Is the era of beige finally over? This concept is supposedly a preview of the new Corolla, due in 2014 – and it’s far more striking than the JDM version reviewed by our own BS.

This is an Alfa Romeo 166. No, really. This car, called the Trumpchi, is owned by Chinese automaker GAC, and uses an Alfa platform. Apparently it’s a 4WD Hybrid as well. It looks utterly generic and about a decade behind the rest of the competizione…err, competition.

If there is one “winner” at NAIAS this year, it’s Ford. This should have been GM’s show, with the Corvette (its halo model) and their new full-size truck (their bread and butter) both being shown to the public for the first time. Instead, Ford debuted the Atlas concept, a thinly disguised 2015 F-150.

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Acura will replace their long-in-the-tooth MDX with a new model that looks a lot like the current MDX and even uses a similar 3.5L V6. The new model should look very similar to this concept. As it underwhelming as it seems, Honda did this with the CR-V and it’s arguably the best small crossover out there. The new RDX, despite criticisms relating to its lack of turbochargers, is a vastly improved car. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Contrary to rumors, Acura is not debuting the production NSX at NAIAS. Instead, it’s another iteration of the NSX concept, this time with an interior (shown above). Very LFA-esque.

Hyundai’s HCD-14 Concept is said to preview certain elements of the next-generation Genesis (which should be named Exodus, no?). A Hyundai PR rep noted that this is strictly a concept – unlike Honda, which previews basically production-ready vehicles as “concepts”, this will remain a showcar, though some details will make their way into production. Specific details remain unknown, naturally.

Someone posted this photo, presumably of the production Cadillac ELR. We won’t be the first to break an embargo but the cat’s out of the bag…

Tucked away in the corner of Fiat’s booth was the Serbian-built 500L.  The most striking part of the car was the interior – it’s much more subdued than the regular 500, lacking the flashy, colorful hard plastic dash surfaces. It looks more Dart than Fiat, really.

Canadians have long been privy to a stripped down, lease-special BMW in the form of the 320i. Thanks to BMW’s insatiable quest for volume, Americans will be too. For $33,445, you’ll get a 180 horsepower turbo 4-cylinder and an 8-speed automatic, with a 34 mpg highway rating. And the unbearable stigma of the 320i badge.

In the nascent contest between the Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50, the Infiniti appears to be in the lead. Full details here, thanks to our guest editor Mark Stevenson

Lincoln tries to do an Evoque by taking a Ford platform and an Ecoboost engine while going heavy on the premium.

Any hopes of taking a look at the interior of GM’s full-size trucks were dashed, as GM briefly opened the doors up for pictures and then promptly locked them. Come on guys, what have you got to hide? Even Lexus had the doors of the $445,000 LFA Nurburgring Edition opened.

Someone at Nissan left the new Versa Note aka Versa Hatchback uncovered.

“Oh yeah, that’s my new BMW 428i sDrive” doesn’t sound nearly as cool as “328is” does it? Didn’t think so.

I thought the Mini Paceman was an extraordinarily stupid idea until I saw it on the show floor. The execution is much better than the bloated Countryman. This one has the John Cooper Works engine, which means you’ll get charged an exorbitant amount for 208 horsepower, giant wheels, awful ride quality and $2 worth of badges. But it does have all-wheel drive. Think of it as a cut-rate Evoque. That still costs a lot.