlight?

By renting out the home of the Detroit Red Wings and lowering an F-150 Concept from the ceiling while sparks fly and men pretend to work on faux steel girders.

Show stolen.

PHOTOS: Ford Atlas concept truck

Though the next F-150 is a year or two away, the Ford Atlas Concept truck is a strong indication of what to expect.

“It’s a fresh take on a lot of the design cues that connote what an F-Series is,” said Mark Fields, Ford's chief operating officer, after the press conference. “When you see this vehicle you know it’s an F-Series. You could see some of those things show up on a future F-Series,” Fields said.

The Atlas Concept is also a bit bigger than the current F-150. The wheelbase is six inches longer, and length is up by seven inches. The four-door model has a more pronounced...

Answering introductions of new models from BMW and Infiniti at the Detroit Auto Show, Lexus unveiled its new IS, a rear- and all-wheel-drive entry-level luxury sedan.

Like other recent models from Toyota Motor Corp., the company is emphasizing fun-to-drive aspects of the new IS250 and IS350, introduced Tuesday after competitors' introductions on Monday. Both models will come with optional F-Sport packages, which include a more aggressive front bumper and grill in addition to sport-tuned suspension and unique 18-inch alloy wheels.

"The IS has always been precise and fun to drive," said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. The all-new IS kicks it up a notch with true sport sedan driving dynamics, state of the art onboard technologies and an all-new design that makes it look fast even when it's standing still."

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

New IS styling elements include the spindle grille that Lexus has included across its entire product lineup. The...

You'd think that after launching an American icon -- the 2014 Corvette -- and its best-selling U.S. vehicles in the country -- the Chevy and GMC trucks -- that General Motors would call it day.

But the company launched another important model on Tuesday at the Detroit Auto Show: the ELR, a sleek luxury coupe based on the Chevrolet Volt.

Cadillac designed the car with Southern California in mind. In an interview ahead of Tuesday's announcement, Bob Ferguson, vice president of global Cadillac, said the ELR could help the automaker gain ground in the country's largest luxury car market.

PHOTOS: The Cadillac ELR

"In many ways we've struggled on the coasts," Ferguson said. "I see that this car will refresh consideration among Californians."

The ELR launch follows the company's new ATS sedan, a rear-wheel-drive competitor to the BMW 3-Series.

"The ATS has really moved us forward," Ferguson said. "This vehicle will build on that momentum and get us back into the luxury conversation. We need...

After decades of selling only rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive cars in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz on Sunday announced its sole front-wheel-drive entry for the U.S. market.

The German automaker used a private event ahead of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show to debut the all-new CLA250. It's a compact, four-door coupe in a similar style to the larger and more expensive CLS.

The CLA will be launched initially only with front-wheel drive; an all-wheel-drive model comes later. It will compete in a nascent segment of compact, luxury cars that will soon include the all-new Audi A3 sedan and the recently launched Acura ILX. BMW, which sells only rear-wheel-drive cars here now, also plans to bring a front-wheel-drive vehicle to the U.S. market.

PHOTOS: 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250

"Audi has proven the point that you can have a front-wheel-drive car in the luxury market," said Dave Sullivan, manager of product analysis for research firm AutoPacific Inc. "It has gotten the attention of BMW and Mercedes-Benz....

DETROIT -- When General Motors built the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, it sought to combine 60 years of history with the best of today’s performance, technology and design.

And so the company also resurrected a long-dormant and storied name from Corvette’s history: Stingray. The name Sting Ray -- two words back then -- debuted on the second-generation model in 1963, a car that would set a high standard for every subsequent Corvette.

Reviving the name will no doubt invite a heated debate about whether the new model lives up to the first one. This was not lost on Ed Welburn, General Motors’ vice president for global design.

"My favorite car is a '63 split-window Sting Ray Corvette," Welburn said. "It’s an easy answer. For an awful lot of designers, it is the Corvette. Every Corvette since then has been inspired by, influenced by that car."

PHOTOS: Seven generations of Corvettes

The 1963 Sting Ray came to market with technologies that even road-going Ferraris of the day...

DETROIT -- Maserati may be the only Italian automaker at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, but the company made up for the void with an all-new sedan heavy on machismo and power.

The 2014 Maserati Quattroporte made its North American debut on Monday. Meaning literally "four-doors," this sixth-generation sedan battles the likes of Porsche's Panamera, BMW's M6 Gran Coupe, Audi's S7 and S8 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG.

The big change for 2014 is the addition of a smaller, V-6 engine option, to which buyers will also be able to add all-wheel drive for the first time. But power-hungry drivers need not fret: a throaty V-8 remains key to this car's identity.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

That engine is a direct-injected 3.8-liter V-8 making 523 horsepower and 524 pound-feet of torque. Though relatively small in terms of displacement, V-8's twin turbos mean it can move the Quattroporte from 0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds. That's 0.3 second faster than the naturally aspirated V-8 in the...

