Chinese car maker BYD has some ambitious plans in the US. There are so many car makers in China that it makes it really hard to predict who will emerge as a global player.

From the Detroit News:

Detroit — China’s carmakers are becoming regular fixtures at international auto shows, and China’s BYD Auto Inc. is back in Detroit for the second year in a row.

BYD, which stands for “Build Your Dreams,” is displaying its e6 battery-powered electric sedan at the North American International Auto Show this week and hopes to sell it in the U.S. later this year.

BYD is one of China’s most ambitious carmakers, proclaiming at last week’s show preview for media that it aimed to become China’s No. 1 automaker by 2015 — and the world’s biggest by 2025.

Read the full article here.

We are very interested to check out the new offering from Fiat/Chrysler with a Lancia badge. If it’s anything like the Delta that would be a great first step in introducing the new brand to potential U.S. customers.

From AutoGuide.com:

Contrary to previous reports that Chrysler will not present any new models at the Detroit Auto Show in just a few weeks, there is now word that the struggling U.S. automaker will show a new car based on a Lancia platform. The Lancia badge is a sub-brand under Fiat, which now runs Chrysler.

There is no word on what sort of a vehicle it will be, but Fiat is eager to help Chrysler where it needs help most – in the small and mid-size car market. This new model would be the first idea of how Fiat intends to integrate its European designs into the North American marketplace.

Read the full article here.

The clock is ticking towards the launch of the Chevy Volt next year. It’s getting down to the nitty gritty my friends, so keep your fingers crossed over at the Ren Cen.

Royal Oak — Even on their days off, the engineers creating the Chevrolet Volt are working.

They’re testing, measuring and evaluating what is arguably the most important vehicle in General Motors Co.’s history. They take their work home with them, literally, commuting in the vehicles, strapping baby seats in the back or picking up groceries.

When the official auto show season kicks off next month in Los Angeles, the Volt will play a starring role. On Monday, at Athens Coney Island, a group of Volt engineers talked about the car and how its development is progressing.

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When he arrived at Ford several years ago, new CEO Alan Mulally decided it was crazy for Ford to abandon the once-popular “Taurus” brand. He decided quickly to rename the lackluster Ford 500 and bring back the Taurus name.

Now the new Taurus has been introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, and the readers of The Detroit News have chosen the Taurus as “Best of Show” at the auto show. The car looks sweet, and it could provide a great shot in the arm for the struggling American auto industry.

BusinessWeek is reporting from the Detroit Auto Show that Cadillac is introducing a new concept car – an upscale plug-in hybrid called the Cadillac Converj. As you can see from the photo, this vehicle looks sweet. BusinessWeek is calling it “the Volt’s seductive sibling.”