The 2008 Detroit Auto Show is all about fun, fashion, and, in many cases, fast. Beautiful concepts give a glimpse of future design or body style, but they are often powered by wild 16 cylinder monsters or fuel cell/hybrid/solar/ethanol eco engines that may only exist in theory.
This year's show delivered a different kind of all-star, one that sports a word seldom used in conjunction with `sexy' or `gotta have it' - diesel. If you've spent any time driving in Europe the last decade, you know what diesel engines have become. They provide better fuel economy, more power, and are almost impossible to differentiate on the exhaust or noise scales from their gasoline brethren. And. in the U.S. market, we are on the brink of being able to drive these gems home thanks to new diesel fuel standards and advanced exhaust filtering.
And the flagship for this next wave has to be the incredible Audi R8 V12 TDI Concept. This is one of those moments where the word `concept' really just means you can't buy one today or maybe even later this year. But it is coming, and on it are pinned Audi's hopes that you will give their mainstream diesels a try when also considering new diesel cars from Mercedes, BMW, Honda, and others later this year and into 2009.
We already know and love the V8-powered R8 as one of the certified "rock stars" in the 2008 automotive universe. To drive one is to know what it feels like to hear your name announced at the Academy awards or up in lights at Carnegie Hall. But it will soon be available with an optional 6.0 liter V-12 diesel. With it, the car hits 62 mph in just 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of more than 186 mph. But most impressive is the torque rating of 738 lb-ft at just 1750 rpm. That rating is what will impress American drivers, as torque is what you feel under acceleration. If a team of these cars were lined up and all took off at the same time, the earth's rotation would no doubt be knocked off a degree or two.
