DETROIT — The Detroit Auto Show, the industry's biggest debutante ball in the U.S., gets under way tomorrow with the usual mix of green, mean and hauling machines from major manufacturers, including General Motors, Ford and Toyota.

But Detroit this year also sports a Chinese accent, with four manufacturers primed to become lower-priced rivals to the established players in the U.S.

In addition to the car companies, a Chinese design studio will display vehicles in the media preview leading to the show that runs Jan. 19 to 27 in the Cobo Center.

Geely International Corp., which was at the 2006 show, and Changfeng Motor Group, which was there last year, are being joined by BYD Auto Co. and China American Cooperative Automotive Inc. (Chamco), the U.S. distributorship of Zhongxing Automobile Co. And Li Shi Guang Ming Auto Design Co. will parade electric cars it designed.

Chamco could be the first to do business in the U.S.

It has announced plans to sell a sport-utility vehicle and pickup starting in June and is recruiting dealers, though it has yet to announce that either vehicle has been certified as meeting U.S. safety and emissions regulations.

Chamco Auto West is the company that will distribute and help open dealerships for Chinese-made cars in Hawai'i and eight other western states. The distributor is owned by Scott Thomason, an owner of auto dealerships in Houston and San Francisco, and Brad Shaffer, a financial executive.

BYD has said it intends to launch in the U.S. by early 2009.

Geely and another Chinese manufacturer, Chery Automobile Co., previously said they planned to sell cars in the U.S. by this year, but both backed away, saying they need more time to develop suitable models.

The industry's major players won't be lacking in Detroit, either.

Ford unveils the 2009 F-150 pickup and the Verve and Explorer America concepts. The F-150, the industry's best-selling model, has a more rugged appearance. Verve is Ford's new global subcompact car, due for U.S. sale in 2010, and the Explorer America is a peek at the next-generation Explorer SUV.

Dodge will take the wraps off its redesigned big rig, the 2009 Ram pickup, which adds a crew cab style for the first time. The Ram is Chrysler LLC's best-seller.

Chrysler also will introduce three "green" concepts. All have electric motors. The Chrysler ecoVoyager also has a hydrogen fuel cell, the Dodge Zeo is an all-electric sport wagon and the Jeep Renegade is a plug-in, diesel-powered hybrid off-roader.

From GM, the Hummer HX concept is a look at the H4, a model smaller than the H3 expected for the 2009 model year.

GM also will flex its muscles with the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (whose supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 has more than 620 horsepower and a top speed of more than 200 mph) and the V-8 powered Cadillac CTS-V. Not as brawny as Corvette but a performance sedan nonetheless.

Toyota introduces the Venza, a five-passenger crossover that blends sedan and SUV attributes and will be built at the Georgetown, Ky., plant with the Camry, the industry's top-selling passenger car. Also from Toyota, the A-BAT compact pickup concept is built on a car platform instead of a truck one.

Honda unveils a prototype of the 2009 Pilot SUV that it says will have bolder styling. And Honda will show the CR-Z concept, a two-seat gas/electric vehicle the company hints is slated for production.

Nissan, which has failed to connect with its Quest minivan, will try again with the Forum, a futuristic concept that seats seven, including a second row that swivels 180 degrees (borrowed from Chrysler?), a video entertainment system and a microwave oven in the center console to popcorn.

Hyundai, the Korean manufacturer that burst on the U.S. scene as a budget brand in the 1980s — before going bust and coming back stronger than ever — moves upscale with the Genesis, a rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan that will be offered in V-6 and V-8 versions starting near $30,000. The V-8 is a 4.6-liter with 368 horsepower that runs on regular gas. Among available features are radar-based adaptive cruise controls, a Lexicon surround sound audio system, electronically active front head restraints, and automatically leveling headlights that also swivel in the direction of turns.