There is something unique about the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS): no other motor show checks the pulse of a nation’s car industry like Detroit.
Driving in from the airport, visitors pass through Dearborn, the home of Ford; immediately opposite the Cobo Centre, where the NAIAS is held, stands the towering Renaissance Centre (“Ren-Cen”), the global headquarters of General Motors – there’s no doubting that this is the Motor City.
“Without the auto industry there will be no recovery for Detroit, and without the show there is no way the US auto industry can demonstrate its strength,” said an automotive industry analyst on a local radio station.
But in recent years the stars of the NAIAS have been European OEMs with compact, fuel-efficient cars. GM’s Chevrolet Volt aside, Europe has led the way with both product and technology. As an example, for the past two years Ford’s major attraction – first the Fiesta and then the Focus – has been styled and engineered in Germany and Britain.
Honda gave the US industry a fillip when it announced that the production version of the stunning Acura NSX concept will be engineered in the US and built in Ohio.
So, how did the ‘home team’ fare this year? It took a couple of early blows when the Hyundai Elantra and Range Rover Evoque claimed the North American Car and Truck of the Year titles, but then hit back when Ford unveiled the new Fusion.
It’s a great-looking car, and the starting point for a range of ten new products – including next year’s new Mondeo (as the car will be badged outside North America) – that will be built at a combined rate of a million units a year.
Still, the German OEMs brought out the heavy artillery, with major contributions from every one of the nation’s OEMs, including even Porsche this year (911 Cabriolet), plus Bentley (Continental GT VB and GTC V8) and Mini (Roadster). The assault was led by a new Mercedes-Benz SL and a hybrid BMW 3 Series (ActiveHybrid3) alongside the US debut of a range which is responsible for half of the company’s sales in this part of the world.
For the US market, at least, there seems to be general belief that hybrids are the way to deliver better gas mileage and lower emissions in the immediate future.
But Honda gave the US industry a fillip when it announced that the production version of the stunning Acura NSX concept will be engineered in the US and built in Ohio. It was unveiled by Chief Executive Takanobu Ito, the lead engineer on the original NSX project 25 years ago – a nice bit of symmetry.
Mostly, this year’s Detroit show was about real production cars, rather than futuristic concepts. Many of the upcoming models feature electrification in some form: the NSX will be a hybrid; so will two versions of the new Fusion/Mondeo. For the US market, at least, there seems to be general belief that hybrids are the way to deliver better gas mileage and lower emissions in the immediate future.
The US is buying cars again, and Detroit’s Big Three are making money. It created a mood which felt upbeat and settled in a Detroit where even the weather was relatively mild.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Automotive World Ltd.
Roger Stansfield is a freelance automotive industry journalist based in London. He covers all aspects of the automotive industry, with a particular focus on future technology.
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