Take a long look at the above photo. It’s GM’s booth at the 2009 NAIAS in Detroit, the most important car show in America. And no, it’s not after-hours. This is mid-show. Yowzers. I haven’t such emptiness since that Heidi Montag wedding (Zing!). Obviously, a very slow year for Detroit. A consultant who used to coordinate parties for Ford said they used to spend over a million dollars on a single party. This year? There wasn’t even one. Ouch. Yes, it’s that bad. Still, plenty of vehicular goodness to feast your eyes on. If the NAIAS is any calibrator, Audi is coming up stronger than ever.

The Best Concept Car of NAIAS 2009: Cadillac Converj

…and you know we were looking forward to this, the new Mercedes Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss (the last McLaren SLR ever). Everyone I know at the show hated it, but I gotta say I thought it was pretty bad ass…

More pics of the Mercedes BlueZero, Saab 9X Air, BMW Z4, Audi R8 V10, Audi Sportback Concept, and Ford F-150 Raptor SVT after the Jump…

Interior shots of the McLaren Stirling Moss…

…that’s a lotta nose…

Imagine blasting down the highway at 217 mph with only that sliver of glass as your windshield. WTF?!

The lithium ion battery-powered Mercedes Benz BlueZero E-Cell. The E-Cell Plus adds a turbocharged three-cylinder engine, and its batteries will last 62 miles. With a full charge and a full tank, it has a 373 mile range.

Cadillac Converj is basically a Volt, but with the body of Adriana Lima instead of Tara Reid. Like the Volt it runs on electricity, but uses a gasoline engine to recharge the lithium-ion battery as it loses power.

Saab 9X Air — yes it’s debuted before, but those lines make it worth a revisit. Check out how the windows run back from the windshield — possibly the best convertible profile  ever…

The new BMW Z4.

The new Audi R8 V10. Beauty incarnated…

Feeling the FORD grill on the F-150 Raptor SVT…

Audi A7 Sportback Concept. Another sublime Audi homerun…

Check out the wood interior. Probably won’t make it to production, but oh so clean…

…and the all-glass roof…what?!

…nice detail on the sideview mirror…