The King of Corvettes, the ZR1, continues to live up to its name.
The Chevy’s top, track-course performance trim has shattered production car lap records at five of North America’s top racetracks, making it the quickest supercar in the U.S. market. With 1,064 horsepower, a twin-turbo V-8, 233 mph top speed, and 2.3-second 0-60 mph acceleration, the ZR1 set records at Watkins Glen, Road America, Road Atlanta and Virginia International Raceway (on two courses), with straightway speeds rivaling IndyCars that race at some of those same circuits.
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 at Road America in Wisconsin, where it neared 190 mph on straightaways. Chevrolet
At Road America in Wisconsin, for example, the ZR1 hit 188 mph on the front straight — on par with Chevy-powered IndyCars piloted by Team Penske drivers.
The Corvette’s ballistic acceleration helped it to obliterate the previous, 2.13.8-minute Road American lap record around the four-mile, 14-turn course set by Porsche’s track-focused 911 GT3 RS in 2023. The ZR1’s time: an astonishing 2.08.6.
“Corvette ZR1 continues to showcase how this nameplate elevates at every corner,” said Corvette executive chief engineer Tony Roma. “From design, engineering, development, validation, to driving and setting incredible lap records like these — we do it all in house.”
The records were achieved not by professional drivers but by race-licensed Corvette engineers (Lead Vehicle Dynamics Engineer Brian Wallace set the Road America lap). Lap records at four other tracks include:
– Watkins Glen Long Course: 1:52.7 (Driver: Bill Wise, lead performance engineer, chassis controls)
– Road Atlanta: 1:22.8 (Driver: Chris Barber, lead development dngineer)
– Virginia International Raceway Full Course: 1:47.7 (Driver: Aaron Link, global vehicle performance manager)
– Virginia International Raceway Grand Course: 2:32.3. (Driver: Aaron Link)
The records were all set in street-legal ‘Vettes equipped with (lightly) treaded, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP tires and the ZR1’s optional, high-downforce ZTK Performance Package, which includes a carbon-fiber high rear wing, front dive planes and a tall hood Gurney lip. The ZTK package also stiffens the suspension for better handling. Add slick racing tires and the ZR1’s times would rival the IMSA Weathertech Corvette Z06 GT3.R race car, with which it shared development.
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 team, including four different test drivers, set lap records at five U.S. tracks. Chevrolet
Last year pro driver Nick Catsburg put the Corvette Racing GT3.R racer on pole for the IMSA race with a qualifying lap record of 2 minutes, 2.2 minutes – just over six seconds quicker than the luxurious, leather-throned ZR1 with its full interior infotainment and stereo system intact.
The 2:32.3 VIR Grand Course lap pipped the 3.34.9-minute record previously set by the $982,816 McLaren Senna — a limited edition 2019 supercar based on McLaren’s Formula One technology.
The ZR1 retails at less than 1/5th the cost of the Senna, with a starting sticker of $174,995. Add the ZTK track pack and the price will push $200k.
The ZR1’s team of test drivers are all certified to lap the famed Nürburgring — the epic, 13-mile German track that is the international standard for car performance — and Chevy no doubt has its eyes set on that track record as well.
Orders for the 2025 ZR1 open later this month and production is scheduled to begin at General Motors Co.’s Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky in the second quarter of the year.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
A historic changing of the Corvette guard is complete.
Following the retirement last spring of Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter — aka the “Godfather of the Corvette” and only the fifth chief engineer for the iconic Chevrolet supercar — Product Marketing Manager Harlan Charles and Design Manager Kirk Bennion also are exiting the team.
Combined, the trio had 125 years of experience at General Motors Co. and presided over the development of the eighth generation (C8) Corvette — the first mid-engine model in the iconic badge’s eight decades of production. Chevy spokesperson Trevor Tomkins said the company could not comment on personnel matters. The news of Charles’ departure sent shockwaves through the Corvette enthusiast community.
The men behind the machine. The 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray was developed by, from left: Mike Simcoe, exterior designer; Mike Murphy, interior designer; Tadge Juechter, chief engineer; Harlan Charles, product marketing boss. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“I’m stunned that this happened. I worry that we have lost the people who listened to customers,” said Jake Drennan, 69, of Merritt Island, Florida, who’s director of the Corvette C5, C6, C7, C8 Registry. The registry represents thousands of Corvette owners, many of whom make a pilgrimage to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, each year for Corvettes at Carlisle.
The sprawling Corvette-palooza is the largest Corvette car show in the world, and Juechter-Charles-Bennion religiously met with owners to swap stories, hear their wants and tease future tidbits.
“They did the right things,” said Drennan. “They listened to the customer. Harlan would always want to hear about what we wanted — what we wanted for the future. We never thought we would get a power-top Corvette, but they brought it out and made it successful. Harlan made those cars sell.”
Charles seemed devastated as well, sharing his emotions in a long LinkedIn post.
Tadge Juechter, left, and Harlan Charles with the 1,064-horse 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“My Corvette dream is over — my bubble burst,” wrote the 37-year GM veteran, who joined the Corvette team in 2001. “I am now retired. I can’t think about the future yet. I feel fortunate to have so made many friends over the years and customer relationships that have become family because of Corvette. I was your voice, and you helped us create what Corvette has become. I hope our friendships will continue even if I can’t help you anymore.”
Bennion joined the Corvette team in 1986 and Juechter in 1993. The pair helped oversee a transformation of an American muscle car into one of the world’s fastest supercars. If Zora Arkus-Duntov was the “Father of the Corvette” — taking a fledgling coupe in 1957 and defining it as a cornerstone of GM performance engineering — then Juechter was the godfather, realizing Arkus-Duntov’s dream that the ‘Vette be a mid-engine supercar to take on the world’s best.
Through genius engineering, marketing and customer relations, the trio transformed the Chevy’s interior across three model generations into a luxury cockpit. They delivered consistent international racing success and developed a mid-engine C8 chassis that was the equal of European supercars for a quarter of the price.
“In my judgment, Tadge is one of the industry’s greatest engineers, blessed with both the requisite technical background but also — and equally importantly — a strong drive for perfection of the product,” former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told The News last year upon Juechter’s retirement. “It’s no wonder that the Corvette, under his leadership, has gained an international reputation for being comparable to foreign hypercars costing a multiple of the Corvette price.”
GM veteran Tony Roma was announced as Juechter’s replacement last summer and is putting in place a new team. The transition to new management of Corvette comes at a time when General Motors is transitioning to an all-electric automaker — and when rumors are swirling that Corvette will soon expand to a Chevy sub-brand similar to Ford’s Mustang. The Mustang badge now adorns a turbo-4 and V-8-powered sports car and electric, four-door Mach-E SUV.
Corvette rumors include an electric four-door sedan similar to a Porsche Taycan EV to complement the next generation, C9 supercar. The C8 is already the first electrified Corvette with an all-wheel-drive hybrid Corvette E-Ray grand tourer — in conjunction with the traditional, track-focused Z06 performance model — as part of the lineup.
His baby. 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray C8 chief engineer Tadge Juechter gets comfortable. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Roma moved to his Corvette post — where he also leads GM’s newly formed luxury and performance car team — from a position as chief engineer for the electric Cadillac Celestiq. A Nürburgring-licensed race driver (like his boss, GM President Mark Reuss), Roma has experience in the Corvette program as well as with Cadillac’s gas-powered V-series and Blackwing performance hellions.
Said Roma last summer upon assuming his new position: “I’m approaching this opportunity with deep respect and admiration for the hard work from those who came before me. Corvette earned and continues to earn its place in American car history thanks to the people behind it, like Tadge Juechter. These are big shoes to fill, but we will work every day to continue the strong legacy this nameplate deserves.”
The Juechter-Charles-Bennion legacy will be the C8 — a car originally greenlighted in 2007 but then canceled due to the 2009 recession and GM bankruptcy. The Corvette team persevered and the car has sold like hot cakes with its latest iteration — the 1,063-horsepower ZR1 — due to hit showroom floors soon.
