Detroit Auto Show.(Brief Article)

Best in Show

Pontiac Solstice

Is the North American market ripe for another affordable two-seater? GM thinks so, and the Pontiac Solstice is the automaker's answer. The car was designed at GM's California studio, and went from a computer math design to a foam model in 21 days, and from there to concept in 15 weeks. GM showed both a two-seat roadster and coupe-think of them as the summer and winter Solstice, respectively. GM's 2.2-liter dohc four-cylinder, boosted to 240 hp with an off-the-shelf supercharger, powers the rear wheels. GM pulled parts together from all over the company: There's a Corvette six-speed manual transmission, aluminum independent rear suspension from the Buick Rendezvous, rack-and-pinion steering from partner Subaru, Cadillac CTS brakes and rear differential from the Chevy TrailBlazer. Will it be built? GM isn't saying so right out loud, but the possibility looks pretty good: Bob Lutz said if there's enough demand, GM will take a long, hard look at producing the car. We certainly hope GM sees the (green) light.

Best Concept

Cadillac Cien

General Motors shrugged off its declining market share and over-capacity long enough to have a fine line of concept cars in Detroit, including the crisp-edged Cadillac Cien, a V12-powered, mid-engine two-seat sports car we picked as Best Concept. The Simon Cox-designed Cien borrows cues from Cadillac's Le Mans racer-and that's an exciting thing (as oglers of the GT40 know). Cien was built by FIA World Rally champions Prodrive in the U.K., using a purpose-built aluminum 7.5-liter V12 producing 750 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, coupled to a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox, a drivetrain that could have a future in the Cunningham supercar. The V12 features what GM calls Displacement on Demand, which allows the engine to run on just six cylinders for better fuel economy. The body and chassis are carbon fiber. There's the usual array of GM's electronic goodies on board, including OnStar, Night Vision and Stabilitrak. Inside, digital instruments (race car authentic, but ugh), leather seats and ...