Zander Drives Cars

The most important car show in the country is back! After two years of COVID concerns, we finally have a place to see some of the most highly anticipated cars of the year in a city where citizens’ bodies run on gasoline rather than blood. In 2022, the show received some criticisms in the form of low attendance numbers, and a lack of brand diversity. We will get to those in a little bit. I had a fantastic time in Detroit, anyone who watched my Instagram stories knows that I woke up at 2:45am to get on a 5:50 flight out from Baltimore, and came home at 11:35 that night. However, this article isn’t about what I thought about the misunderstood motor city, it’s about the show inside of it. So, without further ado, I present to you the good, the bad, and the weird of the 2022 Detroit Auto Show.

The Good

The Stang’ is back baby! The all-new 2023 Mustang was the focal point of the show. Located smack-dab in the middle of the convention center, Ford brought four different versions of the car. Thankfully, I had made a beeline for them before the general population showed up, so I was able to get some spectator-free photography. The new Mustang is, in my opinion, a good-looking car. The front is certainly the most controversial feature of the car, with its large grille and snout, but the rest of the design looks sleek and elegant. Ford gave us a look at every model in the new Mustang range which includes the fastback, GT, GT Convertible, and the brand new Dark Horse.

Stellantis was there, a lot. Stellantis is the new merger name of the former companies FCA and PSA. The brand took up roughly 30-40% of the show floor, and they did not disappoint. Two all-new Dodge Hornets were the cars consistently gathered upon during my time at the show, for better or for worse. The car, especially the GHl in black and red, is a Dodge. They also brought out the controversial Banshee concept. You know, the one where they put fake V8 noises over an EV battery? That one. There were an array of “Last Call” Challenger and Charger models, as well as plenty for Jeep and Ram who came in with the typical “Jeep offroading experience” that had lines around the building. The other notable car for Stellantis was the Chrysler 300C, a 6.4 Hemi-powered sendoff to the sedan we know and love. More on that car in a separate, upcoming article.

GM’s EVs. General Motors pulled out all the stops this year with their electric cars. They showed up with everything from the Bolt EUV, to the new Hummer SUV and everything in between. For those of you who haven’t seen the new Hummer EV up close, I must let you know: you don’t know how big that car is until you see it. I am a 6’1 individual and I had to jump to get into the Hummer, it is absolutely insane in the best possible way. Cadillac also gave us a look at the new Lyriq, which is another car that looks better in the flesh than in photos. The interior takes the same shape as the Escalade, with a different center console and more eye-popping materials to let you know you’re in an EV. GM, especially Buick, also brought us some really cool concepts as well.

This isn’t a comprehensive list of everything “good” about the show. If I were to do so, this would be too long for anyone to comfortably read. So, before we go on to the bad, I’ll quickly list off the other “good” bits of the show: new Toyota Crown and Sequoia, new Corvette Z06, the not new, but still fantastic Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio, Silverado EV, plenty of Grand Wagoneers, and the new Mercedes SL.

The Bad

Remember Lordstown? Yes, Lordstown. They were one of the many COVID EV startups that promised an affordable, utilitarian electric pickup for the masses. Somehow, their Endurance not only made it to the show but was put with all the contenders for the North American Car Of The Year awards. This is baffling for a car that doesn’t exist yet. Of course, the car was locked and nobody was there to talk about it, so I just stood there for a little bit trying to figure out how and why this truck got here in the first place. I mean, good on them for getting one to Detroit, but I don’t know how well these will do if they make it to the real world.

Most cars were locked. Now, I get it if you don’t want people playing around in pre-production cars, or hyper-expensive cars, but the general lack of “stability” in this show was noticeable from the get-go. There was an entire rear section of the show with Hyundais, Nissans, VWs, Kias, Infinitis, and more, and they were all locked. The worst offender, by a mile, however, was Buick. Why did Buick out of all companies have half their fleet locked? I would understand it if they had a new flagship out but locking the doors to an Enclave isn’t a good look.

Lack of brand diversity. Let me get this straight by saying I know that this is Detroit and I know the show has always been focused around the “Big 3.” Still, aside from Toyota and Subaru, nobody else has a designated spot with unlocked cars and representatives. As you can see by the floorplan, the US automakers took up more than half the space in the convention center. Again, this is fine because it is Detroit, but disappointing considering some important names like Honda didn’t even show up.

Other “bad” Autoshow parts were: Fiat bringing their only model and it being a Yacht edition, Volvo bringing an XC90 T6, ropes around BMW, Audi, and Mercedes displays, a lack of seating, and tiny bathrooms.

The Weird.

Subaru distracting us with dogs. Every auto show is a chance for Subaru to focus less and less on cars and more on their display and identity. In New York, they brought us that massive outdoor arch display with massive LED waterfalls. In Detroit, they brought a dog pen with local rescue dogs. While understandable because Subaru, it made it really difficult and awkward to get to the actual cars themselves since the pen was located in the middle of their display and surrounded by children. Plus, the caretakers generally didn’t have enough training nor care for their dogs since on two separate occasions, dogs got out of their pen and had to have been chased down by staff. Subaru, I know your brand, but this is a car show.

A lack of soul. Behind the Ford EV ride-along experience was a row of locked cars, and then beyond that: nothing. No cars, no people, no food, no seating. Just, nothing. While the walkways did start to fill up around 11 or so, the whole rear of the show felt lifeless and lackluster. It felt as if the show had more planned, but gave up during set-up week. Granted, a lot of what was there previously was for the media days, but leaving a massive patch of nothing in the rear of your auto show won’t win any points.

My Conclusion

Well, here we are. Was the show perfect? No, not by any means. In fact, it was what the children would call “mid.” That being said, my time in Detroit and the fun I had walking around a car show by myself is enough to make me want to return year after year. See you next year, Motor City.