Owner Drennan remembers designer Bennion sweating the little things. Walking around the all-new mid-engine Corvette on display for the first time in 2020 at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Drennan pointed at the chromed exhaust tips. “You are going to have to make those black.”
Two years later, his (and other enthusiasts’) wish was granted.
“I have had the greatest life I could have ever imagined because of Corvette,” wrote Charles in his farewell LinkedIn post. “We were able to prove that America can compete with the best in the world and win. No one can take away what I think is Corvette’s best era in history. I had the honor of working with Corvette legends like Tadge Juechter and Kirk Bennion. Tony Roma and the rest of the team have my best wishes for the future.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Marysville, Ohio — The 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz EV has rolled up wins this auto awards season — including North American Utility of the Year — because it’s iconic, roomy and just so doggone adorable.
Though the Hoover family may disagree.
The fictional Hoovers, of course, are the most famous (infamous?) owners of a 1978 VW Microbus Type 2 (which inspired the ID.Buzz) and which co-starred in the movie “Little Miss Sunshine.” Its quirks on a cross-country trip to California are a comedic highlight of the movie, and the Hoovers would find my upgraded, $66,500 2025 ID.Buzz Pro tester a major upgrade over their ‘70s slug … except that it might be equally maddening on a long road trip.
I didn’t take the ID.Buzz cross country to a beauty pageant in Redondo Beach, but I did take it on a January adventure to see Honda’s new Marysville EV Hub (a good family destination) using, in part, General Motors Co. chargers. Indeed, the trip featured an EV trifecta — three manufacturers (VW, Honda and GM) that are among the most aggressive legacy automakers promising a transition to battery power over the next decade.
Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne took the 2025 VW ID.Buzz EV on a 430-mile winter round trip to Ohio in 35-degree weather.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My trip was a cautionary tale on how EVs lag ICEs on range. As undeniably cool as Buzz is (I got as many looks as if I had been driving as Aston Martin DB9), it is a challenging vehicle to drive as one of its core functions: a road-trip family hauler.
Maybe there’s a script here for “Little Miss Sunshine 2.”
I filled the Buzz on my home 240-volt garage charger to 100% on a Sunday night with the goal of starting my overnight, 428-mile-round-trip-in-35-degree-winter at 7.30 p.m. Tuesday. If you have a garage and an EV, you should have a 240-volt charger for its efficiency and affordability. Charge overnight and local commutes are easy and cheap. It’s why (along with sticker shock) that EVs appeal to upper-income households — the EV is the daily driver, the gas car the trip mule.
Charging stations like this GM Energy/EVgo station in Findlay, Ohio, looks a lot like gas service stations. The 2025 VW ID.Buzz stops for a dose of electrons.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The ID.Buzz is daring in design and even more daring for road trips. With just 234 miles of range, my rear-wheel-drive Pro model has less than half the legs of a comparable 484-mile range, gas-powered three-row VW Atlas SUV costing $45,475 — which, ahem, could make the Marysville round trip without visiting a filling station.
And with regular gas around $2.89 a gallon in Ohio, the ICE round-trip cost ($24) is 50% cheaper than the EV ($36) at fast chargers demanding about 50 cents per kWh. Oh.
My trip south was straightforward despite 50 mph wind gusts that moved the tall ID.Buzz around like it was sailboat jib. A Ford Transit panel truck passed me on I-75 and we were a comical pair blowing this way and that.
The stylish 2025 VW ID.Buzz is a modern, electric interpretation of the original VW Microbus.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I made the trip in 4 hours and 35 minutes with two charging stops — or about an hour longer than an ICE car. Tolerable for the dysfunctional Hoover family — though I suspect mother Sheryl might have been freaked out by the second, late-night charging stop. A Blink fast charger in Dublin, Ohio, was located in a pitch-black lot next to a double-wide trailer. Eerie. I filled up for 25 minutes and was outta there.
The return trip however, would have tested the Hoovers’ patience.
For all its visual drama, the biggest advance of the ID.Buzz over the last Volkswagen EV I drove (sister ID.4) is the navigation system. It’s good. Three years ago, an ID.4 test car was unable to guide me to West Virginia on an urgent trip (I took my Tesla instead). This go-round, Buzz was nearly the Tesla’s match in mapping chargers — and exceeded the Tesla in details like allowing me to set how much charge I had when I reached my destination. With a history of bad experiences, I’ve learned to back up non-Tesla EV trips with the A Better Router Panner charging app — but the VW system was superior to ABRP.
I would need all the navi’s smarts to get home.
Rural north Columbus may be home to two ginormous Honda auto assembly plants, but like much of America, it is starved for charging infrastructure. My Dublin hotel did not have a 240-volt charger — nor did others nearby.
At a fast charger outside Marysville, Ohio, the 2025 VW ID.Buzz failed to charge at one – then charged slowly on the second stall.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
After briefly revisiting the eerie Blink charger Tuesday morning, I arrived for the Honda Maryville EV Hub tour with 81 miles of charge left.
OK, Hoover family, enjoy the tour and fingers crossed the navi can get us home without grandpa keeling over!
After the tour, the V-Dub charted a course of three charging stops for my trip home. Why so many for a 200-mile range vehicle for a 214-mile trip? Because batteries don’t like cold or highway speeds.
The CCS charger on the 2025 VW ID.Buzz can prove difficult to connect. It would make a comical scene in Little Miss Sunshine, The Sequel.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Despite a flurry of news reports claiming EVs have solved the cold range problem thanks to heat pumps, my heat pump-equipped Buzz lost 30% of range in the near-freezing temps. That is, its range was 164 miles instead of 234. Actually, 131 miles (80% of 164), since charging slows to a trickle over 80%.
Add my VW charge setting that I always arrive at a charger with at least 25 miles of range (should the charger not work and I need to find another), and the navigation system has its work cut out for it. No wonder two-car families leave the EV at home.
My first fast-charger destination after leaving Honda for my Oakland County home? A pair of ChargePoint stalls in Marysville.
The first one didn’t work.
The screens of the 2025 VW ID.Buzz are rich with navigation detail.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
After 15 minutes of fiddling with it, I tried the second. Success. But at pokey 62 kWh (compared to state-of-the-art 350 kWh fast chargers) the station took 33 minutes to add 70 miles.
My next charging stop (just off I-75 North in Findlay) brought a pleasant surprise: a fast charger designed like a service station gas pump. GM Energy has partnered with EVgo to create sheltered stations right next to service centers so you can plug in your car without getting rained on (looking at you, Tesla chargers) then go inside for restroom ‘n’ snack. Alas, the chargers aren’t any more reliable. After 10 minutes inside, I returned to the Buzz.
The charger had failed.
I restarted the laborious charging process, beginning with reconnecting the bulky CCS charger, which feels like you’re wrestling a boa constrictor. It would bedevil the Hoovers. “Miss Sunshine 2” would have a field day with that!
Ater 10 minutes, the charger failed again. Content that 72% of charge was enough to get me to my next (final) charging stop, I hit the road.
Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne’s destination on his EV round trip in the 2025 VW ID.Buzz? Honda’s Marysville Assembly Plant, which is due to go all-electric over the next decade.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Happily, Buzz makes all this driving and waiting a pleasant experience. Its wood dash is lovely, and the floating center console gave me both ample kneeroom as well as cubby space. The rear two rows are just as roomy.
My final charge spot was at an EVgo charger in a McDonald’s parking lot, and I resisted the call of the Big Mac (I could put on a lot of pounds at all these charge stops). EVgo names its chargers, and this one was called “Waldo.” As in: Where’s Waldo when you need a charge?
The charger was AWOL on my first connection attempt using my EVgo charge card — but responded when I used my credit card. Yeesh. After another 20 minutes of charging, I was on the road home.
A gas car would have made the trip in 3 1/2 hours (including 15 minutes for bathroom breaks). The ID.Buzz took six hours.
VW’s reborn Microbus has come a long way in six decades. But road trips can still be a comedy of errors.
