The Monday Rundown: 2023 Detroit Auto Show Debuts
The North American International Auto Show still isn’t the newsmaker it used to be
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Each issue of the Monday Rundown summarizes the latest new vehicle news and reporting related to U.S. automotive manufacturing so that you know what’s going on and can learn more if you’d like to.
Last week, Detroit hosted the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). It simply isn’t what it once was, though the weather is better.
Years ago, the annual NAIAS was held in Detroit in the dead of winter, right after the holidays. Talk about a buzz kill. It was always cold and dark in a city that seemed abandoned, but the show itself was always entertaining, featuring big displays, showy product reveals, and hordes of working journalists.
Nevertheless, I quit attending it more than a decade ago. Too cold. Too dark. Too much networking and talking and meetings and not enough time to put my head down and crank out content. And to ensure that my presence on the show floor reflected well upon my employer, I always wore a suit, which isn’t my thing.
Since its heyday, the NAIAS has shriveled in size, scope, and relevance. The pandemic forced a reinvention of the show, with organizers first trying a June event, which took place just as my kids were wrapping up their school year activities, precluding attendance even if I wanted to go. This year, they’ve settled for mid-September, which is smarter. The kids are back in school, the summer heat and humidity are on the wane, and violent storms are less likely.
So, I had high hopes for the new, September-based NAIAS. But the Detroit Auto Show was a dud, featuring only one major product introduction and a handful of updates to existing vehicles.
Redesigned 2024 GMC Acadia debuts in Detroit
A new third-generation 2024 GMC Acadia debuted in Detroit, righting the wrongs of the second-generation model. For starters, it’s big again, potentially one of the largest models in its segment. GMC stretched it 10.6 inches in length, and the 2024 Acadia is 3.2 inches taller, making the third-row seat larger and expanding cargo capacity.
The new Acadia also employs a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. It powers the front or all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and can handle towing tasks up to 5,000 pounds.
Equipped with a more sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, the 2024 Acadia AT4 features a lifted suspension tuned for off-roading and all-terrain tires. The luxurious Acadia Denali continues, looking terrific inside and out. Why anyone would buy a Cadillac XT6 over the new Acadia Denali is a mystery.
Additional highlights include an 11-inch digital instrumentation display, a 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Google Built-in, and a long list of standard and available driving assistance and collision avoidance technologies. GMC will also offer Super Cruise on the Acadia, a hands-free semi-autonomous driving assistance system.
GMC will build the 2024 Acadia in Lansing, Michigan, where it will share a production line with the also-redesigned 2024 Chevrolet Traverse and the upcoming 2025 Buick Enclave.
2024 Ford F-150: What’s New?
The best-selling vehicle in America is getting numerous updates for the 2024 model year, including freshened styling, wheel design, and color choices.
In addition to a newly standard 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, Ford is expanding the availability of its PowerBoost hybrid powertrain. The automaker plans to double F-150 hybrid sales from 10% of the mix to 20%. In addition to increased production, the PowerBoost hybrid is now the same price as the optional 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.
The 2024 Ford F-150 can tow up to 13,500 pounds, a 500-pound drop from last year. The maximum payload rating falls, too, from 3,315 pounds to 2,455. That’s a substantial decrease, directly due to Ford’s discontinuation of the Heavy-Duty Payload Package. In a bid to reduce model complexity, Ford nixed that option and will direct buyers planning to carry heavier loads to the F-250 Super Duty.
All F-150s with a short or standard cargo bed get a new cargo storage box built into the wall of the bed. In addition, an optional Pro Access Tailgate design provides improved access to the cargo bed even when a trailer is attached to the truck. It comes with a new rear bumper step, while the off-road-ready Tremor and Raptor models offer a new modular front bumper compatible with an available Warn winch. Raptors are available with a revised suspension featuring new Dual Live Valve shocks.
Inside, the 2024 F-150 features a standard 12-inch digital instrumentation panel and 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system, now offering access to 5G LTE connectivity. In addition, a head-up display is available on the F-150 for the first time, and Ford Stolen Vehicle Services is a new opt-in connected service.
Lastly, next-generation versions of Ford Co-Pilot360 driving assistance and collision avoidance systems are standard or available, depending on the trim level and feature. Ford also continues to offer its BlueCruise hands-free semi-autonomous driving assistance technology, now in version 1.2 specification with Lane Change Assist and In-Lane Repositioning functions.
