2002 Detroit Auto Show

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There's nothing quite like wrapping up a festive holiday season with a trip to Detroit in the dead of winter. The Motor City has so much going for it at this time of year: lifeless trees, bitter winds, crumbling pavement, gray skies.*

Oh yes, and cars. Lots of shiny, pretty new cars, all elegantly displayed within the roasting confines of Cobo Hall in lovely downtown Detroit. For this, car nuts like us willingly travel to Siberia West, braving below-zero wind chills to bring you the latest news from the most important auto show in the world. Well, that and the barbeque we so enjoy at Royal Oak's Memphis Smoke.

As always, the North American International Auto Show will be the site of several important production vehicle debuts. For 2002, we expect to see several new SUVs make their world debuts. The 2003 Honda Pilot, which is based on the Acura MDX and will replace the aged Isuzu-derived Passport SUV, comes not a moment too soon. Lexus also plans to reveal the new GX 470, a sport-ute that will slot between the RX and LX models in 2003. Land Rover will show the all-new BMW-engineered '03 Range Rover, and Volvo unleashes the 2003 XC90 crossover vehicle. The 2003 Ford Expedition should draw critical acclaim, but not the quirky '03 Subaru Baja.

True car enthusiasts need not worry; Detroit offers something for you, too. Cadillac will unveil the 2003 XLR sports car, based on the Evoq concept that first defined the marque's new hard-edged art and science design philosophy. Also due is a new Bentley sport coupe, the closed-top version of the Maserati Spyder, the performance-oriented 2003 Chevrolet SSR and a hot new version of the BMW M3.

Concept cars are also part of the fun. General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler all promise to reveal exciting new design and engineering concepts in the Motor City this week, along with Toyota, Acura, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Infiniti.

So check out our coverage for all the latest news from Detroit. And when we're done traipsing about Cobo Hall and the damp streets of Detroit, you can bet we're heading to Royal Oak for an artery-clogging celebration.

* The author grew up in Detroit, and as a native Michigander, reserves the right to paint this realistic picture of the city in winter. Hold your e-mails, please.