The North American International Auto Show, better known as the Detroit (Michigan, U.S.) Auto Show, is billed as the world’s largest meeting ground for the leading automotive and technology executives, designers and engineers.
The nine-day public event (January 20-28) kicks off with the twelfth edition of an ultra-luxury event, “The Gallery,” showcasing a $10 million collection of acclaimed auto brands including Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Rolls Royce. The Show’s Press Preview dates are January 14-16, with an Industry Preview the following two days.
Show visitors will get a look at the brand new 2019 Insight Prototype (coming to dealers as the aptly-named Honda Insight). The hybrid will use the same two-motor hybrid system that’s in the Accord Hybrid, and will join the electrified Honda family that also includes the Clarity.
There’ll be a lot of electric power coming out of Japan, as Toyota has recently announced plans for a fully electrified lineup by 2025. The company says its entire Toyota and Lexus lineup will come with electric drivetrain options by that year (that effectively means the number of models offered without some kind of electric drivetrain will be zero). Battery-only and plug-in hybrids are key to their manufacturing and marketing strategy which focuses on an array of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Consider that Toyota sold more cars than any other automaker in four of the past five years, to see where the future of passenger mobility is headed.
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Other global brands have already upped the ante for EVs: Volvo has committed to all-electric offerings starting in 2019; BMW will put an electric powertrain option into every model series and start up its own battery research center; and GM says look for 20 pure-electric vehicles in the next five years.
Estimates of the market share for EVs in the near future vary widely, from around 10% to as much as 35% (the latter from a recent report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance that sees electric cars and plug-in hybrids representing that number of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2040).
In any event, the tech revolution and trend to EVs as readily and commonly available, is pushing the auto sector definitively, if slowly, toward alternatives to fossil fuel-driven vehicles. Paving that road forward are factors including growing environmental awareness, design and manufacturing innovation, consumer acceptance, government support, investments by OEMs (original equipment manufacturer), and financial viability.
Read all about the Detroit Auto Show at https://naias.com/about/overview/