Ford says the 2024 F-150 release date is early in 2024, and will continue building the truck in Michigan near Detroit and Missouri near Kansas City.
The automaker also introduced a new rally-style version of the electric Mustang Mach-E at the 2023 NAIAS, but that’s made in Mexico, so, yeah.
2024 Jeep Gladiator: What’s New?
Jeep introduced an updated 2024 Gladiator midsize pickup truck in Detroit. Unsurprisingly, it gets many of the same improvements first seen on the 2024 Jeep Wrangler, including a standard Uconnect 5 infotainment system with a 12.3-inch touchscreen. It lives on a restyled dashboard and provides access to upgraded Adventure Guides and a library of new Trails Off-Road guides.
The 2024 Gladiator still tows up to 7,700 pounds and carries as much as 1,725 pounds of payload. It still has a manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic and employs a 285-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 powering all four wheels through your choice between four 4WD systems. You can still take the top off and remove the doors, too.
Minor styling changes, revised wheel designs, and new off-roading packages are available, and you can now equip a 2024 Gladiator with 12-way power-adjustable front seats wrapped in premium Nappa leather upholstery. Jeep also improves safety with new standard driving assistance systems and side-impact airbags embedded into the truck’s rollbar.
Jeep has dropped the EcoDiesel engine from the lineup, a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that provided plenty of torque and good gas mileage. If you’re wondering where the Gladiator 4xe model is, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the official word from Jeep is” “Stay tuned.”
Jeep builds the Gladiator in Toledo, Ohio. It is unclear how striking United Auto Workers (UAW) will impact the truck’s arrival at dealerships.
2025 Cadillac CT5: What’s New?
It looks like the Cadillac CT5 has some life left in it. In Detroit, Cadillac rolled out a refreshed 2025 CT5 with updated styling and a 33-inch interior display showcasing digital instrumentation and a new touchscreen infotainment system with Google Built-in and access to a 5G LTE Wi-Fi connection. In addition, the CT5 has more standard and available safety features and a couple of new paint colors called Deep Space Metallic and Typhoon.
Engine choices continue to include an underpowered and unrefined turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a much more satisfying twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with AWD optional. Cadillac confirms the sporty CT5-V and performance-engineered CT5-V Blackwing will also return to the lineup, with details coming later.
Cadillac will build the updated CT5 in Lansing, Michigan, with a release date of summer of 2024.
Nissan Hardbody returns as a special edition of the 2024 Frontier
Though Nissan redesigned the Frontier just two years ago, it is now one of the oldest midsize pickup trucks on the market. So, to drum up some interest, the automaker is adding a Hardbody Edition to spark memories of the beloved Nissan Hardbody pickup of the 1980s.
The new Nissan Frontier Hardbody Edition has 17-inch wheels that replicate the look of the ones on the original Hardbody truck. In addition, it has black bumpers, a black grille, black mirrors, black overfender trim, and black door handles. All-terrain tires, an aluminum skid plate, mud flaps, and a bed-mounted sports bar are also a part of the Hardbody Edition Package. Retro graphics complete the look.
Other changes to the 2024 Frontier include a new SL trim level with upscale equipment and a new generous three-year trial subscription to NissanConnect services.
Nissan builds the 2024 Frontier in Canton, Mississippi.
What’s new on Driving American?
It has been another super-busy week for me, and I haven’t posted as much as I’d like to. But I’ve been driving the updated 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe in Rubicon X trim and wearing LOOK AT ME NOW! High Velocity paint. So obnoxious. But impossible to lose in a parking lot, as you can see.
I’m a huge fan of the Wrangler and would probably buy one if it didn’t tip over onto its side in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests. That’s a problem, especially considering that I whacked my head pretty hard into the roll bar while off-roading this week. One of the upgrades in the new 2024 Wrangler is side-impact airbags embedded into the rollbar, so hopefully, that will improve the SUV’s crash-test ratings. Still, if you want an SUV like this, but safety is really important, consider a Ford Bronco instead.
I kept the Wrangler charged up and drove it a total of 360.5 miles. It averaged 18.9 mpg, with 85.1 miles traveled on electricity and 275.4 miles on gasoline. The fuel tank is small, so if you don’t recharge the Jeep every night, you’ll be stopping for gas often. On two occasions, for whatever reason, the Wrangler didn’t charge overnight. But that’s the beauty of a plug-in hybrid vehicle. If that happens, or you can’t find a charging station, you don’t care one little bit.
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