After 3 and a half years of absence, the Detroit Motor Show reopens its doors from September 14 to 25. Unfortunately the Show did not have a full turnout, only 5 manufacturers (out of the 43 car brands on the American market), mostly American, were present. Reputed to be spectacular, the Detroit show has lost its prestige since the crisis of American manufacturers in 2009.
In the first large space reserved for Stellantis, there are Ram, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products. Opposite, General Motors with mainly Chevrolet products. A little further on, Cadillac pales in comparison with a sad little exhibition with unadorned concrete walls in the background. Buick does even worse. Ford meanwhile has given pride of place to the presentation of the 2024 Mustang, however with white backgrounds and empty spaces. Remains the foreign brands, both Japanese, Toyota and Subaru have made acts of presence with, however, limited spaces and products. There are also a few spaces reserved for car dealers and service providers. The rest of the show is reserved for vehicle testing.
Needless to say, American greatness is lacking.
To support this Show, the President of the United States of America Joe Biden, a great car lover, came to plead for the transition to electric vehicles at the opening of the Detroit show with the announcement of an investment of 7, $5 billion for the installation of 500,000 charging stations across the United States.
Joe Biden did not hide his pleasure, taking the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 before driving an electric Cadillac Lyriq.
"It's a beautiful car," he said of the Cadillac, "but I love the Corvette," whose engine he revved. “He said he was taking her home,” joked General Motors boss Mary Barra.
This is how the manufacturers present in Detroit have put forward the electric vehicles that they are preparing to offer in the hope of grabbing Tesla the shares of a growing market, Tesla which has never wanted to be present. in Detroit.
The Chevrolet brand has thus promoted the electric versions of the Silverado pick-up and that of the Equinox SUV, unveiled last week with a base price of 30,000 US dollars to attract a wider clientele.
“People are on the verge of massive adoption of electric vehicles,” Chevrolet Vice President Steve Majoros said. With the increasing number of charging stations in particular, “more and more Americans are ready”.
Combustion engines are not completely forgotten, however: Chevrolet also presented a new version of its gasoline-powered Tahoe SUV on Wednesday.
The mythical Jeep brand, from the Stellantis group, presented a special edition for the 30th anniversary of its Grand Cherokee SUV as well as a rechargeable hybrid Jeep.
Ford also unveiled on Wednesday the 7th generation of its legendary Mustang born 58 years ago, equipped with an internal combustion engine, enough to confirm the durability of gasoline vehicles.
The company, which has invested in electric cars more than any other company in recent years, defended its choice, saying customers “interested in sports cars still want (an) internal combustion engine”.
The 2022 Detroit show has become a national show with the absence of international brands and no stand worthy of the name with vehicles placed on the carpet, few announcements and presentations, which is the opposite of the New York, which is flourishing, many are wondering if this will be the last edition of this show which has already had its heyday.
