DETROIT - No presidential candidate could resist touring the Detroit Auto Show on the eve of Michigan’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, and there were at least two near-crashes between their entourages.

While former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney answered reporters’ questions in front of Chevrolet’s (GM) concept hydrogen fuel cell car, rival Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, got briefed a few feet away on the merits of a Chevrolet hybrid SUV.

A Romney aide pleaded with Huckabee’s camp for some space, but apparently didn’t get much cooperation. Still, many in Romney’s bulging press corps failed to notice the intrusion.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent backing his Senate colleague from Arizona, John McCain, passed a few feet away as Romney inspected Ford Motor Co.’s latest models.

McCain was due to arrive a little later on Monday at the auto show, a premier event for the industry that was born in Michigan.

Romney, surrounded by cameras and gawking car company executives, also peeked into new models from Chrysler LLC, General Motors, and Ford — while avoiding any foreign-owned carmakers.

Romney, who grew up in Michigan, peeked into Chrysler’s Jeep line of new concept cars that are not yet in mass production. Jeeps were once made by American Motors, a company which his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, ran before entering politics. The company was later absorbed by Chrysler.

Romney repeated his call for the federal government to “throw life savers, not anvils” at Detroit’s domestic automakers so they can compete on a level playing field.

Asked what cars he owns, Romney hedged initially, then said he had a Ford Mustang, a Cadillac model from GM, a Chevrolet Silverado, and a 1962 American Motors Rambler given to him by his children. He also said he hoped to win the primary, and pledged to fight on, whether he crashes and burns in Michigan or not.

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- Photo credit: Reuters/John Gress (Romney meets with Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli)