The Toyota FT-1 Concept sports car makes the cut as one of the top five cars from the first day of the 2014 Detroit Auto Show—despite no mention of its technical specs.  The action hasn’t stopped at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, with nearly every automaker present showing a new production model, or outrageous concept vehicle.  Picking the best of the best isn’t easy, though some vehicles eventually rise to the top. Sometimes it’s a vehicle’s sheer importance to the company’s bottom-line, which is the case with the Ford F-150 pick-up.  PHOTOS: TOP MOMENTS FROM THE FLOOR OF THE 2014 DETROIT AUTO SHOW  This has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for more than 30 years, so Ford can’t afford to get things wrong with a redesign of this hugely popular pick-up truck.  Other cars here in Cobo Hall simply prove that gasoline flows through the veins of a car company’s engineers. How else can you explain a Corvette with 625-horsepower, much less a Kia sports car that looks ready to chase Ferraris?  Here are our top picks from Day One at the Detroit Auto Show media preview:  Ford’s newest pick-up kicked off the action here in Detroit, and with good reason. If Ford gets it wrong with the F-150, well, there might not be any more Ford Motor Company!  RELATED: 2015 FORD F-150 BRINGS ALUMINUM AND LEDS TO THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW  Luckily for the Blue Oval brand, the new model is a definite step in the right direction – though not nearly as radical looking as the Atlas Concept pick-up, shown last year. Aluminum construction trims hundreds of pounds of weight from the F-150.  That improves everything from ride and handling, to braking distances and, naturally, overall fuel economy averages.  How could a Corvette with 625-horsepower not make this list?  Okay, we’re guessing fuel economy isn’t going to be the strong suit of the new Z06. That’s okay, because the thundering 6.2-liter V-8 engine under the hood makes up for having to refuel…a lot!  RELATED: CHEVROLET UNVEILS FASTEST CORVETTE EVER AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW  This is the fastest production Corvette ever. Maybe that’s why Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America, referred to the Z06 as “the big nasty.”  Chrysler is back, or at least it’s trying awfully hard.  After years of being an also-ran in the midsize sedan segment (and that’s putting it nicely), the new 200 sedan is loaded with elegant style and technology. Customers have a choice of 4 or 6-cylinder engines, and a 9-speed automatic gearbox joins the spec sheet.  RELATED: 2015 CHRYSLER 200 IS THE CAR COMEBACK AT THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW  The cabin is vastly better than the outgoing 200, thanks to higher quality materials and a modern layout of dials and gauges. It’s long overdue, but at least the new 200 is very promising.  A concept car has to be impressive if we rank it this high and don’t even know what the heck is under the hood.  Toyota is aiming for the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, and the future Acura NSX with the FT-1 Concept. This curvy coupe looks like a Scion FR-S on steroids, but in a good way (trust us!).  RELATED: TOYOTA FT-1 CONCEPT IS HUNTING FOR CORVETTES, PORSCHES  Toyota didn’t mention any powerplant, other than stating there is a powerful “internal combustion engine.” Erm, thanks a lot guys!  Despite the mystery, we bet Toyota is planning to produce a sports car to liven up its image. The end result might look a lot like the FT-1 Concept.  These are the luxury sports sedan and coupe models that every other automaker targets. That’s why the new BMW M3 and M4 are so important – they’ve been the performance benchmark for decades now (and back before marketing-speak turned the M3 coupe into the M4).  RELATED: BMW LAUNCHES ALL-NEW M3, M4 AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW  That trend looks to continue, since BMW has trimmed curb-weight and increased power courtesy of a 425-hp turbocharged inline-6 cylinder engine.  A carbon-fiber roof panel is an especially slick and effective touch that helps to shed pounds and lower the center of gravity. And BMW fans will love that these rear-wheel-drive speed machines are still available with a manual gearbox.
The Detroit Auto Show has ushered in a huge range of exciting new models, from massive pick-ups, to snarling sports cars, and sleek midsize family sedans.