Next week: Comparo, Kia K5 vs. Toyota Camry
2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Vehicle type: All-electric, rear- and all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger minivan/microbus
Price: $66,045, including $1,550 destination fee (RWD Pro Plus as tested)
Powerplant: 86 kW lithium-ion battery pack mated to rear electric motors
Power: 282 horsepower, 413 pound-feet of torque (RWD)
Transmission: One-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 101 mph
Weight: 5,939 pounds (RWD as tested)
Fuel economy: 234-mile range (RWD)
Report card
Highs: Good navigation system; roomy, configurable interior
Lows: Low range; pricey compared to gas sibling Atlas
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Marysville, Ohio — Global Japanese auto manufacturer Honda Motor Co. is going all-electric, and this sprawling plant in rural Ohio farm country is at the center of it.
Honda has begun work on its EV Hub — the ambitious transformation of its Ohio manufacturing facilities to produce electric vehicles this fall. Honda offered a peek behind the curtain of an operation at the core of Honda’s “Second Founding,” transforming a brand synonymous with some of the world’s best production and racing internal combustion engines into an all-EV maker.
The manufacturing north star in the Japanese company’s goal to be all-electric by 2040, the EV Hub brings battery components from satellite operations in the Midwest for assembly in Marysville for its first, in-house-built electric vehicles: the Acura RSX this fall followed by 0 Series SUV and Saloon EVs in 2026. The Marysville line, which has produced ICE cars for 40 years and is Honda’s longest-running manufacturing facility, will become a state-of-the-art, flexible line capable of spitting out EVs, ICEs and battery-electric hybrids depending on market demand.
Robots will install battery packs from below in this cage on Honda’s Marysville Assembly Line beginning in fall 2025.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“(The EV Hub) will establish a global standard for EV production.,” said EV Hub Executive Chief Engineer Mike Fischer, 57, a 33-year Honda veteran. “We will be meeting the needs of all our customers. We will produce EVs while navigating fluctuating market conditions and generating revenue for our future operations.”
In addition to introducing new technologies and traditional manufacturing efficiencies, the EV Hub launch is marbled with moral purpose addressing climate change, a politically charged issue that made the auto industry a focus of the November election. Honda says its electrification will benefit society and its goals are littered with green buzzwords like “carbon neutrality” and “sustainability.” Its “Triple Action to Zero” mantra echoes General Motors Co.’s’ “Zero Zero Zero” slogan, including zero CO2 emissions with Honda promising its vehicles will be produced with 1) clean energy, 2) carbon neutrality and 3) resource re-allocation with the goal of 100% recycling of vehicle materials.
“This transformation is not just about EV production for us,” said Fischer. “We use this as an opportunity to completely reimagine our approach to manufacturing. With the Second Founding launch of our (electric) 0 Series models … we are truly going back to zero. We are transforming to a more human-friendly, environmentally responsible production.”
A Honda associate assembles an EV battery pack in Marysville, Ohio, where the Japanese automaker is converting its oldest U.S. plant into a flexible facility able to produce gas-powered, hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In contrast to competitor Detroit Three EV plants, the EV Hub’s more than $5 billion investment took shape years ago and will be built without federal Inflation Reduction Act subsidies and with a nonunion workforce. Its vehicles will be exported globally as part of the Second Founding, which aims for a zero carbon-dioxide emissions footprint by 2050.
Like all domestic-based automakers, however, Honda will be impacted by a new Washington administration’s likely reduction in consumer-focused EV subsidies.
“Unlike Toyota, which has waited to gauge market reaction to EVs, Honda has committed to an EV future,” said iSeeCars auto analyst Karl Brauer. “They are going to pay a premium if EV demand does not materialize, but not as much if they had made a full-EV commitment like some other brands. It’s better to be flexible as they are doing — especially given softening EV demand and the post-November election environment.”
Bob Schwyn, vice president for Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, began his 37-year Honda career in the Marysville plant’s paint shop. He marveled at its second, Accord assembly line being ripped out to accommodate flexible powertrain manufacturing —– including the assembly of battery packs on the plant’s floor.
New car carriers are one of many upgrades that Honda has made to its oldest North American plant, Marysville, as part of its Second Founding.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Multiple battery pack assembly stations will intercept cases from Honda’s Anna Engine Plant and battery cells from partner LG Energy Solution in Jeffersonville, Ohio. The practice is a departure from ICE powertrain assembly in Anna, Ohio, north of Dayton, where assembled engines are shipped by truck to Marysville (and sister plant East Liberty nearby) for installation into Accord and Acura TLX and Acura Integra sedans.
Those vehicles will continue to be made on the new Marysville line in sequence with the Honda 0 Series products and sister Acura EV. Prototypes for the 0 Series vehicles, introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, are dramatic departures from current Honda style with signature squared-off rear ends, sporty fascias, big-screen interiors and sci-fi electronics, including Level 3 hands-free driving capability.
Indeed, the flagship 0 Series sedan based on the Honda 0 Saloon Concept looks like a four-door Lamborghini with a low snout and long, coupe-like roof. The exotic Saloon’s production doppelganger is hiding in plain sight as the Sony Afeela 1, which Honda will also build on the Marysville line. Electronics maker Sony says the high-tech Afeela, its first vehicle, will start at $89,900.
The Afeela 1 electric hatchback looks very similar to Honda’s Saloon EV. It will start at $89,900 when it goes on sale. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It’s not the first time Honda has manufactured electric powertrain components. Marysville has provided the small battery modules for the Accord and CR-V SUV Hybrids (CR-V is assembled in East Liberty), but the fully-electric modules for the 0 Series EVs are a different animal.
Much broader and substantially heavier than internal-combustion engines, the large battery packs would be a logistical challenge to transport by truck from Anna. So Anna’s enormous, 6,500-ton stamping machines will stamp aluminum battery pack cases — then send them to Marysville to be stuffed with battery cells.
“I’ve worked on manufacturing projects throughout my career,” said associate chief engineer Tim Leopold, 45, who has been with Honda for 23 years. “This is the most challenging. For the Second Founding of Honda, we had to re-establish the Marysville plant. What does that mean? We had to reimagine (and) retool our lines and our associates and partners in order to lead us into the future. Marysville being the first to launch an EV product, we were charged … with taking on new manufacturing technologies.”
Honda’s first EVs rolling off the revamped Marysville assembly line will be (from right to left): Acura RSX (fall 2025), Honda 0 Series SUV (early 2026) and Honda 0 Series Saloon sedan (late 2026).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Once assembled, the battery modules will be inserted into the EV chassis from below by caged robots on the Marysville line. The consolidation of Accord, Acura and 0 Series lines has also opened aisle space for less cramped, more efficient working conditions.
A Saloon EV could be followed by more EVs, a gas-electric, hybrid Accord or gas-powered Integra, depending on consumer demand.
“As a nonunion plant, Honda should have more flexibility to implement its flexible line,” said analyst Brauer. “It should make it easier to pivot between powertrains depending on consumer demand.”
Honda has also made EVs in Japan but with limited success. Small electric utility vans are made there, as was the electric Honda e subcompact. The latter went out of production last year after disappointing sales in Europe and Japan.
Jay Joseph, vice president of sustainability and business development, said Honda gained learning from the small, pricey Honda e on range and affordability. To that end, the 0 Series models are larger, more premium vehicles for the U.S. market, where EV buyers come from upper-income demographics. Honda’s first EV, for example — the $50K Prologue SUV made in Mexico under a joint agreement with General Motors — is the biggest, most expensive vehicle that Honda makes and ended 2024 as the fifth best-selling EV in the U.S.
Giant new HVAC units have been installed in the checkout area in Marysville.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Expect the upscale 0 Series models to follow in its footstep in price and size. Though Honda has resisted manufacturing subsidies, it is an advocate for the $7,500 customer incentive to buy full EVs — subsidies frowned on by the new Trump administration.
“A significant change in policy makes it difficult for us to invest in EVs,” said Lance Woefler, Honda North America vice president of sales, at CES when asked about whether Honda would miss what was approved under the previous, Democratic administration.
Regardless, Honda says the ship has sailed on its decision to go all-electric.
“Electrification is the best thing for our customers in the long run,” Woelfer said. “We are on a path to an electric and digital future based on what our customers want. We can’t force our customers to buy EVs.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Charlotte, North Carolina — The golden era of Ford racing is coming back.