DETROIT -- Audi used its Monday news conference at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show to reveal to the world its most powerful car. And it has four doors.

The company showed off the all-new RS7 four-door coupe. Based on the striking A7, this hyper-fast version grabs its 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 from the S8 sedan. Horsepower jumps to 560, torque is 516 and power flows to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Audi says the RS7 sheds about 55 pounds versus the S7. It will do 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 190 miles per hour.

PHOTOS: Highlights of the Detroit Auto Show

The RS7 is only the third Audi to wear the RS badge in the U.S. It's preceded by the TT RS and the RS5 Cabriolet (which also had its U.S. debut at this Detroit show) and the RS5 Coupe. The RS line is analogous to BMW's M line or Mercedes-Benz's AMG division. Thus, the RS7 will target the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 and the BMW M6 Gran Coupe when it goes on sale in Fall 2013.

The 560...

DETROIT -- It’s named like R2-D2's cousin, uses rear-hinged doors like a Rolls Royce and touts a cabin that needs only gestures to turn on the air conditioning.

But look past all the gimmickry on the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis concept and you'll see elements of reality that are headed to the company's next vehicle.

Hyundai used its news conference Monday afternoon at the North American International Auto Show to unveil the four-door coupe concept, which it says teases the next chapter in the company's aesthetic.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

"The HCD-14 Genesis gives a hint of the design direction we'll be taking, and an indication of the focus we're placing on driving dynamics and technology," John Krafcik, president and chief executive of Hyundai Motors America, said in a statement ahead of the event.

As evident in the concept's name, the HCD-14 Genesis provides a preview of what the new Hyundai Genesis will look like. The second generation of this rear-wheel-drive premium...

The "exciting" and "provocative" new compact sedan from Toyota comes in a squat, sloped package with bulging fenders, carbon-fiber accents and massive 19-inch alloy wheels.

This is the ... Corolla?

It's the Corolla Furia concept, at least, unwrapped for the public on Monday at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

"It builds on the brand's product development priority to develop more dramatic, expressively designed vehicles," the company said in a release, reflecting the stated desire of Akio Toyoda, chief executive and president, for Toyota to produce spicier cars.

Since 1968, the Corolla has sold millions of copies with its unwavering embrace of the practical -- some might call the current model plain, even homely. But the company now speaks, somewhat self-consciously, in soaring terms of its new focus on aggressive styling.

"Iconic Dynamism" is how the fuddy-duddy automaker, heretofore steeped in styling understatements,...

Lincoln pulled the cover off a concept crossover dubbed the MKC on Sunday morning ahead of the Detroit Auto Show. But don't put too much stock in the whole "concept" part.

Based on the same platform that underpins the compact Ford Escape crossover, the MKC will almost certainly be the next release from Lincoln.

Though Lincoln called the concept merely an "indication of a future Lincoln product," a production version of the MKC would likely look nearly identical and go on sale within a year. That would follow Lincoln's modus operandi at last year's Detroit Auto Show, when it showed off a "concept" of the MKZ sedan -- a production version that is on sale now.

PHOTOS: Lincoln MKC concept SUV

Also telling is the near-production quality of this concept's interior. Although some concepts feature outlandish designs and materials unfit for actual production, the inside of the MKC is a near carbon-copy of other production Lincolns on the market today. This includes the touch-screen navigation...

Honda Motor Co. showed off what it called an “urban SUV concept” vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

It is a small crossover-style auto pegged below Honda's successful CR-V sport utility. The company plans to build the vehicle at a plant that’s under construction in Mexico and to put it on sale in the U.S. next year. It is based on the same platform used for the Honda Fit subcompact that already sells in the U.S. and internationally.

 “No one has had greater success with small cars than Honda,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales at American Honda Motor Co.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

He said Honda plans to market the “proper five-passenger” vehicle to a younger and less affluent demographic than the more expensive CR-V or its flagship Accord sedan. He said adults won’t have to squeeze into the back seats.

“It provides the capability to do something under the CR-V. A...

Few car enthusiasts would question that the BMW 3-Series has set the standard for small sport sedans since its introduction nearly four decades ago. But the competition has seldom been more fierce.

The German automaker is responding at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with an entry-level variant of the sedan, a turbo-charged four-cylinder 320i — with a base price of $33,445. The all-wheel drive version, the 320i xDrive, starts at $35,445.

For the cost-conscious among the upwardly mobile, that should help the relatively stripped-down Bimmer hold off competition from the redesigned Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50 — two models also unveiled in Detroit and looking to take the 3-Series down a peg or two.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

As with many models, the 3-Series has over time grown larger, more lavishly optioned and more expensive. With the current models ranging from a low of $36,850 for the base 328i sedan, up to $49,650 for the ActiveHybrid 3....