Chevrolet Code 130R

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.

Despite claims that there is nothing retro about the youth-focussed two-door concept, it takes its inspiration from the BMW 2002 Tii of the 1980s.

"Yes, you're right. It does," Mark Reuss, the president of GM North America, admits to Carsguide. "That was a great car."

The Chevrolet 130R has also been compared with today's chunky BMW 1 Series coupe but Reuss says the GM designers responsible for the car looked further back for their ideas. 

The car is one of a pair of Chevrolet concepts - the other is the wedgy Tru 140S - aimed at the next generation of car buyers. Apart from their shape, the clear difference is their focus.

The Tru-car is about style and high-tech connections for what General Motors is calling 'Millenials', the next generation of young drivers about to begin their life on wheels, and its body sits over the front- wheel drive platform of the existing Chevrolet Cruze.

But the Code is about driving enjoyment and shares its mechanical platform with the rear-wheel drive Cadillac ATS revealed at the Detroit show, but with the 1.4-litre turbocharged Ecotec engine about to be fitted to the Chevrolet Sonic RS - a car also being considered for Australia as a hotrod Barina.