General Motors did not say which platform the concept

Meet the Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept that made its world debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Officially, the XTS is just a design study that showcases Cadillac's emerging top-of-the-line Platinum series of models, but unofficially, it previews the Detroit firm's DTS replacement in the full-size sedan segment that's pegged make its way onto the market by 2012.

General Motors did not say which platform the concept is based on, but judging from the XTS' wheelbase length of 111.7 inches or 2,837mm that is identical to the new Buick LaCrosse, we'd say that it rides on a modified version of the Epsilon II.

Even though it shares the same wheelbase with the LaCrosse, the XTS is 6.6 inches longer at 203.5 inches (5,170mm) and 1.7 inches wider at 74.8 inches (1,900mm).

You may have noticed that we haven't said anything about the XTS' exterior design. That's because we can't decide if we find it elegant or boring. We're probably leaning towards the second, but feel free to tell us what you think in the comment section below.

The concept's interior is a bit more intriguing style-wise, but nothing groundbreaking - or at least not for anyone under the age of 50...

Moving on the XTS Platinum concept's hardware, Cadillac fitted the full-size sedan with a plug-in hybrid electric propulsion system (PHEV). It combines a direct-injection V6 petrol engine and electric motors to drive all-four wheels. The system delivers an estimated output of 350 horsepower (260 kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400 Nm).

CADILLAC XTS PLATINUM CONCEPT SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle type:	luxury sedan concept
Wheelbase (in / mm):	111.7 / 2837
Length (in / mm):	203.5 / 5170
Width (in / mm):	74.8 / 1900
Height (in / mm):	59.1 / 1500
Track (in / mm):	62.6 / 1589 (front); 62.8 / 1594 (rear)
Powertrain:	plug-in hybrid system with 3.6L Direct Injection gas engine (with variable valve timing); lithium ion battery
Suspension:	four-wheel independent with Magnetic Ride Control.
Brakes:	four-wheel disc with electric park brake system
Wheels:	20-in front / 20-in rear
Estimated power:	350 hp (260 kW) / 295 lb.-ft. (400 Nm)

Denali treatment adds new features

The 2011 GMC Acadia Denali made its first public outing at this week's Detroit motor show. Scheduled to arrive in GMC's dealerships in the third quarter of the year, the Denali treatment adds new features and unique styling cues to the firm's crossover model that can seat up to eight passengers.

The exterior package adds a chrome honeycomb grille, 20-inch two-tone alloy wheels, unique lower front and rear fascias, body colored cladding, rocker moldings and fender flares along with dual chrome exhaust tips and chrome accents.

Inside, the Denali model comes with all the bells and whistles including but not limited to, perforated leather seats with matching leather door panel trim, head-up display, chrome, lighted sill plates with the Denali logo, Dual SkyScape sunroof system, with sliding front sunroof and fixed rear section, leather-wrapped steering wheel with mahogany wood inserts, navi, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system and a tri-zone automatic climate control.

There are no changes under the hood as the Denali model is powered by the same 288HP 3.6-liter V6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission as the other Acadia models.

the Detroit motor show

BMW Group's MINI brand brought along a new concept, or rather a new variant of the concept model that previews its forthcoming Crossover model, to the Detroit motor show. The all-wheel drive, open-body Beachcomber study was designed to capture the spirit of the original Mini Moke of the 1960s.

The Beachcomber gets a new all-wheel drive system called ALL4, as well as an elevated seating position with the British brand supporting that it can be driven without doors and a conventional roof. However, just to be on the safe side -in theory of course- it comes with a soft top and lightweight doors made out of plastic material.

The concept model is supposed to provide us with new clues about the MINI Crossover will be available in Europe later this year and in the US in early 2011. The Crossover will be the first production MINI to have all-wheel-drive, four doors, four full-size seats and measure around four meters in length.

Who in the world would say no I don’t want a McLaren SLR

Who said Germans don’t have sense of humor?! Well he should check this out! Behold the magnificence of Gemballa Tornado 750 GTS, a car that is based on Porsche Cayenne Turbo and designed to look like Porsche Carrera GT inside and out. If there were an award for the ugliest tuned car ever, this would won it in a heartbeat!

Gemballa has actually gone to simply enormous length to make this car look like a CGT, but they should have stopped somewhere along the way and ask themselves WHY?! It’s a big chunky SUV, what’s the point for it to look like a wide and low supercar? But they haven’t, and they made the car. The result is, well you see what the result is! A ridiculous car which is like the bastard child of a snake and an elephant! GOD it’s awful!

Now if you scroll down and see the car’s interior where they have ruined the whole design for the sake of that CGT-like central console, you’d be convince too that something’s really wrong with the designer’s brain!

The Tornado has one good feature though, its engine. Based on the V8 Turbo, the car packs a massive punch in form of 750 horsepower and 1,050 Nm of torque. That means 0 to 100 Km/h in 4.3 seconds and top speed of as near as makes no difference 300 km/h.

But even this brilliant engine fails to save this car, as it costs an insane 400,000 Euro! Who in the world would say no I don’t want a McLaren SLR, I don’t want a Pagani, I wanna spend half a million dollar on a stupid and ugly car which scares children!