1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2019 NAIAS Detroit Auto Show

Discussion in 'Local Clubs, Events, and Road Trips' started by Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jan 25, 2019.

  1. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,427
    6,913
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I'm in Detroit for work and I had an hour to kill, so I walked over to the expo hall and bought a ticket.

    I hadn't walked an auto show in 20+ years but it was pretty neat. Lots of VR demos from many brands. Huge GAC/Trumpchi booth, they spent a lot for a big presence.

    The Chevrolet booth featured a Cruze hatchback, didn't know it existed until I saw one there. I didn't sit in it but a glance suggested that they fixed many of the cockpit flaws I'd found in the earlier Cruze sedans. They also had a Silverado made of Legos.

    I did spend a few minutes in the Toyota booth, I saw the new Corolla hybrid, a new RAV4, new 4Runner and the AWD Prius (locked up, couldn't see much inside) and they had a pretty neat Mirai exhibit as well. The AWD seemed to be the only Prius represented.

    A little disappointed at what I didn't c there, but they had a Yaris in full built rally trim that caught my eye. Several small all-electric concepts on display, obviously set for Chinese market, including a 3-wheel single seater.

    I liked the Mahindra Jeep-alikes and ATVs. Wonderfully agricultural.

    I visited Subaru hoping to see the new Crosstrek PHEV but they only had the gasser there. Gorgeous gloss paint. That has me psyched. I'm really done with pearlescent finishes.

    Anyway, neat way to kill an hour.
     
    #1 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jan 25, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2019
    Rupert B Puppenstein, Merkey, bisco and 2 others like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,129
    50,046
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i haven't been to an auto show in 40 years. can't imagine the changes. last time i went, it was to ogle everything i couldn't afford.
     
    #2 bisco, Jan 26, 2019
    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller and Merkey like this.
  3. Merkey

    Merkey Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2012
    269
    247
    0
    Location:
    Birmingham, Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    This is the last January Detroit Auto Show. Moving to June in 2020. Glad you liked it.
     
    #3 Merkey, Jan 26, 2019
    Rupert B Puppenstein likes this.
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,427
    6,913
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Interesting... I suppose that means it'll be less of a venue for showing soon-to-be-released models and more for showing concepts and further-ahead stuff. I don't know the whole show calendar but it makes me think the Chicago & NYC shows will become more important for actual car shoppers wanting to see current stuff.

    On the other hand summer weather should make it easier to attend, at least for Americans.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jan 27, 2019
  5. Merkey

    Merkey Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2012
    269
    247
    0
    Location:
    Birmingham, Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I think the idea is to make it a more hands on event with outdoor demos, etc. Also, Detroit is more pleasant in the summer.
     
    #5 Merkey, Jan 28, 2019
    Rupert B Puppenstein and Leadfoot J. McCoalroller like this.
  6. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    20,172
    8,353
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    Toyota sent a couple dozen of us (from around the world) around 2009 iirc. Motor city hotel. Weird . . . . hearing gun shots when stepping outside. Reminded me of childhood ... lived in compton. appropriate .... my childhood put the hood, in childhood.
    :eek:
    .
     
    #6 hill, Feb 4, 2019
  7. Rupert B Puppenstein

    Rupert B Puppenstein Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2011
    261
    126
    0
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I’m excited it’s moving to June. It will be interesting to see if the schedule will force other shows to move their dates.
     
    #7 Rupert B Puppenstein, Feb 4, 2019
    Merkey likes this.
  8. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2008
    2,927
    782
    0
    Location:
    IL
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A

    I dropped by the NAIAS a few weeks ago too. I think you're missing a few things here.

    The Cruze hatch has been a thing for a few years now. I think they even have a diesel version of it.

    How can you not mention Toyota's star of NAIAS? The new Supra (love it or hate it).

    That Yaris you saw was not just a rally-prepped car - it was the Yaris WRC. Probably the most expensive thing on display there and probably second most expensive vehicle at NAIAS, seconded by the Sauber/Alfa Romeo F1 car. The two Daytona Prototypes that Michelin and Cadillac were displaying are up there too but harder to pin down price-wise.

    Subaru was displaying two interesting cars: the first being a Vermont SportsCar prepped rally WRX STi (that is realistically not entirely a Subaru anymore) and the limited-edition WRX STi S209, the most powerful STi Subaru has ever built (and I'd bet the last one before they replace the aging EJ255).

    The Mahindra is really notable in that it represents their entry into the US market (they had been hiniting on doing so for something like half a decade now).

    There was also a Gulf-liveried Ford GT.

    Anyway, here's a few pictures. Imgur gallery in case they don't show up.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
    #8 a_gray_prius, Feb 10, 2019
    Merkey and Leadfoot J. McCoalroller like this.
  9. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,427
    6,913
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Admittedly I didn't mention it here, I saved that for my report on another auto forum where that car has been a hot topic. I quite liked it, and I'm rather fascinated by the fact that it is coming out of the old Puch factory in Graz. That assembly line has turned out some extremely distinguished vehicles over the decades; I have high hopes.

    That Yaris was thoroughly badass. I'm happy to see that WRC and streaming video have become friends, it seemed like coverage for USA fans was hopeless for too long.

    Mind you I only spent an hour on the floor, and there was enough stuff there to keep me occupied for a couple of days.
     
    #9 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Feb 10, 2019
    Merkey likes this.
  10. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2008
    2,927
    782
    0
    Location:
    IL
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'm hopeful about the Supra, but I'm a little surprised that so much BMW stuff was left on it from the Z4 - pretty much the entire interior is BMW. Given that it's mostly the same car, I expect the car to be quickly flashable from the 330hp Toyota factory power level to the ~380hp that BMW is rating the engine at in the Z4.

    That said, it's only a matter of time before someone in Japan buys the JDM-only 4cyl version and stuffs a built 2JZ in there (hell, I'd bet that there's probably a fully built 2JZ sitting in a garage somewhere just waiting for the donor car to arrive).

    I've been to rally driver school and I've personally done the whole "stand by a rally stage and wait 2 hours for cars to come buzzing by for 15 minutes, 10 seconds at a time" as a photographer (not WRC though). I'd argue that it isn't streaming video which has made the biggest impact in bringing rally to the proverbial masses, it's the widespread use of drones. The drones really give such an immersive view of the action and makes for so much better video that it turns what looks like a kind of sedate event (resulting from the telephoto shots even taken from helicopters) into a very dramatic one.

    Look at this DJI promo video:


    Bonus picture of that Yaris WRC (with Corolla Hybrid in the background): https://i.imgur.com/GC6J3wM.jpg
     
    #10 a_gray_prius, Feb 10, 2019
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)