DETROIT, MI (January 19, 2004)- During the first weeks of January, Detroit hosted the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Hall. Anticipation for this show started building in December, as the rumor mill described a banner year for new vehicle introductions. When the show opened to the press on January 4th, vehicle manufacturers held more than 60 new vehicle introductions at more than 30 press conferences over a three-day period. These are heady times for Detroit, and as expected, new products were unleashed in a torrent.

All auto shows have highlights, but it must be said that any Detroit show which unveils both a new Ford Mustang and a new Chevrolet Corvette should be remembered fondly. Here are some of the notable bits from the 2004 NAIAS, starting with the 'Big 3' OEMs (this is the Detroit show, after all):

GM

There were new products aplenty in the GM booths, and it is clear that the company will be putting lots of new metal in the showrooms during the next 20 months. Among the more notable vehicles in the GM booth were the small Chevy Cobalt (replacement for the aging Chevrolet Cavalier), the fantastic Pontiac Solstice, and of course, the new C6 Corvette.

FORD

Among the highlights of the Ford stand were the production-ready GT, the Shelby Cobra concept, a new Mustang, the new 500 sedan, and the Freestyle crossover. While the sports cars drew lots of admiring stares, the most significant vehicles, in terms of Ford's future, were the 500 sedan and the Freestyle crossover. The Freestyle crossover wagon has conservative exterior styling, but offers its occupants a very spacious interior. The 500 sedan will be available a choice of front- or all-wheel-drive, automatic or CV transmissions, and this large sedan should prove to be a respectable replacement for the Taurus when that nameplate is retired.

Daimler-Chrysler

While there were no new motorcycles on display in the DaimlerChrysler booths (folks are still buzzing about that little scooter called the Tomahawk), the people from Daimler impressed visitors with the ME412 concept car. In addition, there were a couple of new Chrysler ragtops on display: the new PT Cruiser convertible and the Crossfire convertible. Jeep showed its Cummins-powered Rescue concept, while Mercedes displayed the Grand Sport Tourer, a production-ready crossover wagon featuring a diesel hybrid-electric drive and three rows of seating.

Other highlights of the 2004 NAIAS:

• BMW showed off the stylish new 6-series. Sharing design cues from the new 5- and 7-series, the 645 looks like a winner for the grand touring car segment.
• Ferrari's 612 Scaglietti was introduced at the Detroit show. This 2+2 features an aluminum body and frame, and is powered by a 533 horsepower V-12 mated to a conventional 6-speed transmission or an F1-style automated manual. The Scaglietti is absolutely stunning.
• Honda showed its new Sport Utility Pickup, a close-to-production concept based on the current Pilot SUV. This vehicle was the only notable new product at the quiet Honda stand.
• The big news at Toyota was the FTX, a very large concept pickup that offers some insights into Toyota's plans for the North American full-size pickup truck market. The FTX was enormous - dwarfing a current Ford F-150 - and prominently featured a hybrid-electric V-8 drivetrain.