Audi
With Audi recently announcing that it is to add 11 all-new models to its line-up barely a motor show will pass without some sort of concept. The first is the allroad shooting brake, thought to preview a forthcoming Audi Q1 model. It's also expected to hint at how the all-new Audi TT will look, and it features that car's interior - with a few concept car touches. With the quattro laserlight starring at CES in Las Vegas it may well make the trip to Detroit to bolster the Audi stand too, laser headlights and all.
BMW
For Detroit the BMW stand will be all about the 'M' as the M3 Saloon and M4 Coupé vie for centre stage at their public debut. The cars mark the return of the six-cylinder engine to the M3 line-up, and the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine sends 430hp to the rear wheels of both. Trying to wrestle some of the attention away from the M cars (especially in tasty M235i guise) will be the new 2 Series Coupé, which replaces the 1 Series Coupé in the Bavarian line-up. Refreshed versions of the X1 and Z4 will also be there, but did we mention the M cars?
Chevrolet
Chevrolet's mainstream models may well have been pulled from the European market but we will still be offered the hotter models like the Camaro and Corvette and they do not get much hotter than the Corvette Z06. Based on the new C7 'Vette rumours suggest a power output of close to 600hp, though whether that power comes from the 7.0-litre V8 from the C6 'Vette or from a supercharged version of the standard car's 6.2-litre unit is unclear.
Ford
We have already seen the new Ford Mustang, but Detroit will be its official motor show debut. Ordinarily a new Mustang would be a footnote in a show preview here in Europe, but with the new model being the first Mustang in 50 years to be offered in right-hand drive we are genuinely excited.
Hyundai
Hyundai will bring its second generation Genesis saloon to Detroit, a car that clearly draws inspiration from the gorgeous HCD-14 concept the firm showed at last year's event. With styling by new design chief Peter Schreyer (who also fulfils a similar role at Kia), a choice between V6 and V8 powerplants and a chassis that has been tuned at the Nürburgring the Genesis has the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 in its sights. So why do we care? Well it looks like Hyundai will produce the Genesis in right-hand drive, though we still don't expect to see many around here.
Infiniti
With BMW unveiling the new M3 in Detroit it was just a case of waiting for the rivals and it looks as if Infiniti will be the first brand up to the plate with the Q50 Eau Rouge concept. Named after one of the most daunting corners in Formula 1 little is known about the car but suggestions point towards a twin-turbocharged 3.7-litre V6 engine producing as much as 500hp.
Kia
Is the world ready for a Kia sports car? The suits in Korea certainly seem to think so and they will bring just such a car to the Motor City. Only teaser images of the GT4 Stinger have been released so far but it is obvious that the concept will feature a long bonnet, muscular arches and stubby rear-end i.e. classic sports car looks. Kia says the Stinger is about "delivering head-turning looks" but with a 315hp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine powering the rear wheels it could also deliver head-turning performance.
Lexus
With Infiniti set to take on the M3 with the Q50 Eau Rouge it has been left to Lexus to tackle the M4 Coupé with its new flagship, the RC F coupé. The major advantage that the Lexus has over the Infiniti, however, is that the RC F is already a production model, powered by a 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet no less - with 'more than' 450hp. Let battle commence!
MINI
If ever there was a thinner concept veil than the one MINI will apply to the John Cooper Works 'concept' in Detroit we are yet to see it. It is said that the 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine from the outgoing JCW has been pumped full of steroids and the car wears a suitably aggressive body kit, plus a unique paint job. Expect to see the production model in Geneva - little will have changed.
Mercedes-Benz
Images of the new S-Class inspired C-Class were released in December, but Detroit will be our first chance to see the new car in the metal. The saloon is expected to be joined on stage by an estate model and some reports suggest the car will also be shown with a new 1.6-litre diesel engine borrowed from the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Having debuted in LA as a thinly veiled 'concept' it is no surprise the GLA 45 AMG will debut in Detroit as a full production model. Based on the same platform as the A-Class it will pack the 360hp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with four-wheel drive as the A 45 AMG. Another car rumoured to be on its way to the Motor City is the S 600 Pullman - or Maybach. Said to be over 18 foot long the S 600 was meant to signify the return of the Pullman name, a nameplate last seen in 1981, but with the Maybach name being more prevalent in the mind of modern buyers it could still win out. The gorgeous S-Class Coupé concept is also expected to be shipped to Detroit but it will likely be Geneva before it loses the concept tag.
Nissan
Nissan has announced it will bring a 'Sports Sedan' to Detroit and even released a few teaser images to go along with it, but as the concept is likely to become the new Maxima it holds little interest this side of the Atlantic. It is said that the styling of the concept will inspire future Nissan models however. Of much more interest is the news that the IDx Freeflow and Nismo models are currently making their way to Detroit from the Tokyo Motor Show. The more events they appear at the more likely they are to make production, right?
Porsche
Another motor show another 911 variant. Following hot on the heels of the Turbo Cabriolet that debuted in LA is the Targa model, which, if rumours and spy shots are to be believed, reverts back to the removable glass roof of the original Targa rather than the glorified sun roof of the last generation.
Subaru
We have to admit we were a little underwhelmed when Subaru unveiled the Impreza WRX in LA; it did not have the stance or aggression of the concept that previewed it. The new WRX STi may be much more like it. Expect chunkier arches, bigger wings and a power output in excess of 300hp, though whether that comes from a revised version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre or a rehash of the existing 2.5 remains to be seen.
Toyota
From the moment the Supra was retired there has been talk of a successor. We came close with the FT-HS concept in 2007 and it looks like Toyota will again revisit the world of a performance flagship. Nothing official has been mentioned about the name but it is known that Toyota will show "some form of performance concept at Detroit." That's code for Supra right?
Volvo
The ageing XC90 is set to be replaced sometime this year and the Concept XC Coupé is our closest indication of what the new car will look like, while also hinting at the styling direction of future Volvos. The XC Coupé bears more than a passing resemblance to the Concept Coupé that was shown in Frankfurt last year leading us to believe that, save for the three-door 'shooting brake' body style, this is what the XC90 will look like. Doesn't take much to imagine it with a pair of extra doors anyway.