Video: The 2023 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also called Detroit Auto Show, started on Sept. 13, 2023, with the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (NACTOY) semifinalists for 2024 announced. (Xinhua)
While Cadillac, GMC, Ford, Jeep and Hyundai held press conferences to show off their newest vehicles, it was a small auto company that drew the biggest crowd on Wednesday. Alef Aero co-founder Jim Dukhovny told the crowd that his company plans to begin building flying cars sometime in 2025.
by Michael Strong
DETROIT, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The 2023 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also called Detroit Auto Show, started Wednesday, with the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (NACTOY) semifinalists for 2024 announced.
The 50 independent journalist jurors from the United States and Canada whittled the semifinal list down to 25 from 52 eligible 2024 models, which include 10 cars, 5 trucks and 10 utility vehicles.
The 25 best will be furthered winnowed to three finalists in each category on Nov. 16 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Winners will be announced on Jan. 4, 2024, in Detroit.
Electric vehicles (EVs) once again accounted for more than half of the contenders. Of the 25 selected to advance, nine were EVs. Gas-powered vehicles are well represented during the reveal of the semifinalists for the awards.
Battery-electric vehicles weren't as dominant as they were last year.
"The vehicles on this list are worthy of further evaluation, and we look forward to spending more time driving them, learning more about them and comparing them with the competition," said NACTOY president Jeff Gilbert.
For the second year in a row, the Detroit Auto Show featured a reduced lineup of automakers showing their latest wares. However, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association worked to expand the focus of this year's event on showing the capabilities of the vehicles on display.
Visitors were allowed to drive Ram pickups and Jeep Wranglers on courses designed to test the skill of the driver and highlight the functionality of the vehicle. Ford Motor Company offered a similar track for its pickup trucks and Bronco SUVs.
Among the most popular exhibits was the electric vehicle test track. As EV sales in the United States have risen above 7 percent of all new vehicles purchased, more and more Americans are looking for opportunities to learn more about them and drive them. The indoor track at Huntington Place, the exhibition hall housing the show, featured EVs from seven different automakers. Visitors waited in line to get into a Tesla Model Y, GMC Hummer EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E and more.
While Cadillac, GMC, Ford, Jeep and Hyundai held press conferences to show off their newest vehicles, it was a small auto company that drew the biggest crowd on Wednesday. Alef Aero co-founder Jim Dukhovny told the crowd that his company plans to begin building flying cars sometime in 2025.
"Remember the first part of that sentence," he told reporters. "We hope, we want to begin building in 2025."
Flying car drives like a car, but flies like a bi-plane. It needs clearance from the U.S. federal government. Canada and a handful of other countries have already cleared the vehicle for operation.
The 2023 Detroit Auto Show opened in the shadow of strike threat from the United Auto Workers (UAW) against the Big Three U.S. automakers as they have not reached agreement on renewing workers' contract yet.
UAW is planning a high-profile rally in downtown Detroit on Friday, when UAW President Shawn Fain and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders will attend. The union is billing the event as a "Rally to save the American Dream."
Fain on Wednesday gave the clearest signal that the union is willing to strike all three Detroit automakers at once, an unprecedented move that appears more likely than ever with the contract deadline on Sept. 14. ■
