The best from the Detroit auto show

The 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) or, more commonly known as, the Detroit Auto Show is being held from January 14-27, although the main event was from Jan 14-17. Like any auto show there was some hits and some misses, but one thing can be said with absolute certainty; the new Toyota Supra stole the show. However, the new A90 Supra wasn’t the only noteworthy announcement made last week. Below are my top new or refreshed vehicles from the 2019 Detroit Auto Show.

2020 Shelby GT500

The all new Shelby GT500 is Ford’s answer to the Dodge Hellcat and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The new GT500 is swinging for the fences with it’s “more than 700 HP” from the 5.2L V8 under it’s hood. Ford is keeping quiet on the exact performance figures, but it will have more power than both of it’s main rivals. There will be a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox which, according to Ford, will change gears in just 100 milliseconds.

The new GT500 will also come standard with 20 inch wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires to keep it stuck to the road under massively flared arches. Magnetic ride suspension will help keep the car planted and will provide a firm ride. The GT500 has a front splitter and a massive rear wing to provide downforce.

All of this results in a 0-100 km/h time of around 3 seconds and a sub-11 second 1/4 mile. While Ford has said that they aren’t interested in benchmarking the GT500 with lap times, expect the Shelby to be tested extensively by the likes of Car and Driver and other magazines.

2020 Kia Telluride

Kia is betting big, literally, with the new 2020 Kia Telluride on that big and boxy styling will be popular with North American buyers. The Telluride is positioned above the Sorento and will be Kia’s largest crossover yet.

The Telluride is a 3 row SUV that will seat 8 passengers and have an optional 7 passenger configuration with captain’s chairs in the middle row. The 3rd row seats also recline for additional comfort. Power will come from a 3.8-liter V-6 shared with the Hyundai Palisade producing 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic. All-wheel drive will be optional and varies the torque split from 100 percent in front to a 65/35 split when in sport mode.

The interior goes upscale and includes optional features such as quilted Nappa leather, faux wood and aluminum. There is also an 10.3 inch touch screen for infotainment. The final details aren’t released yet but expect the same great infotainment system found in other recent Kia and Hyundai products.

The Telluride will be found in showrooms starting in May 2019.

2020 Ford Explorer ST and Explorer Hybrid

Ford announced the long overdue refresh of the Ford Explorer. The Explorer hadn’t seen a face lift since 2012 when the revised body style was released. Ford announced 2 new trim levels that will be part of the new 6th generation Explorer line up starting in 2020 – the ST and the Hybrid.

The Explorer ST will pack a 3.0L twin turbo V6 producing 400 HP and 415 lb-ft of torque, enough get the family hauler up to a maximum of 229km/h (143MPH). The ST gets 4 wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic gearbox with an optional upgrade to an ST Street Pack and an ST Track Pack which come with 21-inch wheels and upgraded brakes with red-painted calipers. The Explorer ST also offers a Sport mode which will tighten up the steering and throttle response while holding onto gears a little longer making it, according to the Explorer’s chief functional engineer, Ed Krenz’s, words, “a hell of a lot of fun to drive.”

Of course, there are all the interior and exterior styling changes too, including black trim and lots of Ford Performance and ST badges.

The Hybrid version, meanwhile, gets 318 horsepower from its 3.3-litre hybrid electric V6 engine. Ford has advised that they Explorer Hybrid will be able to get as much as 800 km on a single tank. Ford is staying pretty quiet on any more details about fuel economy, but expect exemplary fuel efficiency numbers when they get released.

2019 Ram Heavy Duty

Normally I don’t get too excited about new trucks, but the new Ram HD proved that the horsepower and torque war isn’t over. Ram unveiled that their new Cummins Turbo Diesel High Output will put out 1000 lb-ft of torque. No other consumer vehicle has ever made 4 figures of torque from the factory. Each of the main rivals from Ford and G.M. have exceeded 900 lb-ft of torque so it was only a matter of time before someone exceeded the magical threshold of 1000 lb-ft.

Ram has accomplished this feat of engineering by heavily reworking their Cummins inline 6 diesel engine. While the engine output is newsworthy, this isn’t the only update to the new Ram HD for 2019. The frame for the new Ram HD is now made up on 98.5% high strength steel for improved strength and weight savings. There are also extensive changes to the suspension and a restyles body, which has a drag coefficient of 0.41, the lowest ever achieved on a Ram pickup. This will result in better fuel economy for owners of the new Ram HD.

Well played Ram. We’ll have to see what Ford and G.M. do in response, so keep your eyes open for the next big announcement in the heavy duty pickup market.

The only loser from the NAIAS

The one main loser from the event was the event itself. More and more manufacturers are deciding not to bring their new vehicles to Detroit. This can partly be attributed to it being, well, January in Detroit. The other main reason is that a lot of the manufacturers are choosing to go to other shows instead such as the L.A. Auto Show, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas or even the Tokyo Auto Salon, which was held the same week as NAIAS. In a battle to reverse this trend and to make the NAIAS more desirable to auto manufacturers, the auto show will be moved to June starting in 2020 and will be moved from the current convention center to a new location near the waterfront.