The car that could possibly be the next Holden Monaro made a stunning debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

The Buick Avista concept is a sleek coupe with a twin turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine delivering 300kW of power. Autoweek.com hailed it ‘Best in Show’.

Holden has not confirmed it will place its badge on the two-door rear-wheel drive, but with V8 Commodores potentially no more after 2017, it seems a good fit to challenge the Ford Mustang.

If Holden does adopt the Avista it will not appear in Australia until 2018.

Luxury sedans a focus

Hyundai, Volvo and Lincoln all flexed their muscles in the luxury sector, showing off their attempts to make their mark in the lucrative segment.

Hyundai launched its Genesis brand at the show via the G90, featuring a 5.0-litre V8 promising ‘refined performance’. Another option is a twin-turbo V6.

Volvo’s S90 features a semi-autonomous mode, with the vehicle able to detect large animals and apply the brakes.

The Lincoln Continental makes its return to roads this year with a 300kW twin-turbo V6.

Coupes

BMW’s M2 coupe has a 3.0-litre I6 with a twin-scroll turbocharger generating 272kW. It goes from 0-100km/h in under 4.5 seconds.

The rear-drive LC 500 from Lexus cuts back on weight via carbon fibre in the roof, aluminium door skins with carbon-fibre inner structure and a composite trunk floor. The 5.0-litre V8 from the RC-F and GS-F delivers 350kW. Lexus says the 10-speed automatic shifts as quickly as a dual-clutch, also taking less than 4.5 seconds to go from 0-100.

The Mercedes-Benz 10th-Generation E-Class is bigger than before, with a 180kw turbo four-cylinder engine, advanced autonomous features and a new feature, ‘Pre-Safe Sound’, that makes a warning noise before a likely collision, designed to prompt the ear to protect itself. Ear damage is a common result of car accidents.

Concepts, concepts, concepts

The seven-seater Kia Telluride turned heads with its handsome looks and technological advances. The seatbacks contain sensors that monitor and report on passengers’ vital signs. These sync up with a Light Emitted Rejuvenation system that emits therapeutic light to treat jetlag! The Telluride could appear rebadged as part of Hyundai’s luxury ‘Genesis’ brand.

Audi’s hydrogen-powered h-tron concept uses hydrogen to create electricity that generates 110kW in normal conditions, with the ability to apply a temporary boost of 100kW. According to Audi, it has a range of 595km, takes four minutes to refuel and goes from 0-100km/h in around seven seconds. The h-tron introduces features that will become standard on future Audis, including the ‘zFas’ system that “computes a model of the car’s surroundings in real time and makes this information available” to autonomous systems like piloted driving and parking. The car will pretty much be able to drive itself at speeds up to 60km/h.

Pick-ups, aka utes

Nissan and Honda unveiled their latest explorations into the personal truck market. The Nissan Titan Warrior concept has been lifted 7cm to make room for its 92cm off-road tyres.

The Honda Ridgeline has a conventional look. Inside is a 3.5-litre V6 engine with six-speed automatic transmission. It’s available in front- and all-wheel drive and is able to tow up to 2200kg with a payload of 750kg.