Jan 22

Jan 22 NAIAS 2019 - Wrapping it Up

In conclusion…

There were some electric cars on display, mixed in between a lot of trucks and SUVs. Without Mercedes, Audi, or Jaguar, there were three less electric SUVs right off the top. There were several promising concepts, and I sincerely hope that they are harbingers of things to come. There were some PHEVs, better than not being able to plug-in at all. The show this year was smaller than in years past, but that seems to be true of all the major auto shows lately. What follows are all the tidbits that weren’t worthy of their own individual posts, but shouldn’t go without mention all the same.

CHEVROLET:

Chevrolet had two Bolt EVs on display, a red LT and a gray Premier. Something similar to the gray Premier is the top-choice to replace my Volt when the lease is up this spring. I cannot wait to make the jump to fully electric! Speaking of the Volt, as the model has been discontinued, there wasn’t one on display, nor was there a CT6 PHEV on the Cadillac stand either. The great teaser drawings of a future Cadillac EV concept released Sunday evening before the show was the extent of green Cadillacs this year. Maybe we will see a full concept in New York?

FORD:

Despite not having a single vehicle with a plug on their stand, Ford made repeated mention of their upcoming all-electric crossover. They also announced a partnership with VW that may include electric vehicles in the future, and hinted at an all-electric F-150 sometime down the road. The enormous blue ox on display made me long for Route 66.

BMW:

BMW did not have an official presence at this year’s show, but the folks at BMW of Rochester Hills were kind enough to bring an i8 Roadster.

LINCOLN:

Lincoln had the all-new Aviator PHEV on their stand, but have not released any info on EV only range yet. The Aviator shares a platform with the just unveiled next-generation Ford Explorer, though it sounds as if the Explorer will be offered as an ICE or hybrid, and will make-do without the ability to plug-in.