DETROIT—In this year’s auto show, the winners had style, fuel economy, storage space, and comfortable rides. The iconic Corvette Stingray can sip fuel with an eco-mode that boosts mileage to 30 mpg. Car manufacturers paid attention to fuel economy and green technology as the demand has increased for a greener vehicle.
Since 1989 when auto dealers sought to make the Detroit Auto Show an international event, the world has looked to the North American International Auto Show for the latest in automotive innovation.
The weeklong show, which opens to the public Jan. 18, continues to be an opportunity for auto manufacturers to showcase their products to the industry and the public on the world stage.
This year, approximately 50 vehicles will be unveiled for the first time at the Cobo Center in Detroit.
This year Chevrolet took both prizes for its Corvette Stingray and Silverado. This is the sixth win for Chevrolet in the awards’ 21-year history. The Mazda3 and the Jeep Cherokee were runners-up.
Historically, the awards have gone more to domestic automakers over their foreign counterparts. A panel of 49 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada judge the vehicles based on innovation, design, comfort, safety, driver satisfaction, and best value.
Corvette Stingray
Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter unveiled the winner to the press this Monday ahead of the show this weekend. Juechter highlighted the comfort and the luggage room of the new Stingray in addition to its speed and use of new technology. “It’s a very fast car, but also very comfortable, and it has a lot of luggage room. The trunk is very large so two people can go on a long trip and bring everything with them,” he said.
Comfort aside, the Stingray reaches 190 mph and can go from 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds. The model comes in a coupe and a convertible version and has new technology from the ground up, including an all-aluminum structure and a composite exterior.
“It’s a sports car, so we want to make sure the driving experience is the best part of it,” said Juechter. “Pretty much everywhere you look, there’s high technology and it’s used in a way that helps the driving experience.”
Juechter said you can expect fuel mileage of 17 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. There’s also an eco-mode that gives 30 mpg on the highway.
Silverado
It was a combination of great styling, performance, fuel economy, and quietness that won the Silverado the auto show’s Truck of the Year Award, according to Jeff Luke, the executive chief engineer for General Motors.
“Fuel economy is very important to our customers, not only in this market, but around the world,” said Luke. “We’ve added technologies, a number of them, to these trucks that help improve fuel economy, but at the same time, give the customers more performance.”
Luke said the V8 model gets 16mpg in the city and 22mpg on the highway. The V6 engine gets 18mpg in the city, and 24mpg on the highway.
In addition to a new engine, the interior of the Silverado is also new. The doors are triple sealed which makes for a quieter and more refined ride.
The layout is designed to be user friendly, with multiple places for connecting smartphones and other electronic devices. The truck seats three in the front and three in the back with ample storage in the center of the vehicle.
“So when you look at this vehicle here, it’s a lot of capability, it’s a lot of safety, it’s a lot of functionality, it’s a lot of fuel economy,” said Luke.
The North American International Auto Show will be open to the public from Jan. 18 to Jan. 26.
Additional reporting by Ying Wan
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