The 2013 Ford Fusion was without a doubt one of the stars of this year's Detroit show. What does it say about the auto industry that a vehicle as humdrum as a Ford Fusion was the star of the most important North American car show? We're still wondering. But here's what impresses us about the Fusion: it is an attractive, completely attainable Ford product designed to compete with entry-level luxury sedans that are $10,000 more expensive, and it will be available with a variety of powertrains, including a hybrid and plug-in hybrid option.

This is not a joke: the 2013 Dodge Dart was one of the best-received cars of the show. It's the kind of attractive, affordable small car that could help repair the Chrysler's reputation. Unless it turns out to be the new Neon.

The 2014 Maserai Kubang is the embodiment of all that is weird about the post-crisis auto industry. Maserati's answer to the Porsche Cayenne, this sport SUV will be built in Detroit, by Chrysler, using the the same architecture as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Mercedes M class - and it'll have a Ferrari-sourced engine.

There's no reason to believe VW will actually build this all-electric two-seat convertible Beetle, but it is fun to look at. The concept car runs on a 114-horsepower electric motor, powered by a lithium-ion battery good for 160 kilometres of driving range.

Audi unveiled this concept winter-sport-equipped mini-SUV with a video suggesting that it is the perfect vehicle for hardcore ice-climbers. In reality, the production Q3 crossover - set to arrive in the US next year, and set to run on a 340-hp 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine - will be the perfect vehicle for Westchester County parents.

The larger of BMW's two plug-in concepts, the i8 pairs a front-mounted electric motor, enough lithium-ion batteries for 30 kilometres of all-electric driving range, and a rear-mounted three-cylinder petrol engine. As unabashedly concepty as it looks here, some version of the i8 is expected to reach the market late next year.

BMW's all-electric city car, the i3, should also become reality next year. A high proportion of strong-but-lightweight carbon-fibre-reinforced-plastic makes the i3 almost 20 per cent lighter than the Nissan Leaf. It will run on a rear-mounted electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, good for roughly 160 kilometres of driving range.

Acura's hybrid concept car, powered by a mid-engine V6 and three electric motors, was one of the show's knockouts. Acura says it intends to build a production car based on this concept within three years, and we hope they do.

With the first compact Cadillac in decades, GM takes aim at the small German luxury sedan. The ATS seems designed to be maximally fun to drive. The rear-wheel-drive sedan is lighter than a BMW 335i, and is available with three different engines - a 200 hp 2.5 four-cylinder; a 270 hp turbocharged 2.0 litre four-cylinder, and a 318 hp 3.5 litre V6.

For the 2013 model year, Mercedes redesigned the SL roadster, trimming 125 kilograms from the car's total weight with an aluminium body and frame.

The show's other big convertible German sports car: the redesigned 911 Cabriolet, which, like the Mercedes SL, reaches dealers this spring.

Hyundai spent the first several minutes of its Detroit press conference promoting its green credentials and talking up its hybrid offerings. Then it pulled a 180 and revealed souped-up sport versions of both the Genesis coupe and the Veloster hatchback, shown here. To be fair, it sounds as if the Veloster needed the power: The turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-litre four-cylinder in the Veloster turbo makes 201 hp, up from a meager 138 hp in the standard-issue Veloster that's on the market now.

In theory, the Lexus LF-LC concept car is a rear-wheel-drive hybrid. In reality, it's a design exercise - a gorgeous one - meant to provide a glimpse of the direction Lexus design will take in the years ahead.

Lincoln says its MKZ concept, meant to give Ford's luxury brand a glinting shot in the arm, "strongly hints" at the look of the production MKZ, which goes on sale later this year.