For the first time since the legendary GT40 dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France from 1966-1969, Ford Motor Co. is returning to the pinnacle of sports car racing to take on the world. The Dearborn-based automaker announced at its annual Racing Season Launch event here that it will enter the World Endurance Championship in 2027 with a full factory LMDh Hypercar team taking on Ferrari, Porsche Penske, Cadillac and Toyota to win the world’s greatest endurance race.
“We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford,” said Ford chairman Bill Ford. “You can see it from what we’re doing on-road and off-road. When we race, we race to win. And there is no track or race that means more to our history than Le Mans. It is where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s.”
Ford enters LMDh Hypercar class to win Le Mans. Ford, Ford
The epic battle between Ford and Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966 inspired the blockbuster, Academy Award-winning movie “Ford v Ferrari” in 2019.
After the 1960s, Ford exited from the top-tier prototype class and competed in production-focused class racing around the world. In 2016, it won the Le Mans GT class with a mid-engine GT, and then finished second in the GT class last year with the debut of its Mustang GT3.
The LMDh Hypercar entry marks another level of commitment with a hybrid-powered, 670-horsepower prototype racer that has attracted the world’s best manufacturers in competition not seen since the 1960s, when Ford, Ferrari and Porsche went at it hammer-and-tong to win the top spot of Le Mans’ podium.
The Ford will hit speeds of 200 mph on Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight while going head-to-head on strategy with the likes of Ferrari and Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske. which manages the Porsche entry. Penske entered two Porsche 963 prototypes in 2024 in an effort to win the only major trophy that has eluded its chairman, Roger Penske, in his seven-decade racing career but was beaten to the checkered flag by Ferrari with Toyota taking second.
Ford will take on rivals including Porsche Penske, which fielded this #6 Porsche 963 last year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
Ford did not give details on whether it will also enter the North American Weathertech Sportscar Series that shares the same Hypercar class rules for LMDh cars with WEC. Like the rear-wheel-drive Ford racer, Porsche Penske and Cadillac entries are also so-called LMDh Hypercars, which makes them eligible for the 24 Hours of Daytona (that Porsche Penske just won last weekend) and the Detroit Grand Prix in June.
Ferrari and Toyota, on the other hand, have produced so-called LMH Hypercars, which are only eligible for the international WEC series because their hybrid systems drive all four wheels and have unlimited development budgets. An LMDh car is capped at a cost of about $1 million.
The distinction was crucial in 2024 as the Ferrari and Toyota LMH Hypercars had better traction and higher straight-line speeds compared to LMDh entries. Stewards are expected to address such disparities in coming years for fairness and competition.
Chairman Ford has been passionate about motor racing, which has informed the family brand since the company’s founding in 1903. The passion runs deep as his son, Will Ford, became general manager of Ford’s racing division, Ford Performance, in 2023. The pair have presided over an expansion of Ford into international motorsport in off-road racing, with a Ford Raptor finishing third in Saudi Arabia’s Dakar Rally this year — and now the announcement that the brand is entering WEC in both the Hypercar and GT categories.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2024: The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R started 7th and finished 7th. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“I am thrilled that we’re going back to Le Mans and competing at the highest level of endurance racing. We are ready to once again challenge the world, and ‘go like hell!’” said Chairman Ford, referencing the “Go Like Hell” book that catalogued Ford’s 1966 Le Mans win.
Ford’s announcement was met with cheers across the globe.
“It is wonderful news to welcome Ford back to the top level of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in almost 60 years,” said Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which oversees the Le Mans race. “It is a brand that has always had a close affinity with this very special race, and history shows that Ford does not compete to finish second. The renewal of its famous rivalry with Ferrari is truly an exciting prospect.”
Other manufacturers that have entered the WEC series include BMW, Peugeot and Lamborghini.
“(Ford’s) return to the highest level of the discipline is further validation of the success and appeal of the current Hypercar regulations,” said President Richard Mille of the FIA Endurance Commission, which is the licensing body for international motorsport. “Endurance racing’s golden age is right here, and right now!”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Charlotte, North Carolina — Ford Motor Co. is dialing back its production electric vehicle plans by canceling a battery-powered three-row SUV, pushing back a new EV pickup until 2027, and pruning back Lightning EV production.
But it is full speed ahead on electric race cars.
Ford Performance, the company’s competition division, rolled out its first prototype electric NASCAR and electric Mach-E Pikes Peak hill-climb racer Thursday at its second Annual Season racing launch in Charlotte.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E NASCAR prototype gives a glimpse at a possible electric NASCAR future.
Ford
As the company invests in an electric future, Ford Performance has played a big role by pushing the envelope of battery performance with vehicles like the winged, seven-motor, 1,400-horsepower Mustang Mach-E 1400 and the 1,600-horsepower F-150 Lightning SuperTruck that dominated Pikes Peak last year.
Ford’s electric performance push dovetails with NASCAR, which is looking to move beyond fossil fuels and produce net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2035. That aggressive initiative includes powering its racetracks with 100% renewable (wind, solar or hydro) energy, developing a plant-based racing fuel, and installing EV charging stations.
Most prominently, NASCAR debuted its first electric race car at its Chicago Street race last year. The Mustang Mach-E NASCAR prototype follows in its footsteps.
The prototype is based on the brand’s first electric SUV, the Mach-E, and shares components from the current gas-powered NASCAR Cup Series race car including suspension, brakes, steering and wheels.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E NASCAR prototype is based on the Mach-E EV.
ASP, INC, Ford
But under the skin it’s propelled — not by a ferocious, 5.8-liter, 670-horsepower V-8 engine — but by three electric motors and a 78 kWh battery.
In a sport built on the visceral thrill of 40 NASCARs thundering around high-banked ovals at the drop of a green flag, the quiet hum of electric motors may seem heresy to most fans.
But with a new generation of fans raised on Tesla Inc.’s success, NASCAR’s head of sustainability, Riley Nelson, wants the sport to represent EVs as cool, fun and accessible.
“(The NASCAR EV prototype) is just the next iteration of showcasing different types of technologies to our fans,” she said alongside the NASCAR prototype at Climate Week NYC last year. “We’re not saying one is better than the other. We’re just saying it’s an option that could be worth exploring.”
The Mach-E NASCAR is closely related to the NASCAR EV that was codeveloped with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota — NASCAR’s three manufacturing partners who are all pushing battery power in their production lineups. Chevy parent General Motors Co., for example, points to NASCAR market research that shows 50% of fans would be more interested in buying an EV if they were in a racing series.
“Fans want to have some connection or relationship to the racecar,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, told the Associated Press last year. “As more and more customers are buying all-electric vehicles, there will be, we believe, a growing number of people that want to watch full electric racing.”
Added NASCAR’s Nelson of its $1.5 million prototype: “If we can make a cool race car that still has the same visceral kind of emotional attachment to it when it goes around the track then maybe the consumer will think it is worth exploring for themselves,”
While Ford has yet to release details of the Mach-E NASCAR, it will likely share similar characteristics of the NASCAR EV that was demonstrated in Chicago. The EV accelerated twice as fast as gas-powered NASCARs but suffered in corners due to its extra battery weight.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E Pikes Peak racer cometh.
Ford
In the thin air at the top of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak, EVs have already proved themselves superior to combustion engines.
Ford plans to return to America’s Mountain in 2025 after dominating the event last year with its F-150 Lightning SuperTruck — the same SuperTruck on display at January’s Detroit Auto Show.
It’ll attempt to beat the record runs of the Lighting V and SuperVan 4.2 with the Mustang Mach-E derived Electric Vehicle Demonstrator. Race driver Romain Dumas, who piloted the SuperTruck in 2024, will be behind the wheel again for the Mustang’s run.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
San Diego — Jeep makes rowdy, off-road dirt kickers that can be stripped of their doors in the wilderness so you can hear the call of the Curve-billed Thrasher, the splash of mud under 33-inch tires and the bellow of a Hemi V-8 at full throttle. ROOOOWWWRRRR!
The Jeep Wagoneer S is not that vehicle.
