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Performance cars overpower the Detroit Auto Show

At precisely the stroke of noon on Monday, the 2016 Acura NSX rolled on stage at the Detroit Auto Show amid plumes of smoke and dancing lights. The sounds of the powerful engine revving soared to the rafters. It was the second coming of Acura's iconic sports car, and the reveal had all of the expected trappings. Afterwards, champagne corks popped and the bubbly flowed. It was noon in Detroit, but for the green-car movement, it seemed like the clock had struck midnight. That's an exaggeration, but performance was the overwhelming theme of North America's most important show. Ford – which has helped lead the way in smaller displacement engines and early adoption of hybrid powertrains – had more than 1,500 horsepower on stage one point after it revealed the GT concept, the new F-150 Raptor and the Shelby Mustang GT350R. The NSX is technically a hybrid (it has three electric motors), but with 550-plus hp, there's no doubt this Acura was bred on the track. The theme continued throughout the show at nearly every stand. Alfa Romeo showed off the 4C Spider, which is the open-air version of a car that purports to be the spiritual successor of the high-performance 33 Stradale from 1967. On Tuesday, Cadillac is scheduled to reveal the 640-hp CTS-V with the V8 transplanted from the Corvette Z06, and the Lexus was expected to roll out its own V8-powered beast, the 467-hp GS F. For enthusiasts – especially enthusiasts with money – these are halcyon days. But make no mistake, all of this power has a purpose. Ford product chief Raj Nair said the Blue Oval uses high performance cars to develop technologies, like aerodynamics and materials, which are then shared across its lineup. "It's another proof point about how serious we are in developing innovation through performance," he said. Ford, which is rolling out at least 12 performance cars by 2020, said the sporty cars attract younger and more influential buyers to its fold, which can help burnish its image beyond adding sales volume. Toyota is taking a similar approach, senior vice president Bob Carter said, noting the Lexus RC coupe draws people into showrooms and gets them excited about the brand, even if they don't end up buying one. "They provide an aspiration and a halo that provides the attention that gets you noticed in a cluttered market," he said.

Autoblog fan favorite car ads from Super Bowl XLIX

Super Bowl XLIX is in the books, and the New England Patriots emerged victorious. Of course, if you're like us, the big game wasn't so much about the battle between the east coast and west, so much as a fight between the world's automotive advertisers. We collected and collated all of last night's new ads and put them together for you to vote on. And yes, we're limiting this year's contest to last night's new features. That's why you aren't seeing Dodge's epic Wisdom among our collection of commercials, and it's a similar story with Chevrolet's Truck Guy Focus Group series, which highlights the new Colorado. You can still vote for your favorites. We won't be closing the voting on our Super Bowl page, so while the winners and losers are correct as of this writing, it's entirely possible that there could be some changes in the rankings as time goes on. So, without any further ado, here are the winning ads based on your voting. Nissan: With Dad Fiat: Ready For Action Jeep: Beautiful Lands BMW: Newfangled Idea Mercedes-Benz: Fable NASCAR: America Start Your Engines As for those ads that failed to impact you, loyal readers, Toyota was the absolute, undisputed loser. The Japanese brand ran four ads in total – two for Toyota and two for Lexus – and all of them have negative tallies as of this writing. Lexus' Make Some Noise and Lets Play and Toyota's One Bold Choice and My Bold Dad both had very weak showings among the commercials that aired, although they weren't alone. Neither Mazda nor Kia scored particularly well, despite featuring celebrity magic act Penn and Teller and former James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, respectively. Chevrolet was the winner of the losers, as of our writing, recording the fewest downvotes for its audience-punking The Big Game ad. If you want to take a second look at the losing ads, you can head back to our Super Bowl page for the complete collection. But for now, head into Comments and let us know what you think of the results.

Autoblog Minute: Finalists announced for 2016 Tech of the Year award

Here are the finalists for Autoblog's 2016 Technology of the Year award. Autoblog's Chris McGraw reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute, with commentary from Autoblog executive producer Adam Morath, AutoblogGreen editor-in-chief Sebastian Blanco, and Autoblog senior editor Alex Kierstein. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] It's Fall here in Detroit and for us that means it's time for football, autumn beers, and the fourth annual Autoblog Tech of the Year awards. I'm Chris McGraw and this is your Autoblog Minute. Tech of the Year is one of our favorite things here at Autoblog. It's a time when we get celebrate all the best tech from the industry we love most. [00:00:30] - [00:01:00] [Commentary form Adam Morath, Sebastian Blanco, Alex Kierstein] Past winners include, Tesla's Supercharger network, FCA's Uconnect system and the BMW i8. In 2016 we're doing something a little different for Tech of the Year. We've separated our award into two categories. One award for best tech car, and a second award for best technology of the year. The nominees for best car in 2016 are: [00:01:30] the Tesla Model S, the Chevrolet Volt, and the BMW 7 series. The nominees for best tech in 2016 are: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Volkswagen's MiB II with AppConnect, Ford Sync 3, Audi's Virtual Cockpit, the Smart Cross Connect App, and Volvo Sensus. [00:02:00] We're going to announce Autoblog's Tech of the Year winners in January at the 2016 North American International Auto Show, in Detroit. For Autoblog, I'm Chris McGraw. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals. Green BMW Chevrolet Ford Hummer smart Tesla Volkswagen Volvo Technology Infotainment Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video