Detroit auto show highlighted by trucks and hands-on displays

The 2018 North American International Auto Show is all about trucks, with the Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150 diesel and returning midsize Ranger as some of the top highlights.

In 2017, the Ford F-series, Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 combined for more than 1.9 million vehicle sales.

Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor of Cars.com, said this year's Detroit auto show -- which began last week with media and industry previews, and opened to the public this weekend -- is highlighted by pickup trucks, "numerous, significant consumer products" that made headlines at the show with the trucks - and Volkswagen's top-selling Jetta.

"I don't know if we should be assigning too much significance to it, Wiesenfelder said about the rare confluence of new truck unveilings by each of the Big Three. "It might just be timing.

"These vehicles were due for redesigns, one in the Ram that was arguably overdue, even with the current model still being desirable."

Fiat Chrysler debuted its 2019 Ram 1500 with new hybrid technology, an impressive interior and a leaner weight at 225 pounds lighter than the previous model.

Chevrolet's Jan. 13 reveal of its new Silverado, which comes in 450 pounds lighter, kicked off the 2018 Detroit auto show.

As for Ford, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker revealed its first-ever diesel F-150 leading into the auto show, and made the return of its midsize Ranger official at its auto show press conference. Wiesenfelder said he was pleased to see the Ranger return to the North American market after being absent for the better part of the decade.

"I'm really glad to see it back. I like it. It's a really great, desirable size and clearly there's demand for that," Wiesenfelder said. "Let's be honest, being sold next to the best-selling model (Ford's F-series) in the country can't be a bad thing.

"You have to know someone is going to go in there and say I was thinking of that one but I'll go with that one instead, and vice versa."

Production on the Ranger will start later this year at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.

With trucks and Ford's return to the midsize truck segment being the main topic of discussion, it was noted that FCA is the only member of the Big Three without a smaller pickup. GM has the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon.

"So, no, FCA doesn't have a midsize truck because if you think about it, if they wanted to, it would require a much bigger commitment and investment (than that of the Ford Ranger)," he said. "The Ranger didn't go away, it just went away from North America, so I would not put money on them bringing the (Dodge) Dakota back."

Of the three trucks to make their debut in Detroit, Wiesenfelder said he thought the Ram looked the best at a glance. He noted that Chevrolet took a lot of weight out of the Silverado and did a lot with it, but added mechanical and technological aspects that "aren't going to make much of an impression" when it comes to an auto show.

As for something that would have been an eye-turner at an auto show, the mid-engine Corvette was rumored to be a potential surprise from Chevy in Detroit, but that was squashed early at the Silverado debut. Wiesenfelder said it's his suspicion that the reason the mid-engine Corvette didn't make an appearance is because it wasn't ready.

"That's the only good reason," he said. "I mean, next year or maybe they'll find a different way to introduce it. Just seems unlikely they would introduce it at the New York Auto Show, which is the last one with a lot of media."

The 2018 press and industry preview days are already in the books, and the North American International Auto Show opened to the public Saturday, Jan. 20. The massive annual event will remain open through Jan. 28. The show takes place at the Cobo Center, 1 Washington Blvd. in Downtown Detroit.

Tickets cost $14 per adult, and $7 each for seniors and children.

Hours between Jan. 20 and 27 run from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with no admittance after 9 p.m. On the show's last day, hours run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with no admittance after 6 p.m.

For those wondering what Wiesenfelder recommends checking out on the floor, the Cars.com executive editor points to Ford's self-delivery pizza demonstration in its area, and some of the virtual reality displays at Ford and Chevy, among others.

Ford also has a green screen set up where those in attendance can act their way into the automaker's new commercial for its special edition Ford Mustang Bullitt.

"The Ford Fusion autonomous fleet pizza delivery vehicle is here. The only reason I say that is, they have a laptop computer sitting on the truck connected to the Lidar system," he said. "They are displaying what those things see. So, you see this graphical representation of the car and everything and everyone around it.

"It's fascinating and creepy, and I just think it's a rare opportunity to visualize what's going on there."

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