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  Lexus reveals concept interior ahead of the North American International Auto Show, being held in Detroit next month.

A raunchy new Lexus and a Smart with a twist are the first confirmed starters for the Detroit motor show in January.

The snow-capped start to the car year is traditionally a showcase for a wide range of concept cars and Lexus and Smart have gone early with teaser details on their contenders.

The Lexus is a new sporty model that takes its inspiration from the company's LFA supercar and the Smart is a baby ute that pokes fun at the reinvention of the ForTwo.

The two companies will not be alone in Motown next month, with Nissan planning a preview of its Pathfinder, Honda likely to show another NSX supercar concept and a tease for its next Accord, and Chrysler Jeep intending to make a splash with a couple of futuristic show cars.

Lexus is not revealing much about its new car, although it has released teaser pictures of the nose and cabin and plans to also go public with a name before the car is unveiled on Monday, January 9.

But the 19-inch alloy wheels and deep front airdam point to something that's more like the LFA than another CT200-style hybrid, and it shares the Darth Vader-style 'thimble' grille treatment already applied to the new Lexus GS.

"It's a concept car. it's not an update of an existing model," confirms Peter Evans of Lexus Australia.

But he is keen to keep a distance between the Lexus concept and Toyota's new sports car hero.

"It has no commonality, nor does it have anything in common with, the Toyota 86," says Evans.

There is definite production potential in the Detroit display car but, typically, it will take a people-power movement to convince Lexus executives in Japan to move it beyond a tasty piece of tinsel.

"The picture will get clearer over the next couple of weeks," Evans says.

Apart from the concept, Lexus is also expected to show a revamped LX four-wheel drive. The heavyweight SUV, which is a tweaked Toyota LandCruiser, was originally expected at the Dubai motor show last month but its place was taken by the Toyota 86 at the last minute.

Over at Smart, the baby ute is called the Smart-for-us and is deliberately poking fun at the over-complication of cars in the 21st century.

"This is to give people a flavour of what's possible at Smart. It's to keep people interested in the brand," says Smart's Australian spokesman, David McCarthy.

"I wouldn't be betting on a ute, but there will be some other design cues there for people to check.

The rollout for the new ForTwo has already run through the Forvision concept and the Detroit-mobile shares the same battery power pack and electric engine.

The concept is wider and longer than the ForTwo to emphasise the compact proportions, as well as making space for a tray back that can carry a couple of bicycles. In some ways it's closer in size to a potential replacement for the underachieving ForFour than the baby ForTwo.

"We at smart love pick-ups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable," says the CEO of Smart, Annette Winkler.