Duggan 'proud of the lineup' at this year's Detroit auto show
Sarah Rahal
Detroit — After getting behind the wheel of some of the newest electric and Detroit-made vehicles, Mayor Mike Duggan said Tuesday he was proud of the lineup at the North American International Detroit Auto Show that opens this week.
The mayor had a private behind-the-scenes tour of more than 600,000 square feet of Huntington Place, formerly Cobo Center, filled with 35 bands and a new football field-long electric vehicle track. He rode in only Detroit-made vehicles, including the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV, the newest Jeep Wrangler, the first Sierra Denali EV made at Factory Zero and May Mobility's autonomous vehicle.
"This is a time to celebrate what is really the center of our economy," Duggan said near the end of his hour-long tour. "We are proud of the new cars you will see here, but I think people will more so enjoy the overall experience. Riding in that Wrangler is no joke."
One of the first showstoppers was an all-electric Jeep Grand Cherokee, which recently was procured for all nine City Council members. A charging station soon will be installed at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, officials said. Duggan said he was eyeing the black and silver Jeep Grand Cherokee for himself.
The event could be overshadowed by the looming potential for strikes by the United Auto Workers union against one or all of the three automakers.
"All eyes are on Solidarity House and the company's headquarters. I'm really hopeful GM, Ford and Stellantis will reach an agreement because the alternative is bad for our autoworkers, bad for our companies, bad for our city and bad for our state," Duggan said. "I'm very hopeful they reach an agreement without a strike."
Duggan said he would not comment on his conversations with automotive officials.
"It's a very delicate stage and people who aren't involved don't have a right to be saying anything," Duggan said. "(If there is a strike) it would not only put a damper on this auto show, but a damper on the city economy, the state economy and that's the real concern.
"I know everyone is trying hard to find a solution where the autoworkers are treated fairly, in light of the industry's success, but we need GM, Ford and Stellantis to also be successful and hopefully, they'll reach that agreement."
What to know
The Detroit Auto Show kicks off Wednesday with media and technology days and its annual charity preview on Friday. The show is set to open to the public Saturday through Sept. 24. Here's everything you need to know.
Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Ram, Toyota and Volkswagen are part of corporate/region-supported vehicle displays. Dealer-supported vehicle displays include Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Polestar, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Volvo.
For supercar enthusiasts, a new addition this year is an "Exotic and Luxury Showcase" that gives a futuristic look at a flying car from California-based Alef Aeronautics.
Twenty percent of the show floor (an estimated 100,000 square feet) is occupied by NAIAS’s first main-floor electric-vehicle track, the so-called Powering Michigan EV Experience sponsored by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 58 and the National Electrical Contractors Association. BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Tesla and Volkswagen will be showing off their EVs on the indoor track. Outside of Huntington Place, Ford and Tesla will offer street course ride-and-drives.
Rod Alberts, the Detroit auto show's executive director, said he has watched the evolution of the show for the last 30 years and it's getting more complicated.
"The rapid change in technology and social media has made it more challenging, but we have a lot of that specialty right here in Detroit to make us the perfect stage to not only be the Motor City capital of the world, but the mobility capital of the world," Alberts told The Detroit News. "Last year with the chip shortage, we had an extra effort to bring in more brands and newer exhibits people would enjoy. It's really four shows in one this year."
There are seven stations, with two cars on each track, giving rides to attendees at least 3.5 feet tall.
Ford’s display will feature Bronco Mountain rides. Nearby will be the redesigned F-150, fresh from its Hart Plaza reveal; a matte-wrapped, limited-production Lightning Platinum EV truck and Ranger Raptor pickup first-look. Visitors will also get a first look at the 800-horsepower Mustang GTD supercar, which anchors a Mustang display featuring every member of the seventh-generation pony car's family, including Mustang Mach-E Rally, Mustang Dark Horse, and GT3 and GT4 race cars.
"It's truly Disneyland for cars. I'm especially excited for the McLaren sportscars and the new Dallara on display," Alberts said. "We will showcase some of the latest and most intriguing products available – from current and future vehicles to electric products to 800 horsepower exotics."
Duggan met with leaders of Autel Charging who displayed models for powering plants, and commercial and residential electric stations.
Duggan also rode in one of May Mobility's autonomous vehicles with the company’s CEO Edwin Olson. The company started out of the University of Michigan six years ago with self-driving cars that could only go below 10 mph. Today, they have 19 vehicles that reach 35 mph.
May Mobility is a partner in Detroit's Automated Driving System shuttles program, designed to bring greater mobility options for older adults and those with disabilities. which kicks off with three vehicles serving Detroit in January. The two-year contract will be free to local riders and will be a mobile app-based service. May Mobility will be displaying the AVs at the show this week.
"There are a lot of equity and accessibility issues we'd like to solve," said Olson, showing off the vehicle with five lidar systems, five radar systems and eight cameras. "Detroit's a complicated environment, not the easiest for autonomous vehicles. But you'll see autonomous vehicles in more benign areas like Arizona already operating without safety divers, and these areas will follow suit."
Duggan said, one day, he'd like to see the shuttles run between Canada and Detroit through the tunnel.
Details
- Media Day: Wednesday
- Technology Days and AutoMobili-D: Wednesday through Thursday
- Mobility Global Forum: Wednesday through Thursday
- Charity Preview: Friday
- Public show: Saturday through Sept. 24
- Tickets: Adults $20, seniors $12, kids $10
- Information: https://naias.com
srahal@detroitnews.com