This year’s Detroit Auto Show marks the second time the event has been held since returning to its traditional winter date. While it isn’t as large as it once was, there are still plenty of new vehicles to kick the tires on.

One way the show has changed is that there aren’t the same level of high-profile vehicle launches as there once were. In fact, Ford opted to hold some of its major unveils at an alternate event across town.

Ford Racing’s season preview saw the company take the covers off two new F1 cars. The Dearborn automaker also used the occasion to debut its latest version of Ford Mustang, the Dark Horse SC.

Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford Racing. He says taking the festivities to Michigan Central, a place Ford is heavily invested in, was a logical move.

“I mean, I think this is a symbol of the City of Detroit,” says Rushbrook. “To be able to come here, with racing as we have it, with Formula 1 at the top…it made sense.”

Despite being unveiled somewhere else, the Mustang Dark Horse SC has made its way over to the Detroit Auto Show. Attendees can find it on display in the Ford exhibit throughout the week.

Chevrolet’s Chad Lyons says the way car companies unveil products is evolving.

“I think it’s trying to find out the strategy that helps us reach the most number of people that we can,” says Lyons.

And that can mean finding new methods for utilizing big events.

“Certainly, auto shows [are] still a place where we try to make news,” says Lyons. “So for instance, earlier this week we talked about Hudson’s, which is our new global headquarters. We also unveiled our test livery for F1 — Cadillac team did.”

In that way, manufacturers say they still find value in auto shows, even if they aren’t quite the spectacle they once were. This year’s Detroit Auto Show is open to the public through Jan. 25.

Detroit’s automakers have scaled back electric vehicle production due to sluggish sales and other factors.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence says overall EV sales in the U.S. grew by 1% in 2025. That includes plug-in hybrids.

Political pressure hasn’t helped. President Donald Trump favors internal combustion engines and rolled back his predecessor’s push to build more EVs. He rescinded higher fuel economy standards and tried to block federal funding for EV charging stations.

Congress eliminated the $7,500 tax credit for EV buyers, giving consumers less incentive to purchase one.

Despite that, EV advocates see better days ahead.

EVs enjoy high customer satisfaction

Jennifer Mefford is the director of business development for Powering Michigan’s Future. It’s a partnership between the National Electrical Contractors Association and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 58.

Mefford says customer satisfaction gives her hope.

“EV owners love their EVs,” she says. “And the technology is very sound and developed.”

Mefford notes that the market has already survived some ups and downs.

“We had a big resurgence when GM launched the Volt, and then the market kind of went flat,” she says.  “I think we’re poised very well because the technology is there, the battery development is there, and the charging infrastructure is there.”

EVs are still visible

Powering Michigan’s Future has a display at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show. Mefford says it’s there to answer people’s questions about electric vehicles. She says the questions most people have are about charging them.

“80% of your charging is going to be done at home,” she says. “What are the cost considerations for that? Do they want to hook into DTE Energy’s charging rates? How does it work when they’re out in public spaces?”

Mefford says Michigan has done a good job building out its EV charging infrastructure.

“It’s all new equipment,” she says. “It’s very reliable and it’s really quite user-friendly.”

In the early days, EVs suffered from limited range. Mefford says that, too, has gotten better.

“You have a group of vehicles in the 240 to 320-mile range,” she says. “I think ranges are always going to get better, batteries are much more efficient, and costs are coming down.”

But Mefford admits Michigan and the U.S. have a long way to go to catch China, where EV sales grew 17% in 2025.