The brand’s first electric vehicle is the gateway to Jeep’s luxurious Wagoneer sub-brand and it is quiet. Cradled in my double-stitched Cabo Vinyl throne, I cupped the two-spoke steering wheel in one hand and cruised silently along the California coast. Doors on, of course, for a hushed cabin so I could hear the stirring intro to U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” through 19 McIntosh speakers. S is for silent.
The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S can go 303 miles on a single charge.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
This bliss is only interrupted by the violent, instant-torque acceleration that is also synonymous with luxury today.
SCREEEEEEE! I stomped the accelerator out of a Carlsbad stoplight and my tall, Arizona Arnold Palmer can jumped out of its console cupholder and dumped tea and lemonade all over the faux leather. SCREEEEEEE! The overwhelmed 9.3-inch Falken all-season tires shrieked all the way to 40 mph under the strain of 617 pound-feet of torque, laying rubber past 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. A Jeep record, beating the legendary Hellcat-V8-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk beast’s 3.5 seconds.
Violence has a way of exposing flaws, and the S needs snugger cupholders and wider tires. Otherwise, this is a first-class Jeep that will strut into the golf club alongside any BMW, Volvo or Caddy.
Electric is the new luxury and Jeep is there. As it has been for some time with its gas models, Jeep is the rare mainstream brand that is shopped alongside European luxury.
Rupert, should I get a BMW X5, Audi Q5 or Jeep Grand Cherokee?
A Jeep, electrified. The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S is built on the same STLA Large battery platform as the Dodge Charger Daytona EV.
Henry Payne, The Detroit New
The Jeep is deserving. Check out the $65K Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve’s thin waterfall console display and thin headlights. Jeep’s mega-ute twins — Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer — take that luxe to another level with appointments like interior wood trim, console icebox and acres of screens.
The S is the gateway to Wagoneer world, and my loaded, 72 grand S Launch Edition is the patriarch of a coming family of models. Think of Jeep as a full-line SUV brand — Compass, (coming) Cherokee replacement, Grand Cherokee — with a passion for off-roading and luxury. The Wrangler and Wagoneer embody those passions.
The Wagoneer S is effortless to drive with superb interior ergonomics (including a Corvette-like square steering wheel for better instrument visibility) instant torque and liquid-smooth drivetrain. No downshift hiccups, no noise, no STOP-START stalls at stoplights. S for serene.
The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S features three cockpit screens (four, if you include the head-up display).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It’s also the same as every other EV in the $70K competitive set: Cadillac Lyriq, BMW i4, Mercedes EQE, Audi Q4 e-Tron, Polestar 4, Tesla Model Y. Luxe brands once differentiated themselves with spicy V-8s, inline-6s, supercharged-turbocharged turbo-4s. Now they’re homogeneous recipes.
In the EV segment, presentation is more important than ever. Design rules.
And Wagoneer S has it in spades. Welcome to the world of exterior and interior architects Vince Gallante and Ryan Nagode. Like New York fashion designers, they make Jeep stand out like Lauren, Hilfiger, LaCoste. Look for the signature alligator on the pocket.
In the case of Jeep, the alligator is its seven-slot grille up front. But what is a grille for if it doesn’t feed air to a gas engine behind it? Fashion. Like BMW’s kidneys, the seven slots are design elements integrated with the headlights that glow day and night. Designer Gallante was inspired by the recessed lighting at the upscale Shinola Hotel in Detroit. S is for Shinola.
Fly me to San Diego. The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S features an aerodynamic rear wing that also gives the Jeep squared-off proportions.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Jeep also means boxy, which clashes with EV needs for low drag-coefficient to maximize range. S checks the utility box with healthy interior legroom and cargo (including 3 cubic-feet of frunk space to isolate smelly items like athletic shoes or diapers), though its sleek bullet nose and raked rear glass are more Tesla than Jeep.
Designer answer? A big rear spoiler, which both squared off the slanted rear window and also assisted airflow. Dress S in a yin-yang wardrobe of black roof/white body/black wheels like my tester, and it’s fit for the red carpet at a movie screening.
Speaking of screens, the interior has more monitors than a TV production room: 12.3-inch instrument cluster, 10-inch head-up display, 12.3-inch infotainment display, 10.3-inch climate display (think Audi, a first for Jeep) and 11-inch passenger display. They’re digital, loaded with content … and essential for EV navigation.
Riding shotgun east of San Diego, I used the passenger screen to chart a mock trip to Las Vegas. Then, with the press of a button, sent the route to the driver’s instrument cluster and center console screens. My expert navigator Mrs. Payne would love that.
Vegas was 323 miles way and I had just 242 miles on the battery. I’d need to charge on the way.
The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S comes standard with all-wheel-drive.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Like Tesla and Cadillac Google-Built-in navi systems, the Jeep included charge stops on the way. With a twist. Conveniently, S allows you to set the state of charge you’d like to have when you arrive at your destination so that you’re not gasping for electrons on arrival (I chose 30%) — and then sets the route.
To maximize time, Wagoneer S planned two fast-charger stops of 20 and 28 minutes each — adding 48 minutes to the 4.5-hour drive. Not very luxurious. And S lacks a hands-free driving system like its Cadillac and Tesla competitors that makes long trips more relaxing. Worse, when I navigated to a local La Jolla fast charger for a charging test, the charger was out of order.
Which is another reason that EVs have found their niche in the luxury space — most owners have multi-car garages, so they can install a 240-volt charger for local commutes (Jeep will throw in $600), then take, say, their gas-fired 600-mile-range Grand Cherokee on road trips to Vegas.
The 617-torque Wagoneer shares its STLA Large electric platform with Dodge’s first EV, the 650-torque Charger Daytona, and could use the Dodge’s wider 12.3-inch rear tires for Woodward stoplight launches. But at a porky 5,667-pounds, the Wagoneer S — like Charger Daytona EV — didn’t tempt hooliganism in the twisties.
Neither did it tempt me to go off-road.
I set the regen pedal to max for one-pedal driving, turned on a lower seat massage, opened the panoramic roof and enjoyed the drive. S is for spoiled.
Next week: 2025 Nissans remade, Murano and Armada
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $71,995, including $1,795 destination fee (as tested)
Powerplant: 100-kWh lithium-ion battery with dual electric-motor drive
Motor City brands have invested millions into motorsports in recent years in order to accelerate technology transfer to production vehicles, develop engineers and raise brand awareness.
On one of the world’s biggest stages Sunday, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sportscar race, Detroit dominated.
Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske won overall with partner Porsche in the hybrid GTP class, Ford Mustang won its first 24-hour race in the production-based GTD Pro class, and Chevrolet Corvette won the GTD class. In all, Motor City brands won three of four classes (the only one they didn’t win was LMP2, a class they can’t enter because all cars are based on a French-made Oreca chassis).
Team Penske wins it all: #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963, GTP: Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Laurens Vanthoor celebrate in victory lane. Brandon Badraoui, Courtesy Of IMSA
Daytona is the opening race in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and saw record participation from manufacturers, with 61 cars representing 12 manufacturers. All told, 230 drivers from 31 countries and six continents were represented.
“We’re really proud of the results,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors Co., which fielded cars in GTP, GTD Pro and GTD and whose Cadillac GTPs led multiple laps in a head-to-head battle with Porsche Penske. “As a manufacturer, we actually engineer and build our own racing powertrains in house. We were fast and had zero failures with eight cars.”
Five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs entered the race in the GTD and GTD Pro classes. Corvette has been a mainstay of international sportscar racing since its first Daytona 24-Hour in 1999. With the establishment of uniform GT3 racing rules across the globe, Chevy has expanded its racing program to private teams and has also extended Corvette’s reach in global markets — including the production of right-hand driver ‘Vettes for England and Japan.
GM entered multiple classes. Here the 2nd place #4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports leads a Cadillac GTP car. Brandon Badraoui, Courtesy Of IMSA
“Corvette advertises by racing,” said brand ambassador Doug Fehan, who started the team in 1997. “We have demonstrated the value that racing brings. Our tech transfer from racing to production has produced the best Corvettes ever, and now 50% of buyers come from other brands. We are engaging more customers and more fans.”
