The Detroit Auto Show is open to the public this week. If you're the type of person who really wants to be there, but can't find the time or money to arrive, allow me to present you with a viable alternative. Sure, we already brought you news about the green cars that were revealed or are on display at the show, but sometimes you'd like to just aimlessly wander the aisles and see what you can find, right? If that sounds good to you, here's a way to do just that at your computer. Click on the gallery thumbnails below to begin a journey through 111 images shot by Newspress at the NAIAS. As I was posting these images, I felt like I was back in Cobo Hall. You can feel like you're there, too. Enter any time.

Episode 18 of the Autoblog Green Podcast sees us reminiscing about the North American International Auto Show, recently passed in Detroit. We start with the reconfigured Saturn Vue Hybrid from AFS - the "extreme hybrid" claiming a narrowly defined150 mpg. AFS's claims point up the need for a new way to accurately rate mpg for hybrid and plugin powertrains. We touch on the Chrysler green trio, and Saturn's own Vue Two-Mode - one of three versions of the Vue that will have a flavor of hybrid powertrains (two mode, li-ion/phev, mild).

Everyone in Detroit had a Diesel, too, many displacing 2.2 liters and having four cylinders. We also talk abit about Ford going mainstream with their EcoBoost engine technology rather than trotting out ever larger V8s - big power doesn't always mean big cubes, and EcoBoost is more than small motors with big compressors strapped onto the exhaust manifolds. We wrap up by touching on the news that the ALMS series will see a fleet of Corvettes running cellulosic E85. The rules of the series allow lots of different technologies to run wheel to wheel, so alternative powertrains could be the next area where we see racing improving the breed. 43 minutes, and we're done, thanks for listening!

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During the Detroit Auto Show, a Ford press liaison invited AutoblogGreen and around a dozen other journalists to an on-the-record dinner to talk about sustainability and related topics. As a guy who writes for AutoblogGreen, I couldn't help but notice that every single person around the dinner table had been at Cobo Hall during the day. The first day's schedule of jam-packed press events ended at around 6:30 at the show in downtown, and the dinner started at 7:30 on Southfield, which is 20+ miles away. So, for a relaxed discussion on Ford's commitment to sustainability, Ford made sure that we all needed to drive for half an hour. Nice. To be fair, it's not like Ford at home in Detroit, so maybe they didn't know that there are plenty of good restaurants downtown. Oh, wait.

Anyway, the chance to sit with Sue Cischke, Ford's Senior Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering and Bill Ford, Jr. himself made the dinner too tempting and so I headed out to the restaurant (arriving a few minutes late because I always, always get lost when I drive in Detroit). I've put up a recording of the opening discussion we had with Bill (note: for this post, I'll use "Bill" to refer to William Ford III and "Ford" to refer to the company, just so there aren't any confusing sentences) and you can listen to it here (36 min, 25MB). The bulk of this post is written from what was said then and during the dinner itself.

Read all about it after the jump.

We're in Detroit now, but Sebastian and Sam took some time to chat about a few things before leaving for the show. Rick Wagoner's CES keynote was historic, as was the appearance of the Cadillac Provoq at that show. Coming up at Detroit we'll bring you details on all of the alternative and fuel-efficient vehicles like the Hummer HX that signals a wholesale move to E85 capability and the first ever unibody Ford Explorer. Sebastian brings us an interview with Bill Roe of Coskata Energy about their exciting work on biofuels and we wrap up by touching on the Tata Nano. We'll be back again soon, see you then!

UPDATE: transcript of the interview with Bill Roe available here.

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Click the Verve for a high-res gallery

At this year's Detroit Auto Show, the U.S. public will get their first up close look at Kinetic design. The Ford Verve sedan concept is making its debut in its latest form. Ford first showed off a three-door hatchback version of the Verve at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September and later in the fall a sedan variant at a Chinese Show. A revised version of that four door model is coming here with new front fascia and tail lights as well as a vibrant red paint job.

The most important thing about Verve is that the B-class car will actually go on sale in the U.S. in 2010 after it debuts as a 2009 model in Europe and Asia. Based on the spy photos of the production version since the debut of the concept, it looks like it will change very little from what we see here. The four-cylinder-powered Verve may well be the first to get the small 1.4L ecoBoost GTDI engine although Ford isn't yet specifying anything beyond a four cylinder publicly. Given the U.S. market preference for automatics, the Verve would seem good candidate for the new PowerShift dual clutch transmission Ford is now starting to offer in some European models.

[Source: Ford]

The Automotive X-Prize organizers are gearing up to officially kick off the competition early this year and people will get their first opportunity to meet some of the competitors next week at the Detroit Auto Show. Seven of the teams that have signed letters of intent to compete will be on hand at the X-Prize booth during the media and industry previews before the show opens to the public. Visionary Vehicles, Velozzi, Valentin Technologies, Titling Vehicles Australia, Alpha Core/Poulson Hybrid, Psycho-Active and Michigan Vision will all be there, as will we, starting Sunday at Cobo Hall. Visionary Vehicles is the latest project from Malcolm Bricklin. AutoblogGreen will be sitting down with Mr. Bricklin to discuss his project so stay tuned for that.

[Source: Automotive X-Prize]

We've seen the first batch of pictures with the preview, the video and now we can go on A-Bat overload. Toyota has just released a slew of pictures of the A-Bat hybrid truck concept that will be on the stand at the Detroit Auto Show in the very near future. The bed of the unique-looking A-Bat can be extended from four to eight feet, but the part we like is the Hybrid Synergy Drive with a four-cylinder gas engine. We'll know more about the powertrain when we get to Detroit. For now, these 59 images should keep you busy. My faves are the bikes in the bed and the non-circular steering wheel. Take a look.


[Source: Toyota via Autoblog]

As our colleagues from Autoblog have just published, Land Rover has a smaller and more compact concept vehicle, the LRX. While the vehicle should have remained a secret until a big unveil in Detroit next month, you can see it now thanks to German enthusiast mag Auto Motor und Sport.

If the car went into production, it would likely be produced on the Ford Focus platform, and the article states that it would include a hybrid powertrain with an electric motor powering the rear axle, which would help lower Land Rover's average CO₂ emissions.

The concept was made from a slightly shortened Freelander body: 4.35 meters long, 12 centimeters less than the Freelander and 1.55 meters wide and 20-inch rims. It's basically a 2+2 coupé with AWD. All-road capabilities will be reduced beause of 13 fewer centimeters of ground clearance. The concept focuses on creating an interior luxury atmosphere and includes a fridge between the seats and touchscreens.

Depending on the driving mode, the color of the interior lights changes to reflect the driver's mood: blue for normal driving, red for sport and green for eco-mode.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Autoblog]