One of the world’s biggest auto shows is the Detroit Auto Show, also known as the North American International Auto Show. The 2015 NAISA promised major debuts, including two super cars, the Ford GT and Honda’s Acura NSX and the next generations of 55 different automakers. There was even a car made from a 3-D printer. More than 5,000 journalists from 60 countries, including first-timers from Cambodia, Montenegro and Guinea, crowded into Detroit’s Cobo Center to see the sights, sounds and smells of Detroit’s Auto Show. With so much to see and experience, we wanted to narrow it down to the top five at this year’s show. As the show comes to an end this week; make sure you get a chance to see, touch or smell the following:
With in excess of 40,000 square feet of connectivity and space (tables, chairs, pens, notebooks, outlets and chargers) for reporters, editors, photographers and videographers alike, the media center (sponsored by Michelin) moved back upstairs from the basement and it was a big deal. There is actually more room, and the view of the Detroit River from the ceiling-to-floor windows is actually tranquil, even soothing. And the bottles of water, fruit juice and soda with sandwiches and salty snacks were the added touches very appreciated by those deadline-heavy soldiers.
One of the wow factors this year was unveiled when GM’s Mary Barra revealed the new Chevrolet Bolt’s electric car with a 200-mile range as a industry “game-changer.” A new and modern version of Chevrolet’s Volt, the Bolt can go 200 miles until the next charge compared to the Volt, which can only travel 35 miles on a full charge. It will also have a reasonable $30,000 price range when hits the market in the U.S. in 2017. The Bolt is clearly a concept car but it is also production ready. Its specifications are broad enough to meet the needs of a wide range of consumers. It comes with a hatchback, making it spacier, a 10-inch diagonal screen, self-driving technology, and is fast charging.
Another wow of this year’s show was the Acura NSX’s super car reveal. Given a super boost from Hollywood A-listers, comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno, the Acura NSX features twin-turbocharged V-6 engines and needs a team of 100 workers in Marysville, Ohio, to build it. The NSX can run in four modes that offer different performances, as well as variations in the engine’s sound level. Acura plans to start accepting orders this summer and the first NSXs are expected to be on the road later in the year with a starting price in the mid-$150,000 range.
If you like gourmet food with your concept cars, many of the automotive dealers delivered divine cuisine as a part of their experiences. Audi’s corporate chefs rustled up nice roasted filet of Alaskan salmon with orange pepper spinach. The smell of risotto cakes with haricot verts wafted through from the Mercedes-Benz Star Bar, where vegetarians were welcome. During the three-day media preview days at Cobo, the media sipped the best Ty Nant Spring water from Wales and munched on frozen Haagen-Dazs vanilla-and-almond bars.
The best exhibit on the floor is no doubt the Lincoln and Detroit watch designer Shinola’s design. We’re told that this will be the last year the booth will on display because it’s getting overhauled. Students from the local College for Creative Studies’ transportation department carved clay models and Shinola provided shuttle buses from Cobo to their flagship store for live entertainment and authentic Detroit food trucks. Upholding its values of American-made design and quality craftsmanship, Lincoln — the U.S. luxury brand owned by Ford — invited local Detroit-based brand Shinola to show a range of products at its booth space in 2014, and again the booth, along with the Lincoln MKX model, didn’t disappoint.
–darralynn hutson
(Photo Credit: Dedan Blackmon)