The weekend’s most intense class battle featured Ford and Chevy brands going wheel-to-wheel in GTD Pro. The #65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 held off the #3 Pratt & Miller factory Corvette entry by less than 2 seconds at the checkered flag.
“This is a team win for everyone at Ford Motor Co., for our partners and for fans of Mustang,” said Ford Performance Global Director Mark Rushbrook. “Moments like this make the long hours, hard work and earlier disappointments worthwhile. Our first global win with the Mustang GT3 and our 20th for Ford in the 24 Hours of Daytona is a milestone.”
Four Ford-sourced Mustangs were entered, including two factory team cars in GTD Pro and two in GTD. GM-sourced entries included three Corvette GT3.Rs in the GTD class, two in the GT Pro class, and three Cadillac V-Series.R GTP cars that crested 200 mph on Daytona’s high-banked ovals. Team Penske entered two Porsche 963 in the GTP class.
Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch and Dennis Olsen piloted the #65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 to first place in the GTD Pro class. Jake Galstad, Courtesy Of IMSA
Team Penske narrowly missed a 1-2 finish, with Acura’s entry pipping the second-place Porsche Penske with just to laps to go. It was the second straight Rolex Daytona win for Penske and gives the team a boost towards winning the coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans in France this June — the only major sportscar race that has eluded Chairman Roger Penske’s grasp in his seven-decade racing career.
In addition to the Cadillac and Acura, Porsche Penske beat out entries from BMW. An international crew of Felipe Nasr (Brazil), Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) piloted the Porsche to the win.
Cadillac’s gas-electric hybrid GTP cars have flown the brand’s flag at race tracks around the world as Caddy has introduced its all-electric production lineup internationally, including a flagship store in Paris. While the #10 Cadillac V-Series.R thundered around the track, Cadillac’s first V-Series production model, the Lyriq-V, was on display for fans in the infield.
Caddy will also enter a team open-wheel Formula One racing beginning in 2026. Ford is partnering with Red Bull’s F1 team in 2026.
Orey Fidani, Matthew Bell, Lars Kern and Marvin Kirchhofer drove the #13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to first place in the GTD class. Brandon Badraoui, Courtesy Of IMSA
Just a year after Ford debuted its Mustang GT3 racer, the GT Pro class win was an indication the team can compete with a front-engine car against the best mid-and-rear engine sportscars in the world, including entries from Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.
The winning #65 Mustang was driven by Dennis Olsen, Christopher Mies and Frédéric Vervisch, with its sister #64 car taking the third spot on the podium.
“(Ford CEO Jim Farley) said: ‘whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet,’” Vervisch said afterwards. “Corvette was extremely strong. I am super proud that we could stay ahead and maybe out-strategy them.”
Mustang’s race program is part of a global campaign that sells the pony car in 111 countries. After a rough start at Daytona year ago with reliability issues, the Mustang GT3 showed promise by finishing second in June’s 24-Hours of Le Mans in Fance.
For the second year in a row, Porsche Penske was first overall at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, with Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor behind the wheel of the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963. Jake Galstad, Courtesy Of IMSA
In the GTD class – which differs from GTD Pro in that drivers do not have pro-level racing licenses – the Corvette Z06 GT3 customer program scored its first 24-hour race win at the hands of AWA Racing and drivers Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, and Martin Kirchhöfer.
The #13 Corvette crossed the finish line just 1.454 seconds ahead of the second place Porsche 911 GT3 R form Wright Motosports. The win was the 21st for Chevrolet in the Rolex 24 and the fifth for the Corvette Racing program since 1999.
“We have had continuity in racing since 1997,” said Fehan. “I call it ‘cascade engineering,’ where a race car makes a better road car, which then makes a better, next-generation race car and so on. The program attracts better personnel to the company and builds a culture of winning.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Several early Trump executive orders have already begun reversing some of the worst leftist excesses of the past four years.
Detroit — Threatened speech, shuttered businesses, reduced consumer choice.
I’ve borne witness to all. The U.S. is emerging from a dark era in which politics spread into every corner of our daily lives — darkness that ultimately enraged the working class, rekindled core Republican groups like small business, renewed civil liberties, and returned Trump to office.
On a grassroots level, I have engaged with everyone from autoworkers to restaurateurs who have felt the cold hand of government in chilling ways, and I’ve experienced it personally (as a cartoonist, businessman, and consumer). Those lessons have given new energy to restore liberty and government accountability, as seen in the first executive acts of the Trump administration, on January 20.
The U.S. has watched aghast as California’s misguided forestry policies made Los Angeles a tinderbox. California regulatory policies are spreading across the nation like wildfire.
In the past four years, the climate cult, led by California regulators and the federal EPA, declared war on our most personal possessions. Gas-powered cars, gas stoves, incandescent light bulbs, and diesel trucks were targeted for elimination. Automakers drowned in EV losses, laying off thousands. Autoworkers, once the base of the Democratic Party, swung to the GOP in the key swing states of Michigan and Ohio.
“EVs were probably the No. 1 issue among autoworkers,” Autoworkers for Trump founder Brian Pannebecker — a fixture at Michigan rallies introducing Trump — told me. The incoming EPA chief, he said, “knows what Donald Trump wants, and a lot of it is easing regulations.”
Ending EV mandates is central to Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order signed Monday: “It is the policy of the United States. . . to eliminate the ‘electric vehicle (EV) mandate’ and promote true consumer choice. . . by removing regulatory barriers [and] terminating state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles.”
Cancel culture engulfed newspapers, satirical websites, and cartoonists. I’ve been a writer and syndicated cartoonist for 40 years, lampooning everyone from Trump to Al Sharpton. Yet I was never threatened with personal harm until the fall of 2024, when I penned a cartoon lampooning Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.).
Fiercely anti-Israel, Tlaib has defended the slogan “from the river to the sea” and has tacitly supported Hamas and Hezbollah hostilities against the Jewish state. When Israel blew up Hezbollah pagers, I penned a caricature of a quizzical Tlaib with a damaged pager on her desk.
The cartoon ran in client publications across the country, including National Review. She and her supporters triggered a national, robo-email campaign against me and NR demanding the cartoon’s retraction. My inbox was buried under hundreds of copycat emails that read:
I am appalled by the dangerous cartoon published by National Review, drawn by Henry Payne, that targets Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her identity as a Palestinian and a Muslim. I demand a retraction and apology from both National Review and the cartoonist.
The campaign spread across social media, with Democratic politicians piling on including Representative Anastasia Ocasio Cortez (N.Y.), Representative Jerry Nadler (N.Y.), Senator Gary Peters (Mich.), and more. The email’s inflammatory language provoked much worse. I received hate mail promising violence:
You nasty mother****** for writing that cartoon of Rashida. I hope your mother gets f***** in the ass you b****. FREE Palestine!!!
And another:
I know people like you think you’re untouchable, but one day you WILL have to meet your maker. Oh, I can’t wait until . . . you suffer unspeakable loss. I will find you and remind you karma is kicking you in the balls and you deserve everything that is coming to you.
We cartoonists are all too aware of the fate of twelve staffers of the satirical French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo who were murdered for lampooning Islamic extremists. I moved quickly to protect my family, calling local police to step up patrols around my house.
I received dozens of emails in support, and National Review stood firm. So did the New York Post despite censorship pressure from Big Tech and the Biden White House. So did Elon Musk, when he rescued Twitter.
The “Restoring Free Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” Executive Order signed Monday exalts the First Amendment as “essential to the success of our Republic” and says that it “enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference.”
Thousands of small businesses unnecessarily went under during Covid as government crippled commerce with absurd, unscientific mandates. My family’s business was one of them.
Payne Controls, a West Virginia–based engineering firm started by my father 65 years ago, had survived recessions and his passing. But it would not survive Covid shutdowns in 2020–21. Economic and medical experts argued for a commonsense approach to restrictions on schools and businesses but were censored and silenced.
Restauranters were hardest hit under the made-up-out-of-thin-air science of six-foot-distancing. In one instance, the state arrested a female immigrant proprietor for serving indoors, even as the governor defied her own order at another establishment.
