--- While Mercedes Benz has three BlueZero concepts planned for Detroit, only the E-Cell has been revealed.

Though most of the world associates green with environmentally-friendly technologies, Mercedes Benz and a few others use the color blue to denote their ecologically advanced vehicles and drivetrains.

--- A previous official sketch of the A7 shows a very sleek and aggressive design for the upcoming coupe-saloon.

While many carmakers are either scaling back their 2009 Detroit Auto Show presence, or pulling out altogether, Audi is set to buck the trend with a number of important unveilings reportedly planned for the event.

--- The final nominees for the ICOTY award includes the Dodge Challenger, Ford Flex and Nissan GT-R.

January's Detroit Auto Show will be playing host to the 13th annual International Car and Truck of the Year awards, and the final nominees for each of the categories have been announced.

Competing for the main prize of 'International Car of the Year' are three very different vehicles - the Dodge Challenger, the Ford Flex and the Nissan GT-R.

--- The R8’s new V10 engine is the same 5.2L mill found in the S6 and S8 saloons.

Audi' R8 was an instant success when it broke onto the scene in 2007, and now the Germans are sweetening the deal ith a V10 engine, further strengthening the similarity to the Lamborghini Gallardo, with which it also shares a platform.

Pictures and info of the car were leaked today ahead of the official release, and so we bring you the car as it will be shown in Detroit next month.

California’s Fisker Automotive has earlier this week that its upcoming Karma plug-in hybrid will be shown for the first time in full production trim at this month’s Detroit Auto Show.

With only minor design enhancements made to the exterior of the original concept, the production Karma, seen this week in production trim for the first time, retains the extreme proportions and sculptured look of the show car.

"We are very excited to be bringing the Fisker Karma back to NAIAS," said Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker.

--- New Mini Cooper Cabrio’s automatic soft-top roof can be lowered in just 15 seconds at speeds of up to 30km/h.

Mini has released the first details about its second-generation Cabrio model, which is set to go on sale in the first half of next year in both Cooper and Cooper S trims following a world debut at January's Detroit Auto Show.

-- The NV2500 previews Nissan’s entry into the North American commercial vehicle market.

Nissan released a teaser sketch of its upcoming NV2500 van concept in November when plans were still on for the vehicle to be unveiled at January’s Detroit Auto Show.

Subaru has released a teaser image for a new concept vehicle previewing the next-generation Legacy (Liberty) sedan due late next year. Appropriately named the Legacy Concept, the vehicle will make its world debut this month at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

The concept will feature a 3.6L horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine and the company’s trademark symmetrical AWD system. Key characteristics include the distinctive front face and flared wheel arches.

First off, let's skip right past the part where we have to explain that the 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster is actually a hardtop convertible, complete with a two-piece aluminum roof that electrohydraulically deploys from the trunk in 20 seconds.

This new model takes the place of the former Z4 roadster and coupe models, and it'll be built in Regensburg, Germany, now that BMW's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is devoted solely to X models.

Next month in Detroit, the Volvo S60 Concept will serve up a teaser for the 2010 production sedan that'll likely debut later in the show season. The S60 Concept demonstrates that Volvo's new sedan will ditch the rather conservative duds it currently wears in favor of a new, much more aggressive visual ensemble.