Detroit Auto Show NAIAS 2023 reveals from F GM STLA

DETROIT — While ongoing negotiations between the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers union overshadowed everything else in the industry, some companies showed off new and improved models at the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday.

Discussions surrounding a new four-year contract have been tense as the union threatens a costly strike if the two sides fail to reach an agreement by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, when the current contract expires.

Given this background Auto shows have faced challenges since the coronavirus pandemic, so it’s no surprise that most automakers have chosen not to showcase their latest models, or even attend auto shows at all. But there’s still one all-new model, a redesign of GMC’s popular Acadia crossover, as well as significant updates to some of the other models unveiled at the event. The correct name is North American International Auto Show

Here’s what CNBC saw at the show.

All new: 2024 GMC Acadia

A major new model for the auto show was revealed Wednesday morning as General Motors unveiled the completely redesigned 2024 GMC Acadia. The new Acadia is still a midsize crossover, but it’s larger than the outgoing model and has a muscular new look that’s more in line with its GMC-branded siblings, such as the smaller Terrain crossover and Sierra pickup truck.

The new Acadia will be powered exclusively by a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivers 328 horsepower and 326 foot-pounds of torque, more than the outgoing model. The interior features a standard 15-inch center touchscreen and a host of new safety and convenience technologies, including GM’s hands-free Super Cruise Highway Driver Assist system.

Increasing the Acadia’s size is an effort to correct mistakes that GM executives believe were made with the outgoing model. GMC chief Duncan Aldred said the company had downsized the car, frustrating existing owners and dealers.

“It was a very easy decision for us to expand because we know our customers want it, they value the space and we think it will lead to greater success,” he said at a media event.

Production of the 2024 Acadia is expected to begin early next year at a plant in mid-Michigan, with vehicles expected to hit dealer showrooms in the first quarter. General Motors announced that the plant will undergo a third round of production, building the Acadia and its Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave sibling crossovers.

The Acadia is the premium GMC brand’s best-seller, with sales in the United States of just over 40,000 units in the first half of 2023. Among the brand’s SUVs, only the Yukon, which focuses on large trucks, has higher sales.

Big update: 2024 Ford F-150

Ford Not much was done at Wednesday’s show, but it wasn’t left out. On Tuesday night, the company unveiled its updated 2024 F-150 pickup truck lineup to a large crowd in downtown Detroit, not far from the showroom.

The revamped truck, a huge seller and critical to Ford’s bottom line, features an updated engine and new interior and exterior designs. The latter includes a new tailgate that allows customers to access the vehicle’s trunk like a standard door as well as a traditional drop-down tailgate.

The big news of the night was that the company planned to double U.S. production of the hybrid version of the F-150, accounting for about 20% of the truck’s production for the 2024 model year.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said in late July that the Detroit automaker would quadruple the company’s production of gasoline-electric hybrids while continuing to ramp up electric vehicle production, but at a slower pace than previously Be slow to announce.

“I certainly think hybrids, our PowerBoost hybrid, can help people transition to pure electric,” Ford Trucks general manager John Emmert told CNBC. “Hybrids are a step toward electrification. “For some people right now, electrification is not the best solution for them.”

New Face: 2025 Cadillac CT5

General Motors also showed off an updated version of the Cadillac CT5 sedan at the auto show Wednesday morning. The CT5, the larger of Cadillac’s two remaining internal combustion sedans, will get a redesigned front grille and a refreshed interior, including a new large touchscreen, for the 2025 model year.

The updated CT5 dashboard uses the large 33-inch touchscreen found in other Cadillac vehicles, giving drivers a wide range of customization options, including Google-powered navigation and entertainment services. Visually, its new front end includes a bolder grille inspired by recent Cadillac show cars, as well as redesigned lighting.

Alex MacDonald, chief engineer of the CT5, said: “New advanced technologies enhance drivers’ personal connection in a sedan already known for its driving spirit, comfort and technology. famous.”

The rear-wheel-drive CT5 is praised by critics for its sharp handling. While it’s Cadillac’s best-selling sedan, its sales lag behind most of the brand’s SUVs and crossovers.

GM sold about 10,000 CT5s in the United States in the first half of this year, about twice as many as the small CT4 sedan. But that’s far below the nearly 21,000 sales of the luxury brand’s best-selling large SUV, the Escalade, during the same period.

Production of the updated CT5 will begin in the second quarter of 2024. GM said updates to the CT5’s high-performance versions, the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing, will be released at a later date.

Some timely updates: 2024 Jeep Gladiator

star Revealed is a slightly reworked version of the Jeep Gladiator, a pickup truck based on the brand’s iconic Wrangler. The Gladiator will get an updated version of the iconic Jeep grille for the 2024 model year, along with an upgraded touchscreen “infotainment” system and some new off-road features.

Unsurprisingly, the Gladiator’s new grille is very similar to the revised grille the Wrangler itself will get for the 2024 model year. The two models are built side-by-side at the Jeep brand’s flagship Toledo plant.

Inside, Stellantis has standardized its 12.3-inch touchscreen system (originally an upgrade option), along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Jim Morrison, senior vice president for the Jeep brand in North America, said buyers of the revamped Gladiator can also opt for new power seats that have been “water-tested.”

“Combining all of this with a folding windshield, three roof options, two different door options or removing the doors entirely, the Gladiator is the only car in the industry that can celebrate this open-air freedom while doing A truck of real truck things,” Morrison said.

The new “X” version of the Gladiator Mojave and Rubicon trims is more focused on off-road driving, adding a full-time transfer case and integrated off-road camera, as well as steel bumpers on both ends. But Stellantis has discontinued the Gladiator’s optional diesel engine, leaving buyers with just one powertrain choice – the 285-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6. Unlike the Wrangler, the Gladiator doesn’t offer a hybrid version.

The Gladiator sells a fraction of the Wrangler’s sales — about 27,000 Gladiators sold in the first half of 2023, compared with more than 84,000 Wranglers — but it’s still an important, high-margin product for Stellantis. Dealers can order the revamped trucks now, with deliveries expected to begin before the end of the year, the company said.