An Audio Tour of the 2025 Detroit Auto Show

[00:00:00] Now in the middle of one of the most significant eras in automotive, Carl Anthony amplifies the minds and voices behind this historic transformation as the host of AutoVision News Radio, all while coming to terms with middle age, father loss, and what it means to be successful in Detroit.

[00:00:19] The 2025 Detroit Auto Show was held between January 10th and 20th. More than 30 brands made their home on the show floor at the Huntington Place, which also housed four indoor tracks, Camp Jeep, Bronco Mountain, the powering Michigan EV experience, and the Detroit Grand Prix track.

[00:00:40] Enthusiast could soak up the gallery, an ultra-luxury and exotic vehicle showcase, as Hagerty celebrated vehicles from our favorite movies and TV shows. Meanwhile, Vanguard Motors, one of the nation's premier classic car dealers, paid tribute to Motor City Muscle with its Detroit Through the Decades exhibit.

[00:01:02] While families, dreamers, and gearheads alike enjoyed the public show, those of us in the industry found immense benefit in things like the Mobility Global Forum, which featured more than 80 expert speakers sharing their knowledge through panel discussions and fireside chats.

[00:01:20] The theme for the 2025 Detroit Auto Show was My Drive, My City, My Show, a message emphasized in a video for the auto show featuring the Tyler Rich song, Heavy is the Crown, described by the Detroit News as a love letter to the city. Although My Drive, My City, My Show are written as three individual statements, they could be rephrased as questions.

[00:01:48] What does our drive look like? What should our city be? And what does our show, the Detroit Auto Show, mean to us? These were the things I thought about as I walked the show floor at the Huntington Place. Join me now for an audio tour of the 2025 Detroit Auto Show. Moving at the speed of mobility, this is AutoVision News Radio with Carl Anthony in Detroit, Michigan.

[00:02:14] Standing in front of Camp Jeep here at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show. Yeah, that's a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that just drove by. Standing in front of Camp Jeep, which is one of the coolest attractions here at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show. Here comes the Gladiator, Gladiator Rubicon.

[00:02:36] Camp Jeep is a lot of fun because you get to hang out in the passenger seat as Jeep product specialists explain each part of the course to you. And then what technologies the Jeep is employing to conquer whatever obstacle is ahead. The exact specifications and obstacles of Camp Jeep can and will vary from event to event.

[00:03:00] But from the Detroit Auto Show website, we have a 32,000 square foot exhibit space dedicated for Camp Jeep, which includes 250,000 pounds of freight or 16 truckloads, 40 cubic yards of dirt, 60 cubic yards of hardwood mulch, 30 tons of boulders and 50 pine trees ranging from 8 to 18 feet tall.

[00:03:27] Obstacles include the ground clearance stair climber, which I'm standing next to right now, the off-camber bridge, extreme breakover, and then Jeep Mountain, which is a 23-foot hill with a 40-degree ascent and descent to show off the low-end torque of the Jeep while climbing, but then also the hill descent control feature on the way down.

[00:03:55] From the Detroit Auto Show website again, since the debut of Camp Jeep in 2004, more than 3 million people have experienced the interactive off-road exhibit at over 175 events in the U.S. The thrilling ride-along has been activated on five continents in 15 countries and 28 states.

[00:04:18] There's our Jeep Wrangler Rubicon again. Camp Jeep here at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show. This 1962 Fiat 500 has garnered a ton of attention here in Detroit. There's probably a dozen people standing around or more taking pictures and reading the window sticker. I'll try to get over there in a second to read some of the window sticker.

[00:04:42] I'm at the very front of the car where the Fiat logo is, and Stellantis has a heritage website, and they have a section on there dedicated to Fiat logos over the years. And this 1962 Fiat 500 has the 1931 logo, which is described on the Stellantis heritage website as a rationalist approach. Quoting from that website directly,

[00:05:10] in 1931, the logo underwent a radical new transformation, starting with its shape. The circular crest is replaced by a rectangular form. The laurel wreath also disappears, and the background changes from dark blue to bright red, a color associated with Italian cars in international competitions. The rationalist approach is in reference to the Fiat lettering on the logo,

[00:05:39] which is inspired by the rationalist architecture trends in Italy in the 1930s. The logo was given what is described as a bold vertical thrust with tall elongated letters, although the bend in the A of Fiat is still present. This logo originally made its debut on the Fiat 524,

[00:06:03] and except for a few minor modifications, it was left unchanged for over three decades. I'm going to try to get around here and read this window sticker. I'm by the passenger side. 1962 Fiat 500. Quoting the window sticker, the Fiat 500 is a rear-engine, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 to 1975.

[00:06:32] Designed with the idea of developing cars that could be put into production as soon as the war was over, that's World War II, the Fiat 500 quickly saw great success with its economical design and social impact in Italy post-war. Available in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon body styles, the Fiat 500 was an instant success. 1962 Fiat 500. Beautiful baby blue car.

[00:07:00] At the 2025 Detroit Auto Show. At the Kia display, we can really see the automaker's opposites united design philosophy in action. As described by Kia, to unite opposites doesn't mean finding the positive in the negative or vice versa, but rather identifying that zero degree, that equilibrium where opposites or contradictions coexist in a state of calm.

[00:07:30] allowing us to distill unexpected thoughts and experiences. The 2025 K4 sedan here at the Detroit Auto Show is the small car interpretation of this opposites united design philosophy. I think you can see it in things like the fastback roofline, but also in subtle ways too, how when you look at the rear doors, the handles are hidden from view.

