Fiat-Chrysler CEO Marchionne Uses Racial Slur for New Alfa Romeo Engine

Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. market, which is supposed to revive the historic Italian brand that’s currently on life support, has been announced more times than we can recall, only to be postponed time and time again.

In our 2013 NAIAS review we wrote that, compared to GM and Ford, not to mention foreign carmakers, the Fiat-Chrysler Group presence was underwhelming and we were wondering where Alfa Romeo was.

Apparently, others were thinking along the same line so they questioned the group’s CEO about it. Sergio Marchionne replied that he won’t be bringing the brand to the U.S. until the –long overdue- 159 mid-size sedan replacement, aka the Giulia, is perfect.

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Ford Atlas Named Autoweek's Most Significant Detroit Auto Show Debut, What Do You Say?

The new Ford Atlas Concept, which previews the future of America's best-selling pickup truck for the past 36 years and the best-selling vehicle overall for 31 straight years, the F-150, has been named by the editors of Autoweek magazine, the "Most Significant vehicle of the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)".

Bob Gritzinger, Autoweek executive editor, explains why:

“The Atlas Concept is clearly Most Significant winner for the things you don’t see, like hidden aerodynamic improvements and weight savings from high-strength steel and interior parts, like thinner seats. Those things add up to significant fuel savings for pickup trucks down the road. A next-generation EcoBoost with Auto Start-Stop technology also signals why Atlas is a real game changer.”

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Tour the 2013 Detroit Auto Show through a Super Gallery of 400+ Photos

The 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit won't open for the public until Saturday, January 19, (January 16-17 is the industry preview, and January 18, the charity preview) but if you’ve been following our coverage of event, you should know most things you need to know. 

While no one was surprised by Detroit’s big three choosing their hometown to launch their new production and concept cars, this year’s show also had major world premieres from Asian and European automakers, too.

Wrapping up our NAIAS report, we thought we’d make a quick review of this year’s most notable offerings.

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2014 Corvette Stingray Video Roundup: Engine Startup, Press Kit Unboxing and Digital Gauge

The flow of information regarding the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray continues with a trio of videos that show some new aspects of the car itself as well as General Motors' promotional efforts targeting the press.

We'll begin our sightseeing with a clip that comes to us courtesy of the crew over at GMAuthority who placed a microphone up, close and personal to the display model's buttocks at the Detroit motor show as GM fired up the 450-horsepower V8 engine.

Sadly, that's all we get as the person sitting inside had no soul in his right foot and turned the engine off faster than the Corvette can go from zero to 60mph. Bummer…

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Poll: Which is the Sexiest American Sports Car, the New Corvette Stingray or the SRT Viper?

It’s like the Super Bowl for Detroit-made sports cars: the brand-new Corvette Stingray, which just made its world premiere in Detroit this week, versus Chrysler’s third-generation SRT Viper.

Granted, in their current forms, the two cars are separated by tens of thousands of dollars and nearly 200hp, with the base Vette’s 450hp 6.2L V8 looking puny compared to the Viper’s massive 8.4L V10 with 640-ponies. Conducting a fair twin-test won’t be possible until Chevrolet rolls out the next Corvette Stingray ZR1.

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Carscoop's A-Z Guide to the 2013 Detroit Motor Show, the Final List

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) that takes place in Detroit is the first major event of the year for the automotive industry.

In 2013, the show opens its doors on January 14 for the media and on the 19th for the public, who can visit the Cobo Center until the 27th and view all the new models on display.

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated premiere is that of the all-new, seventh-generation Corvette. GM, however, has a second ace up its sleeve for the 2013 NAIAS: the world debut of the Cadillac ELR hybrid coupe, aka the production version of the Converj concept that was launched at the same event four years ago.

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NAIAS 2013: Bob Lutz'a New Destino Sport Sedan is the Corvette ZR1 of Fiskers [w/Video]

Ask most people what they don't like most about the Fisker Karma, and there's a good chance they'll tell you something about its price tag, its moustache-style grille or the fact that it's powered by a range-extender hybrid drivetrain.

Leave it to Bob Lutz to come up with a crazy solution to address the last two. The former GM vice-chairman collaborated with industrialist Gilbert Villereal to form a new company named VL-Automotive, the first product of which is the Destino based on the Fisker Karma.

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China's GAC Group Shows Off its Goods, Announces Chrysler Tie-Up at 2013 NAIAS

Towards the end of the previous decade, we remember several Chinese automakers making their way to the Detroit Auto Shows vowing to begin selling cars in the United States. Unless we missed something, that never happened.

At this year's event, the only carmaker from China is the GAC Group (Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd), which brought along three vehicles, including the Trumpchi sedan that's loosely based on the Alfa Romeo 166, the Trumpchi GS5 SUV and the electric-powered E-jet concept saloon you see in the live shots from Detroit.

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New Look 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets Diesel Option [Live Photos & Video]

Good news for those of you who felt itchy about waiting until the Detroit auto show to open its doors to the press on Monday to learn about the 2014 Grand Cherokee, as a comprehensive image gallery along with the first info on the refreshed Jeep model were shared on the internet today.

In its current form, the Grand Cherokee has only been in the market since summer of 2010 (as a 2011 model in North America) or about two and-a-half years, yet the facelift brings notable changes to the mid-size model beginning with its appearance.

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Jeep's 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT Gains Refreshed Styling, New 8-Speed Auto [Live Pictures]

Joining the regular models of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup at the Detroit auto show is the revised version of the range-topping SRT that drops the '8' from its name, while gaining important upgrades including a cosmetic makeover, a new 8-speed auto, and significantly improved towing capacity.

On the outside, the new 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT is treated to the same visual enhancements as the regular Grand Cherokee such as the new Chrysler 300-style headlamps, redesigned LED taillights and a re-sculptured tailgate, and then some more.

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