The restaurant industry mobilized for common sense. “I have never seen more anger toward a politician than my fellow restaurateurs currently have towards Big Gretch,” the head of one of the state’s premier restaurant groups told me. “She singlehandedly caused us to layoff thousands of hard-working young people.”
Such proprietors are behind Trumps’ call Monday in the Capitol for “common sense.” And they also are also behind his “Initial Recission of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions” Executive Order, signed January 20, which commences policies that “restore common sense to the Federal Government and unleash the potential of the American citizen.”
Common sense like the revocation of the race-obsessed Biden Administration’s Executive Order “Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery,” meant to address the “disproportionate and severe impact of [Covid] on communities of color.” Covid didn’t target Americans by race, it discriminated by preexisting conditions such as obesity and age.
Or the recission of Biden’s 2021 order establishing the federal Covid-19 Response Team, which oversaw implementation of the controversial vaccine mandate on large employers. The Supreme Court ruled the mandate unconstitutional in 2022.
General Motors Co.’s luxury brand is rolling out the first performance V-Series model in its electric lineup with the midsize, 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V. Like its gasoline predecessors, the CT5-V and CT4-V sedans and Escalade-V SUV, the Lyriq-V will bring higher horsepower and a higher sticker price to the Lyriq.
A lot higher.
The Lyriq-V will boast a whopping 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque from its twin motors, resulting in a best-ever Cadillac 0-60 mph sprint of 3.3 seconds. That nearly doubles the horsepower of the gas-fired, 360-horse CT5-V with its twin-turbo V-6 — and bests the CT5-V’s 0-60 mph time of 4.8 seconds.
2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V comes standard with AWD.
GM, GM
All that power will also put a dent in your wallet with the Lyriq-V stickering at $79,990 compared to the standard, rear-wheel-drive, $59,990 Lyriq and well above the $56,390 for the gas-fueled CT5-V. The Lyriq-V joins other luxury performance models in the market like the Mercedes-AMG EQE53, BMW i4 M50 and Tesla Model 3 Performance.
“V-Series captures the spirit of Cadillac, embodying our relentless pursuit of engineering excellence through our racing and production vehicles,” said Vice President for Global Cadillac John Roth. “Lyriq-V takes this commitment a step further in the EV era, pushing our performance pedigree of V-Series to new heights with a powerful, personalized and high-tech driving experience.”
The Lyriq-V’s introduction comes ahead of the Cadillac racing team’s 2025 debut this weekend at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in Florida. The Lyriq-V will be in Cadillac’s infield Daytona customer display while three Cadillac V-Series.R GTP prototypes thunder around the race track for the IMSA Weathertech Sports Car series opener. Powered by a gas-electric, hybrid-V8 powerplant, the 670-horsepower racing cars have just a few more ponies than the Lyriq-V.
But may be an even higher horsepower Lyriq-V in the wings if the CT5-V’s history is any guide. In addition to the CT5-V, Cadillac offers a track-focused CT5-V Blackwing model pumping out 668 horsepower. Is there a Lyriq-V Blackwing under development pushing 1,000 horsepower?
The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V is the fastest Cadillac ever at 3.3 seconds to 0-60 mph.
GM
Stay tuned, but for now, Caddy EV fans will get a Lyriq EV on steroids. That boost includes a new, growly signature EV sound to match its gas-powered siblings as well as launch control — part of a suite of traction management features to put the EV’s prodigious power to the road.
The Lyriq-V will also be lowered for better handling and aerodynamics and will feature specifically-calibrated shock absorbers.
“Lyriq-V brings luxury, technology and performance together to push its capabilities to the limit,” said Lyriq-V Chief Engineer Dave Stutzman. “With the combination of its rigid body structure and lower center of gravity, our team was able to improve the suspension to achieve the right level of precision and isolation, adding to its outstanding canyon-carving abilities.”
The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V comes standard with Super Cruise hands-free tech.
GM
Careful with your lead foot in the canyons, however as the the Lyriq-V will likely push 6,000 pounds thanks to its big, 102-kWh battery pack, while range will suffer, totaling 285 miles on a full charge (compared to 307 miles on the standard, AWD model).
Other familiar V-Series performance goodies include big front Brembo brakes (your choice of red or blue), summer tires and electronic modes: Velocity Mode for maximum acceleration, and V-Mode (accessed via a button on the steering wheel) to customize your settings — including that V-Series sound experience.
When you’re not snapping your neck with torque-tastic acceleration, Lyriq-V surrounds the driver with rich materials and the latest safety systems.
Cadillac innovated hands-free Super Cruise and the Lyriq-V comes standard with the latest version allowing for automatic lane changes. While the Caddy drives itself, you can score a tan from the standard panoramic sunroof while playing your favorite tunes through the 23-speaker AKG9 audio system. Cadillac’s signature 33-inch-diagonal display sprawls across the dash, complemented by an augmented-reality head-up-display projected over the hood.
2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V badge
GM-DESIGN, GM
The power-adjustable seat included adjustable bolsters. Specific V-Series touches include an illuminated sill plate with available Napa leather seating and V-pattern detailing on the seatbacks.
On the street, you’ll know the Lyriq-V by its exclusive, dark, 22-inch wheels and black painted roof. Also unique to Lyriq-V is a front lower chin spoiler, lower grille mesh, rocker panels and available carbon fiber accents — details familiar from other V-Series models. V-Series badging decorates the rear doors and the tailgate.
To further set apart the Lyriq-V, an exclusive Magnus Metal Frost color is optioned. Lyriq-V rolls off GM’s Spring Hill assembly line early this year and will be available across the globe.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
San Antonio, Texas — I’d like to start my review of the 2025 Volkswagen Taos subcompact SUV from the backseat.
It’s terrific. I can easily sit behind myself. I’m 6’5” and my knees don’t even touch the seatback in front of me. I can cross my legs, and my giraffe neck isn’t stuffed into the roof. In fact, I have plenty of headroom under the panoramic glass roof. That’s right, a panorama roof in a $32,025 SUV, a rare find in this subcompact segment.
My reviews of compact V-Dubs usually start in the front seat of terrific corner carvers like the Golf GTI/Golf R hot hatches or Jetta GLI pocket rocket. But the Taos is no more interested in carving corners than roast beef. Happy to leave the motorhead antics to its car brethren, the SUV aspires to be a vintage V-Dub like a Microbus: affordable, entry-level utility vehicle.
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos offers a variety of colors – and a two-tone black roof option on the SE Black model (right). Ducks not included.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In a market buffeted by high electric vehicle-development costs, government mandates and product cancellations, one of the most pleasing trends in recent years has been the burst of affordable new entry-level utes. Not just affordable, but loaded with a Santa’s workshop full of goodies. Utes like the quick Mazda CX-30, rugged Subaru Crosstrek and 2023 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year, Chevy Trax.
Like its fellow mega-brand Chevrolet, Volkswagen has bet the farm on EVs and has been rolling out expensive SUVs like the (Microbus-inspired) $60K ID.Buzz and $45K ID.4 while ditching more affordable sedans like the Passat and Golf. Customers can be forgiven for thinking the German brand had pivoted from affordable bratwurst offerings to a premium menu of Jäeger Schnitzel with Paprika Mushroom Sauce entrees.
The 2025 Taos is a welcome reminder that VW makes good brat ‘n’ potato salad for the whole family.
Buried in San Antonio rush hour traffic, my Taos tester (starting price, $26,420) was bubble-wrapped in standard safety equipment including forward collision alert, blind-spot assist, lane-keep-assist and adaptive cruise control. If I was also being buried by snow (instead of bathing in Texas sunshine) I would add all-wheel drive for 1,700 bucks for a total of $28,120.
I was a fan from Day One, 2021 when VW introduced its first subcompact SUV to the U.S. Its interior room, generous standard features and all-digital displays were fundamentals sorely needed in an entry-level segment aimed at single-car families who prize utility.
