‘2018 NAIAS (North American International Auto Show, Detroit Motor Show)’, which is the one of the five biggest motors shows in the world, had its opening on the 13th (U.S. time) in Detroit. This year’s motor show will be opened to media from the 14th until the 16th, will hold preview on the 17th and the 18th, and will be opened to public from the 20th until the 28th.
Although sales in North American automotive markets are continuing to slow down, pick-up trucks and SUV models have had clear growths. As a result, most people will have their eyes towards various new pick-up trucks and SUVs that will be released in the future at this motor show.
GM Chevrolet is going to introduce new ‘Silverado’. Although it has always been on the second place followed by F-series, GM is aiming for the first place by reducing the weight and changing the design of new Silverado. FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) is also going to introduce ‘Ram 1500’, which went through a full change, while Ford is planning to introduce new ‘Ranger’ that is a mid-sized pick-up truck. Ranger is expected to compete against Chevrolet’s ‘Colorado’ and Toyota’s ‘Tacoma’.
Jeep is planning to introduce mid-sized SUV ‘Cherokee’ that went through a facelift (partial change). BMW is going to hold a world premier event for its new SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) ‘New X2’. Its characteristics is its exterior that is more beautiful that coupe while sharing a same platform as ‘X1’.
Mercedes-Benz is going to introduce second generation of ‘G-Class’, which went through its first full change in 46 years. Design of ‘G-Class’ is same as the first generation, and its LED headlamps and bumpers were changed partially. Lexus is going to introduce its next-generation crossover called ‘LF-1 Limited’ concept car while Honda is going to introduce a prototype of its third-generation mid-sized SUV called ‘Acura RDX’.
Hyundai Motor Company is going to introduce a new hatchback ‘Veloster’, which went through its first full change in seven years, on the 15th for the very first time. New Veloster has stronger feel of coupe and it has better roof height and driving performance than the first generation. On the same day, Kia Motors is going to introduce new ‘Forte (All New K3)’, which went through its first full change in six years, for the very first time. New Forte adds more volume and luxury to dynamic design of current K3 and implements ‘upscale dynamic sedan’ image.
LG Electronics is also going to participate in Detroit Motor Show for second straight years. As a global-tier supplier, it is going to focus on introducing its technical skills in next-generation automotive parts. It is going to introduce solutions such as drive motor and inverter that drive electric vehicles, air conditioning solutions such as electric compressor and battery heater, infotainment devices such as AV navigation, central display device and LCD dashboard, and self-driving devices such as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) camera. Samsung SDI and LG Chemicals are also going to introduce next-generation battery materials and battery packs.
Staff Reporter Park, Taejoon | gaius@etnews.com