2013 Detroit Auto Show: 15 hot cars

Easily the most eagerly awaited debut of this year's show, the new C7 Corvette Stingray has been generating speculation and buzz for well over a year leading up to its unveiling. The 2014 Corvette sports Chevrolet's 6.2-liter 450-horsepower V8 LT1 engine and radical styling cues that you'll either love or find out of place. Chevrolet's new Corvette appears, at first blush, to be worthy of the Stingray name. Let the alleged world-beating commence.

Watch Video:  All-new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray debuts

View Pictures:  Corvette Stingray at the Detroit Auto Show

The newest, fastest iteration of Porsche's SUV is over-the-top in all the right ways. From the 550-horsepower engine to the 21-inch 911 Turbo II wheels to the special bodywork, everything about the Cayenne Turbo S shows a blatant disregard for subtlety, and we wouldn't have it any other way. If wanting a hypersonic grocery-getter is wrong, we don't want to be right.

Read:  A beefier Cayenne steers into Detroit

With 560 horsepower, four seats and M-car handling, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe is a rear-wheel-drive monster for the whole family. In the M6 Gran Coupe, drivers get the extra speed that the standard M6 Coupe has over the M5, but with the extra passenger space of a sedan. You could almost say it's downright practical. But then it wouldn't be as cool.

Read:  BMW unveils four new models in Detroit

The stunning all-new Maserati Quattroporte retains the throaty V8 goodness of the previous model. The twist for the 2014 Quattroporte is a new optional V6 engine, available with the standard rear-wheel drive or, for the first time, all-wheel drive. For those who live under the occasional threat of inclement weather, the idea of a 404-horsepower V6 all-wheel drive 4-door Maserati is quite interesting.

Read:  New Quattroporte debuts in Detroit

It can't be said that Lexus isn't willing to make a bold new design statement; the sharply pinched grille of the new 2014 IS almost dares you to dismiss it out of hand. A closer look reveals a sharp new sport sedan with influences from the LFA hypercar and a plethora of performance packages and configurations available. The 2014 Lexus IS is for real.

View Pictures:  Lexus IS in Detroit

The Cadillac ELR wraps the powertrain from Chevrolet's Volt in a gorgeous Cadillac body. Under development since 2009, the ELR runs up to 35 miles on electric power alone, after which its gas engine extends the range around 300 miles. With nods to classic Cadillac design incorporated into a thoroughly modern body, the ELR is expected to arrive at dealerships in early 2014.

Read:  Cadillac offers a sexy electric

Though this car exists overseas as the K7, we're fortunate to get a slightly more appealing version in the Cadenza, with a revised fascia — which Kia is calling a "Tiger Nose" — and other bits. Kia's new flagship is motivated by the most powerful engine that the company has yet produced: a 3.3-liter V6 that makes 293 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque. It has navigation as standard equipment, and that displays on an 8-inch touch screen. The Cadenza is loosely based on the Hyundai Azera, and it'll go on sale during the second quarter of 2013; expect pricing to start in the low $30Ks.

Read:  Kia's new premium sedan unveiled

The exterior of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is pretty much unchanged for the 2014 model year, but what lands it on this list isn't anything on the outside. It's the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine that gives the 2014 Grand Cherokee 240 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, while returning an estimated 30 mpg highway when combined with a new 8-speed automatic transmission. This torquey diesel SUV is a winner in our book.

Read:  Jeep rolls on into Detroit

Watch Video:  Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

Watch Video:  Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel

The 2014 E63 AMG is all bulk and all menace, a throwback design surprisingly more evocative of a classic American muscle car than anything else. What the E63 AMG lacks in flashy bodywork it more than makes up for with its 550-horsepower Biturbo V8 engine, with an option for 577 horsepower in S-Model trim. The big change for the 2014 E63 AMG is Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, which is now standard equipment.

View Pictures:  Mercedes in Detroit

MINI's Paceman is an odd bird in and of itself; the 2-door crossover wedges tightly between the standard Cooper and the 4-door Countryman crossover. What's endearing about the John Cooper Works version of the Paceman is its 208 horsepower and lower, stiffer suspension. If you are going to commit to as different a platform as the Paceman, you might as well go all out with it.

Read:  MINI drops a JCW Paceman in Detroit

If you haven't seen an Audi A7 driving around your area yet, there's something you need to know: It's a really good-looking car. So when — starting now and continuing over the next year or so — you read word after word of praise for the new RS 7 version, know that it comes from the combination of the base car's good looks with a 560-horsepower version of its twin-turbocharged V8 engine that makes more than 550 lb-ft of torque. The 2014 Audi RS 7 isn't just a hot version of a good car; it's the hottest version of a great car.

View Pictures:  High-performance luxury in Detroit

Infiniti's new flagship premiered at the Detroit Auto Show this year with a highly styled new body and an elegant, highly functional interior. With Infiniti's new Direct Adaptive Steering system on board and available hybrid powertrain, rear- or all-wheel drive and new 7-speed automatic transmission, there's a 2014 Q50 for everyone looking for an alternative to the "standard" luxury sport sedans.

Read:  Infiniti's Q50 makes good

The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible goes so far over the top that it swings right back around into being insanely cool again. The GT Speed Convertible has a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine and eclipses both 200 mph and $200,000. The interior is draped in diamond-quilted leather with the option of aluminum or carbon-fiber accents and many types of wood trim. It may be a plaything for the superrich, but what a plaything it is.

View Pictures:  Ultraluxury cars previewed at Detroit

Alas, Audi is not sending its SQ5 to the U.S. with the diesel engine it sports in the European market. What Audi is sending is an SQ5 with a supercharged V6 gasoline engine producing 354 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque. The already-attractive Q5 gets an athletic makeover in this S version, which we expect to be a hit when it arrives on our shores later this year.

Read:  Audi's fast focus for 2014

The baby sibling to the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the 2014 CLA is a front-wheel-drive compact sedan sporting a 2.0-liter 208-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that should be priced around $30,000 when it hits dealerships in September. The CLA's price should turn a great number of heads, and with its sharp design it should scare any other sedan in the price range.

View Pictures:  New Mercedes models at Detroit

James Tate cut his teeth in the business as a race team crew member before moving to the editorial side as Senior Editor of Sport Compact Car, and his work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Automobile, Motor Trendand European Car. When not writing, Tate is usually fantasizing about a vintage Porsche 911.