[00:07:57] Other unique features include the available multi-segment cockpit display, which offers nearly 30 inches of digital screen space. It includes a 12.3 inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3 inch center touch screen, and a 5 inch display for the automatic climate control. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard on all 2025 K4 models.

[00:08:26] On June 1st, 2022, Buick revealed its Wildcat EV concept, and it's an absolute showstopper here this year at the Huntington Place. The Wildcat is a design language showcase, meaning that what we see here at the Detroit Auto Show will influence production Buick vehicles for the foreseeable future. Of note is Buick's new floating tri-shield logo, which started appearing on the 2023 Buick models.

[00:08:55] The floating aspect is how there is no longer a circle around the tri-shield, which is a significant change, as Buick has had that circle as part of its logo since 1990. The Wildcat EV concept is a 2 plus 2 coupe, with a low and wide stance and a forward-leaning front end that features a trapezoid-style grille. Other exterior design highlights include the semi-swinging doors, micro-LED lighting technology,

[00:09:25] and an external state-of-charge indicator that is visible in the exterior hatchback glass. Of course, the one exterior feature that really catches your eye is those jet-age-inspired turbine wheels. The Wildcat EV concept is Buick's platform for emerging features, like artificial intelligence, biometrics, and aromatherapy. For example, Zen Mode will dim the interior lights,

[00:09:54] release pleasant and calming scents, and even activate the massaging seats. Historically, when Buick puts the Wildcat name on something, it's important. The first Wildcat to show the next evolution of Buick design was introduced in 1953, with the Wildcat II and III concepts following in 1954 and 1955. The automotive industry's first concept car was the 1938 Buick Y-Job,

[00:10:24] overseen by the legendary Harley Earl. As described by the General Motors Heritage Collection, Earl sought to combine his vision of the automobile with new technologies and features that would create a benchmark for future designs. Those features included things like hidden headlights, flush door handles, a convertible top, which is concealed by a metal deck, and power windows. At the time, the automotive press declared

[00:10:52] that the Y-Job wasn't just a concept car, but it was the car of the future. Okay, so I got to get me one of these. I'm standing next to a 2025 Toyota Tundra, and whenever I do anything truck related, I always pull the PDF spec sheets, and I zoom in. I like to go line by line, column by column, to really understand the truck. What are the powertrains? What are the bed links, cab styles, towing and payload capacities,

[00:11:21] and so on and so forth. What stands out on the 2025 Tundra's spec sheet is the i-Force Max powertrain. The i-Force is a 3.4 liter twin-turbo V6, but with a motor generator and a clutch inside the bell housing between the engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. The motor generator supplies additional power through the transmission, drawing power itself

[00:11:49] from a 288-volt sealed battery, which is located under the rear seat. This motor generator is also listed as an electric motor on the 2025 Tundra's spec sheet. It produces 48 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. So as a total combined system, the 2025 Tundra, with an i-Force Max powertrain, produces 437 horsepower at 5,200 RPM

[00:12:19] and 583 pound-feet of torque at 2,400 RPM. Like all 2025 Tundras, the one on display here at the Detroit Auto Show has a high-strength steel and aluminum architecture to increase rigidity and cut weight, while a front cross member is used to benefit the steering. Toyota constructed the bed from a lightweight yet rigid sheet-molded compound.

[00:12:47] You'll sometimes see that written as SMC. A rigid sheet-molded compound with aluminum cross members. Now this makes the Tundra's bed more resistant to dents and dings and corrosion and things like that. All Tundras have a power-release tailgate and an available power-close tailgate because it's that whole work smarter, not harder thing. At the Hagerty exhibit, they have vehicles from

[00:13:15] some of our favorite movies and shows, like the 1993 Jeep Wrangler from Jurassic Park, the 1998 Swinger 2, that's a Volkswagen Beetle, from Austin Powers, the spy who shagged me, and the 1986 Pontiac Trans Am, also known as KIT, from Knight Rider. In July of 2024, Hagerty released the findings of its Future of Driving survey.

[00:13:45] I'll leave a link in the show notes for more information. But basically, the survey indicated a growing interest in collector cars, trucks, and motorcycles among Gen Z, defined by the Pew Research Center as those born between 1997 and 2012. In Hagerty's survey, nearly half of all respondents expressed an interest in owning a classic car, yet interest from Gen Z respondents

[00:14:14] was significantly greater at 60% compared to 31% of baby boomers. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of Gen Z respondents said they either love or like driving. Perhaps as expected, film, like the cars we're seeing here, movie cars. So as expected, film, video games, social media, that's all fueled the love for younger generations. And there's no shortage of content there.

[00:14:43] Although in Hagerty's survey, 40% said their first exposure to classic and enthusiast cars was from attending a show. When I look around the show floor here at the Huntington Place, I see a lot of families and kids. Who knows how something like the Detroit Auto Show might inspire them. They see a certain vehicle here that resonates with them and they hold on to that. Many of us in automotive have a similar story.

[00:15:13] And we're always talking about how we need talented people in automotive. So it's a good thing we have this family atmosphere here at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show at the Huntington Place. because one of these kids just might be my boss one day. See the links in the show notes to learn more about the Detroit Auto Show and the items featured on this tour, including Fiat logos through the years and Hagerty's Future of Driving survey. Auto Vision News Radio

[00:15:42] is available on the digital antennas of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, and more. At the Huntington Place for the 2025 Detroit Auto Show, I'm Carl Anthony, Auto Vision News Radio.