Detroit motor show

Disgruntled car workers staged a noisy protest outside the Detroit motor show to ram home the message that they will not accept swingeing cuts in wages and benefits demanded by the US government Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Under the terms of a $17bn (£11.2bn) federal bail-out package, General Motors and Chrysler are required to reduce employees' earnings to the level of their Japanese rivals – closing a gap estimated at $10 an hour. Ford, which has not taken bail-out funds, also wants reductions to keep itself on a level playing field with its rivals Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

But if it was supposed to be a glitz-free, austere Detroit motor show this year, some car manufacturers clearly didn't get the memo. Lamborghini flew the flag with a decidedly unreconstructed exhibition stand featuring twig-thin models smiling seductively alongside rich boys' toys Photograph: Carlos Osorio/AP

Then there was Britain's Bentley, which for some reason decided that Detroit would be a good place to launch a £146,100 deluxe convertible featuring massage chairs and a lockable ski cabinet in the boot Photograph: Rob Widdis/EPA

Bentley's sales and marketing director, Stuart McCullough, was engagingly combative when asked whether he expected to sell many of the 200mph Continental GTC Speed cars in down-at-heel Detroit. 'That's a silly question,' said McCullough. 'At a Detroit show, you're aiming to put cars on sale for the rest of the world.' Photograph: Mark Blinch/Reuters

British-built brands Jaguar and Mini took the wraps off sporty new models after bucking the motor industry downturn by delivering surges in sales last year. Jaguar unveiled its fastest ever car, the 225mph XFR Photograph: Carlos Osorio/AP

Mini launched a new version of its soft-top convertible with a car driven dramatically through a wall of ice before the world's media at this week's motor show, to the thumping beat of Foreigner's Cold as Ice Photograph: Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images

Motorists can open or close the roof at speeds of up to 18mph in case the weather changes suddenly. Mini is also working on a plug-in electric car called the Mini E, which will be tested by drivers in Los Angeles, New York and Berlin this year Photograph: Paul Sancya/AP

With a dozen or so manufacturers absent from the show this year, China's top carmakers – Brilliance and BYD – were elevated from their previous spot in the basement of Detroit's Cobo convention centre to take stands alongside America's loss-making elite. Pictured is a BYD (Build Your Dreams) E6 Electric car Photograph: Mark Blinch/Reuters

Chrysler may be teetering on the brink of financial oblivion but it has come up with some unusual ideas for dashboard gizmos. A map on the dashboard of the Dodge EV concept car will show the location of 'buddy' vehicles and will direct you to them. You can share instant messages and music Photograph: Bill Pugliano/Getty

Ford displayed its Flex EcoBoost Hybrid. The least convincing bit of spin at this year's motor show came from Ford's chairman, Bill Ford. 'In spite of the many challenges we face, I can honestly say I've never been more excited about our prospects for the future,' said the great-grandson of Henry Ford. Has anybody told Bill that Ford has lost $24bn since 2005 – and that US car sales are expected to plunge to a 27-year low this year? Photograph: Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images