truth about domestics

During my visit to the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, I got a chance to witness Ford’s Active Park Assist technology in action.  Ford set up a mock parallel parking situation and showed off how a Ford Escape maneuvers itself into a parallel parking spot without the driver’s steering input. The driver simply shifted gears into forward and reverse and controlled the speed via the gas and brake pedals – the car did everything else on its own, i.e. steer.

I watched Ford’s demonstration repeated over and over, and the car did not screw up once (which I cannot say is the case for many drivers I know) – awesome technology!

The all-new Ford Focus has been shown for the first time at the North American International Auto Show and boy does it look good!  Not only is the exterior design outstanding, but the interior reportedly raises the bar for not only the C-segment, but cars in more premium segments as well!  Autoblog even goes so far as to say the interior is something you would expect in a Lexus or Audi, it’s that good!  For more details and official shots, head on over to Autoblog.

Or, to see a video of the unveiling, head on over here.

(Image source: Ford)

According to GM’s vice president of communications, Chris Preuss, General Motors has some pretty big concepts to unveil at this years Detroit Auto Show.  The Cadillac XTS will be shown as the replacement for the ages old DTS sedan.  GMC will be showing the Granite off as the sibling to the Chevrolet Orlando, both built on the new Delta platform.  Chevrolet will be showing off the new Aveo RS, supposedly more shapely than the current Aveo.  Buick will also have a high performance version of the 2011 Regal, so stay tuned for more news from the 2010 North American International Auto Show.  For now, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

General Motors has some extra room this year at the Detroit Auto Show since Saturn, Pontiac and Saab will not be there, so it has decided to do something innovative.  The General will offer test drives at the show for the nearly 1 million people who will come through the show this January.  With sales down in 2009, automakers are trying to figure out anything they can do to boost sales.  This will give potential customers the opportunity to try out one of the many new cars from GM and then talk to sales people on the show floor!  For more details, head on over to the Detroit News.

(Image source: GM)

Have you ever attended an auto show and wondered what went into the display you were standing on?  Well Jalopnik has taken a behind the scenes look at the General Motors display for the North American International Auto Show and it is actually quite interesting.  GM has plans to use 100,000 square feet of Cobo Hall, and will display around 60 vehicles during the public days.  For more details and photos, check out Jalopnik.

(Image source: NAIAS)

Chrysler’s display at this year’s North American International Auto Show was expected to be basically void of any new sheetmetal.  That is until now.  Word has come out that Chrysler plans to show an electric version of the Fiat 500, as well as a new hatchback design.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Fiat)

This January’s Detroit Auto Show is shaping up to be an exciting one!  Cadillac has released the teaser image above, saying only that it’s a new concept, one that has never been seen before.  The mystery car above will be revealed, as well as the production version of the Cadillac CTS-V coupe.

I don’t know about you, but the North American International Auto Show looks to be one of the biggest ones in recent years.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM via Autoblog)

Chrysler has decided to keep things low key at this January’s Detroit Auto Show by skipping a press conference altogether.  This seems odd to me, as well as many auto industry insiders who feel that Chrysler needs to start talking about new product in the pipeline.  Last year saw some very sharp concepts roll out, such as the 200C above, but this year the best we can hope for are several limited edition models.  For more, head on over to the Detroit News.

(Image source: Chrysler)

According to a press release in Detroit (attended by Autoblog) the next generation of the Chevy Aveo will be shown at the NAIAS in January.  The car should be much improved over the current Daewoo designed unit, with more power, features and even better fuel economy.  Look for more details and photos when we attend the show!

(Image source: the Detroit News)

The North American International Auto Show is finishing it’s first week…so this post is a tad on the late side.  Whatever.  Anyway the NA Truck of the Year was announced and the winner was the Ford F-150.  In second place was the new Dodge Ram pickup, following in third was the Mercedes ML320 BlueTEC.  Seeing as the F-150 has the highest available towing capacity, payload capacity, and unsurpassed fuel economy, it’s not really a big shock that the F-150 beat the second place contender by more than double.

The F-150 also beat out new entries such as the Honda Pilot, Infiniti FX35/50, Nissan Murano, and Subaru Forester (Motor Trend’s 2009 Sport Utility of the Year.)  Considering the F-150 has been the best selling truck for over 30 consecutive years, and was once again the best selling vehicle in 2008, marking the 23rd straight year that the F-150 has held that title (no, not the Toyota Camry or the Honda Accord.)

Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of F150 Accessories.