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2009 Detroit Auto Show, Day 1

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• 2009 Bentley Continental GTC Speed: For people who really like wind in their hair, Bentley is giving its Continental GTC convertible the Speed treatment for 2010, upping the power of its twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine to 600 horsepower. Top speed? 195 mph with the top down. You expected anything less for $203,000?
• 2009 BMW Z4: BMW is replacing two cars with one in the form of the 2010 Z4 with a retractable hardtop that plays the role of both coupe and convertible. Available with a choice of 6-cylinder engines ranging from 255 hp to 300 hp, prices for the 2-seater should start under $40,000.
• 2010 Buick LaCrosse: Buick is going after customers a few decades younger than usual with the 2010 LaCrosse sedan. The muscular new design is a dramatic change for the brand, part of what they'd like you to think of as the "Buick Renaissance." Built on the same platform as the Opel Insignia, the current European Car of the Year, the LaCrosse is a shoe in for Buick of the Year, at least. An optional 280 horsepower engine won’t hurt, and neither will a starting price of around $28,000.
• 2010 Chevrolet Equinox: Chevy's new midsize crossover promises to deliver best in class highway fuel economy of 30 mpg with its standard 182 hp 4-cylinder engine. A 255 hp V-6 is also available. A remote system not only starts the vehicle, but also turns on the climate control and heated seats so it’s ready to go when you are.
• 2010 Ford Shelby GT 500: If the 2010 Ford Shelby GT 500 looks like a muscled-up version the new 2010 Mustang, there's a good reason, it is. Under the bulging body panels lurks a supercharged 5.4 liter V-8 that pumps out 540 horsepower. Suspension and brake upgrades make it worthy of a race track, the convertible version does not.
• 2010 Ford Taurus: Ford's flagship Taurus gets a dud to stud makeover for 2010, with a sleek new body to match an upgraded interior. The good news? The base price stays put at $25,995. The less good news? It launches this summer with the same engine as the old model, but Ford's new high efficiency EcoBoost motor will be an available option down the road.
• 2010 Honda Insight: Tired of seeing the Toyota Prius own the market for hybrids, Honda is building a car that looks a lot like, well, a Prius. The 40 mpg city/43 highway 2010 Insight is the company’s first purpose-built hybrid car and will likely cost between $20,000 and $21,000 when it goes on sale this spring, undercutting the Prius by a couple of thousand dollars. Unfortunately for Honda, an all-new 2010 Prius goes on sale around the same time and it will be bigger, more powerful and more fuel efficient than the current model. Oh well, there's always 2011.
• Lexus HS250h: For Hollywood types tired of slumming it in plebian Priuses, Lexus has created the HS250h, calling it the world’s first hybrid only luxury car. With a 187 hp 2.4 liter gasoline motor getting an electric assist, Lexus is promising the gadget laden vehicle will deliver better fuel economy in the city than the tiny Smart Fortwo microcar, which means at least 33 mpg.
• 2010 Jaguar XK and XKR: Not to be outdone by its four-door brother, Jaguar's XK coupe gets the same new 5.0 liter engine in both normally aspirated and supercharged forms. Each is more powerful than the one it replaces, but efficient direct injection technology achieves this with no drop in fuel economy.
• 2010 Jaguar XFR: Jaguar wasted no time giving the already potent XF sedan a performance upgrade, installing a bigger, more powerful 5.0 liter supercharged engine that pumps out a heavyweight 510 horsepower, the better to compete with its German rivals. Suspension and body upgrades help give the pretty kitty the presence of a predator.
• 2009 MINI Cooper Convertible: MINI let the fun shine in with the 2009 MINI Cooper Convertible. The drop-top version of the new version of its subcompact starts at $24,550 and comes with an 'Openometer' that tracks the amount of time you have the top down. During a Detroit winter we expect that number to be 'zero' for quite some time.
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McClaren Stirling Moss: As a last hurrah for its ultra exclusive supercar, Mercedes-Benz chopped the top and the windshield off of the SLR McClaren to create the $1 million Stirling Moss edition. Sunglasses, or perhaps a full-face helmet, are recommended if you plan to take full advantage of its 650 horsepower engine. Only 75 will be made and, sadly, none are headed to the United States. So, why did they introduce it in Detroit?