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With a large handful of major manufacturers choosing to sit out of Detroit, this year’s premier auto show in Michigan was a significantly smaller affair than years past. Despite this, the Cobo Center saw a decent number of spicy reveals ranging from German family sedans, special edition Subarus, and ludicrously powerful muscle cars to a certain hotly anticipated Toyota. In no particular order, here are five of the hottest cars from the 2019 Detroit Auto Show.
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Kicking off the list is what might possibly be the most Detroit car ever, the 700-plus-horsepower GT500 Mustang. Its 5.2-liter, supercharged V8 revs to 7,500 rpm, completes the quarter mile in under 11 Mississippi, and was designed to scare Hellcats into submission. If cars are merely a casual interest, all you need to know is this: it’s the most powerful factory Ford ever made.
Lexus LC Convertible Concept
Lexus sawed the roof off of its LC grand tourer and while the LC Convertible is technically still a concept car, it looks 95 percent ready for the showroom and we have a hunch it’ll be hitting the streets sooner rather than later. Open air, a big, naturally-aspirated V8, and Lexus build quality. What’s not to like?
Curiously, this was only the second coolest Toyota product at Detroit this year.
2020 Volkswagen Passat
Despite the sedan’s rapid decline in popularity, Volkswagen is marching on with its restyled 2020 Passat. Still riding on the last Passat’s underpinnings, the updated model gets a whole new appearance and provides a Teutonic alternative to stuff like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
In the words of The Drive‘s own Will Sabel Courtney after he drove a camouflaged prototype at VW’s secret Arizona facility last month, the 2020 Passat “is unlikely to shock anyone who’s grown used to the current Tennessee-built NMS model.”
2020 Subaru WRX STI S209
Rocking 341 horsepower and a large array of handling and aerodynamic upgrades, the special edition S209 STI from Subaru is the first of its kind to make it to the U.S. Actually owning one requires a special kind of privilege as well since only 200 examples will ever be made. That makes this four-door Subie more than twice as rare as a Ferrari LaFerrari hypercar.
2020 Toyota Supra
You knew it was coming. We knew it was coming. Everybody and their mother knew it was coming. After leaks upon leaks, Toyota finally, officially showed us the 2020 rebirth of its legendary Supra sports car with the help of one Fernando Alonso. Made in collaboration with BMW, the new Supra makes 335 horsepower, gets to 60 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds, and is the quickest accelerating Toyota ever. That’s not a “leak” or a rumor. That’s official Toyota intel. Thank God.
Oh, and how do we know the new Supra is hot and deserves to be on this list? Because Toyota freakin’ said so.
