Put Cadillac's 556-horsepower supercharged V8 into just about anything and chances are we'll like it -but Inside Line Senior Editor Ed Helwig tells us that it's really in the details.

The 2012 Ford Focus, which Ford is unveiling in five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, isn't the first time that the company has tried to design one "world car" for all its major markets.The "world car" has been to international automakers what low-fat donuts are to lovers of regular donuts — the impossible dream. So we've been down this road with Ford before with cars like the Contour and the old Fiesta. Hell, even the Model T was something of a world car.But as Ford Motor Company tries to reconcile its bread-and-butter offerings under the One Ford banner, the Focus represents the purest example of the world car ethos yet. It will be the first offering to be designed from the outset with all markets in mind. (The North American

Keeping a lid on details about the 2011 Ford Mustang GT's new 5.0-liter V8 is proving futile for Ford thanks to the magic of the internet. For instance, we now know that the five-oh V8's 412 horsepower come in at 6,500 rpm. And the torque rating is 390 pound-feet -- up from a mere 325 on the 2010 Mustang GT.

With the introduction of its Detroit-show E-tron concept, Audi has taken the lead in electric-powered, chrome-wheeled sports cars. The company is already on its second-generation E-tron since last fall's Frankfurt show.

Because small things are not as good or large as large things, the new 2011 Audi A8 is longer, wider and taller than the 2004-'10 model. And not coincidentally, it's also a little bigger than the standard-wheelbase versions of the BMW 7 Series and Lexus LS. Plus it's not much smaller than the long-wheelbase luxo-barges. Plus it'll roll on wheels up to 21 inches across.

Fiat unveiled the 500 BEV — which stands for battery-electric vehicle — at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, and insiders say the vehicle is planned for sale in the U.S. in 2011. Gasoline-engined versions of the 500 are slated for production in Mexico and should begin reaching U.S. Chrysler dealers in late 2010 or early 2011.

The list of electric vehicles bound for the 2010 Detroit Auto Show grew on Thursday with word that the battery-electric Volvo C30 has been tweaked and will make an appearance in the Motor City. Volvo had announced the car last September but now says the new version "is a much more complete product." "The new battery-electric C30 features a complete interior and full instrumentation, as well as enhanced battery packaging," said Lennart Stegland, director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles, in a statement. "The first prototype helped us identify the main technological challenges without compromising the C30's personality. The electric C30 in Detroit is a much more complete product."

The new concept "does without doors, a conventional roof and all other body elements which might possibly limit the intensity of the occupants' encounter with their surrounding world," said Mini in a statement.The

On sale in May 2010, the rear-wheel-drive cabriolet is identical in size to the

Volkswagen is breaking out of its design straitjacket with the Volkswagen NCC (New Compact Coupe) — a near-production-ready concept with a hybrid drivetrain. High-ranking officials from VW headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, have confirmed to Inside Line that the NCC will become part of the next-generation Jetta lineup following its unveiling at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. The elegant front-wheel-drive coupe has been conceived to fill the hole left in VW's product line for North America following its decision to withhold from importing the Scirocco to these shores. After years of attempting to convince U.S. car buyers that hatchbacks are the wave of the future, the German carmaker has acknowledged that a traditional three-box body style is vital for any car meant to achieve sales success in North America.