工藝

????得意：凱迪拉克（Cadillac）ATS是一款基于全新的輕型底盤打造的后驅轎車，重量只有3,400磅，至少技術參數上可以與寶馬（BMW）3系一爭高下。

????失意：小型SUV別克（Buick）Encore采用了與雪佛蘭Sonic相同的底盤，這也是一款失意之作。早些年別克為了降低產品價格也曾借用其它品牌的工藝，但反響都不佳。現在應該沒人還能記起別克的Shyhawk、Rendezvous、Rainier或Terraza這幾款車型了吧。

晚宴

????得意：凱迪拉克為了ATS轎車的發布，特地砸錢在寬敞的底特律創意研究學院陶伯曼中心（College for Creative Studies Taubman Center）11樓舉辦了盛大的晚宴。眾多名流受邀列席，菜色十分豐盛，從龍蝦到香腸卷應有盡有。凱迪拉克北美總裁馬克?羅伊斯在宴會上介紹了ATS轎車，然后和藹地婉拒了一眾記者的采訪要求。

????失意：德國大眾汽車（Volkswagen）一心想成為世界上最大的汽車公司，但它的晚會開得很失敗。大眾把晚宴地址選在了市中心的一個嘈雜而又潮濕的飯店大廳，然后想在這個逼仄的空間里塞下盡可能多的賓客。另外雖然大眾公司由于一些法律問題已經中止了收購保時捷（Porsche）的計劃，但當晚卻有好幾輛保時捷停在飯店門口，在附近幾家破敗不堪的停業店面的映襯下，顯得非常突兀。

最令人吃驚的產品趨勢

????得意：豪華SUV。保時捷卡宴（Cayenne）的成功促進了豪華SUV的流行。各大豪車品牌以及有志于向豪車領域進軍的廠商都不斷推出SUV車型，而且是越大越好。瑪莎拉蒂（Maserati）展出了一臺基于Jeep大切諾基平臺的新款Kubang，它的產地就在底特律。賓利（Bentley）也宣稱將盡快推出一款三排座的SUV。英菲尼迪（Infiniti）展出了全新的三排座JX35 SUV，它還安裝了一套備用的防撞干預系統，這款SUV將于今年春天上市。最后，雷克薩斯（Lexus）也展出了老車型LX570的8座改款。喜愛自駕游或經常去大型購物中心的人可以多加關注。

????失意：電動汽車。幾乎每個廠商都推出了一款自己的電動汽車，但反響卻相對平淡。日產（Nissan）聆風（Leaf）和雪佛蘭Volt的銷量慘淡給很多熱心人士的頭上澆了一瓢冷水。電動汽車就像娛樂圈的少女新人一樣，在一炮走紅之后，就因成名過早而漸漸黯淡下去，看來電動汽車現在還沒有迎來它的黃金年代。

高管

????得意：不少海外汽車廠商的高官在底特律強勢亮相，如大眾的馬丁?溫特科恩，戴姆勒（Daimler）的迪爾特?柴奇，菲亞特—克萊斯勒（Fiat-Chrysler）的塞爾吉奧?馬基奧尼，日產—雷諾（Nissan-Renault）的卡洛斯?高森等悉數在正式問答環節中接受了報刊記者的采訪。這種安排使得高官們在采訪中說出了一些更有思想的話，制造了一些真正的大新聞，比如馬基奧尼認為歐洲可能出現另一波產業合并的浪潮，催生出“第二個大眾”，來與有志做全球老大的大眾汽車相抗衡。

????失意：福特的艾倫?穆拉雷和通用（GM）的丹?阿克爾森在產品發布之后就開始掐架，像是兩個橄欖球運動員在那里搶球，但事實上并沒有透露什么有用的信息。

Engineering

????Hits: The Cadillac ATS, built on an exclusive new lightweight chassis that, with rear-wheel-drive and just 3,400 pounds of avoirdupois, can go head-to-head -- at least on the spec sheet -- with the BMW 3-series.

????Miss: The Buick Encore, built on a chassis that it shares with the Chevrolet Sonic, revived memories of earlier Buicks that borrowed engineering from other brands as it moved its model offerings to lower price points. Can anyone say "Skyhawk," "Rendezvous," "Rainier," or "Terraza?"

Parties

????Hits: Cadillac threw a splashy event worthy of the 00's for the unveiling of the ATS on the 11th floor of the spacious College for Creative Studies Taubman Center. The A-list crowd supped on small plates ranging from lobster concoctions to sausage rolls, while North American president Mark Reuss introduced the ATS and then amiably withstood a crush of would-be interviewers.

????Misses: Volkswagen, which aims to be the largest auto company in the world, tried to cram the largest number of guests into the smallest possible space when it hosted a late-night event in a noisy, steamy downtown saloon. The scene outside was equally discordant. Even though VW has called off its planned merger with Porsche due to legal problems, a fleet of Panameras parked at the door looked shockingly out of place in the shabby neighborhood of abandoned storefronts.

Most surprising product trend

????Hits: Luxury SUVs Blame it on the success of the Porsche Cayenne. Luxury and luxury-aspiring manufacturers continue to roll out SUVs, and the bigger they are, the better. Maserati displayed a version of its new Kubang, based on a Jeep Grand Cherokee and built in Detroit, of all places. Bentley declared its intention to enter the fray ASAP with its contender, which will have three rows of seats. Meanwhile Infiniti showed off its all-new JX35 that features three rows of seats plus a backup collision intervention system. It goes on sale this spring. Finally, Lexus unveiled a revised version of its durable LX 570 with seating for eight. Anybody for a safari -- or a trip to the shopping mall?

????Misses: EVs Nearly every manufacturer had an electric vehicle to introduce, but the applause was muted, and the buzz was lacking. Slack sales of the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt have chastened enthusiasts. Like the showbiz ingénue who slumps after her first big hit, EVs may have suffered from premature celebrity and are not quite ready for prime time.

Management

????Hits: Overseas top executives made a strong showing in Detroit, with VW's Martin Winterkorn, Daimler's Dieter Zetsche, Fiat-Chrysler's Sergio Marchionne, and Nissan-Renault's Carlos Ghosn all submitting themselves to print journalists at formal question-and-answer sessions. The formats allowed for more thoughtful responses and generated some real news, such as Marchionne speculating on another wave of industry consolidation in Europe with the creation of a "second VW group" to compete against the Wolfsburg giant.

????Misses: Ford's Alan Mulally and GM's Dan Akerson were less available, appearing mostly in messy scrums after product reveals, which more resemble piles of linemen falling on a fumbled football than anything like the communication of useful information.