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos gets big upgrades for the new model year, including more horsepower, a sportier grille/exterior and better digital screens.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Check the affordability box, and you have a gateway drug to the similarly roomy Tiguan compact and three-row Atlas SUVs. VW has become a split personality brand of fun toys like the 241-horse Golf GTI and 228-horsepower Jetta GLI and the Atlas rolling living room. Taos was definitely a Son of Atlas, but still noticeably light on grunt. I mean, 158 horsepower? Seriously?
For Taos 2.0, VW engineers have injected the 1.5-liter turbo-4 with a dose of steroids to 174 ponies. That’s more like it.
When the traffic cleared, I nailed the throttle and the V-Dub leapt forward, its eight-speed automatic transmission smoothly throwing off shifts before I settled at 75 mph and set cruise control again. You won’t get the cheerful exhaust grunt or handling of the GTI/GLI hellions, but Taos has raided their wardrobes for a more athletic look.
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos is the brand’s entry-level SUV – but the entry Jetta sedan is cheaper.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The lumpy fascia has been cleaned up with a leaner, more horizonal grille and taillight elements (similar to Jetta, which also got needed facelift this year). Combined with toned shoulders and front hood, the Taos looks much healthier to go with its improved power.
The facelift continues inside, where Taos complements its standard tech with a tablet infotainment screen for the Gen-X laptop generation. Taos could use more console room (how about freeing up space with that nifty steering column-mounted shifter in the ID products?) to match its legroom, but it was enough space to keep my smartphone charged in a day of driving.
Taos does not suffer the ID models’ battery range anxiety, and I set off into the Texas wilderness with 360 miles of gas range and no worries of finding a filling station.
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos is one of the roomiest models in class with excellent rear room for six-footers.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My smartphone wirelessly took over the dash displays, navigating to my destination while synching to my Google cloud account’s Sirius XM stations, contacts and so on.
But the steering wheel is my favorite feature.
It comes heated standard to warm up my cold mitts on a 40-degree December morning (20 degrees back home in Detroit), and its cornucopia of features means you don’t have to remove your hands to operate the automobile.
With my right thumb, I toggled through my favorite radio stations. With my left thumb, I adjusted volume. Cruise control buttons are intuitively arranged on the left spoke, so I never had to look away from the road, and the right spoke allowed me to thumb through screen menu items like Google Map directions and tire pressure. Like all VWs, the Taos has one glaring ergonomic omission — no radio mute button. Odd.
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos offers standard Android Auto with Google navigation – step up to the SE model and it’s wireless.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Taos should be attractive to young couples given its price point — but also to empty-nesters looking to downsize. Why drive a supersized two-row Atlas Cross Sport when the Taos easily swallows four passengers? For such customers, Taos offers premium goodies like the panoramic roof, a blue interior and fancy 19-inch wheels on the top-grade SEL trim. My Moss Green, SE Black model was pretty stylish too, at just over $32K.
Taos has stepped up its game in a ferociously competitive segment. Once known for stubbornly resisting American driver preferences, this little brat is as American as a Big Mac. It even has condiments like a spare tire under the rear hatch.
In case I got a flat in the Texas boonies.
Next week:2025 Jeep Wagoner S
2025 Volkswagen Taos
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and-all-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact SUV
Price: $26,420, including $1,425 destination fee ($32,025 FWD SE Black as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder
Power: 174 horsepower, 184 pound-feet torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 125 mph
Automotive product legend Hal Sperlich passed away Monday at 95, but his memory lives on in the millions of pony cars and minivans that ply our highways.
Sperlich was known as the father of two American icons, the Ford Mustang and Chrysler minivan. Colleagues remember him as one of the most significant product developers of his generation.
“He was always working on the next breakthrough,” said Chris Theodore, a noted automotive engineer who himself is known as the father of the 2005 Ford GT. “Hal and Bob Lutz (former vice chairman of Chrysler and General Motors) had the broadest perspective on automotive development of anyone I knew.”
Hal Sperlich, who was Chrysler president from 1984-1988, designed the company’s pioneering minivan. Max Ortiz, The Detroit News
Sperlich and Lutz briefly overlapped at Chrysler in the late 1980s, and Lutz remembered him fondly.
“Hal was a gifted, intuitive product planner who didn’t need reams of historical data to come up with ideas for all-new, breakthrough products,” Lutz said Tuesday. “In a way the Dodge Viper was part of his vision, as he saw the need for a large, powerful sports car. During his tenure as president of Chrysler, it was called ‘Big Shot.’”
A mechanical engineer out of the University of Michigan, Sperlich enjoyed an automotive career that spanned four decades. In addition to the revolutionary Mustang coupe in 1965, Sperlich is credited with the popular 1967 Fiesta compact that became a cornerstone of Ford’s model line around the world. After joining Chrysler in 1977, Sperlich spearhead the K-car that put the company back on its feet, then innovated the hugely successful minivan, first sold in 1984 as the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.
“We lost a product visionary in Hal Sperlich. He was also a friend and mentor to me, and many others,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley in a statement Tuesday. “There are a lot of people who make great cars but so few who invent segments like Hal did with the Mustang and later the Fiesta. Fiesta was Ford’s first, front-wheel-drive subcompact car globally and a huge success that allowed Ford to compete in the hottest segment in Europe.”
Early 1965 Ford Mustang convertible. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.
Sperlich was relentless in his pursuit of new product, and that often put him at odds with the finance department. Chairman and CEO Henry Ford II fired him in 1977 after Sperlich wouldn’t let go of the minivan idea. He moved across town to Chrysler and developed the vehicle there.
“Hal always joked that Henry the Deuce was responsible for saving Chrysler,” said Don Runkle, 79, former General Motors vice president for engineering and ex-vice chairman of Delphi. “Finance always had a strong hand in these companies, and we product guys were often sideways with the finance folks.”
Runkle and Sperlich were fierce competitors at GM and Chrysler, respectively, with Sperlich rising to president before leaving the latter automaker in 1988. After that, they became pals and Sperlich the godfather to Runkle’s son.
“He was the smartest guy I knew. He’s the only product guy I know who created three market segments: the muscle car, minivan, and the upscale compact car (K-car),” Runkle said. “At GM we were always chasing Hal Sperlich.”
A pair of stuffed dinosaurs stood out atop this Dodge Grand Caravan that was carting plenty of other furry friends during the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. Kalea Hall, The Detroit News
A Michigan native, Sperlich did a stint in the U.S. Navy after college before joining Ford in 1957 as a product planner. He quickly established his talent for identifying future trends.
In the early 1960s, Sperlich believed that downsizing was the future of auto design after the 1950’s big fin era. He pushed to develop a small, sporty car with appeal to youth market but more affordable than the athletic sports cars made by European brands.
John F. Kennedy’s election as president in 1960 brought “an incredible sense of youthful energy to America,” he told Motor Trend in a 2013 interview. “You could feel it in the air. Everything was changed — anything was possible.”
His recipe? The affordable Mustang coupe with seating for four. With stylish looks, multiple customization options, and low sticker price, it debuted in mid-1964 and flew off the shelves with 400,000 units sold in its first year.
“I was a young engineer when I came to Ford in 1971. I had a lot of admiration for him,” recalled Theodore. They would both eventually migrate to Chrysler, where Theodore worked on Sperlich’s minivan project. Ultimately, Theodore would become chief engineer for the second generation Chrysler vans.
As government fuel economy rules forced Detroit automakers to abandon big engines in the early 1970s, Sperlich innovated a fleet of small, efficient, front-wheel drive cars.
A 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible in the concourse of Huntington Place for the 2025 Detroit Auto Show in Detroit. Michigan on January 7, 2025. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
“He was always looking for the next big breakthrough,” said Theodore. “Once he got an idea, he would keep pushing. He came up with the Dakota midsize pickup that wasn’t as successful, but he kept pushing.”
Jumping to Chrysler as chief product planner in 1977, Sperlich was given more freedom to innovate at the struggling company and worked with engineers to develop the front-wheel-drive K-car platform that would ultimately underpin 50 different models, including the Dodge Aries, Plymouth Reliant, and Chrysler LeBaron. The FWD platform would also inspire the Chrysler minivans.
Sperlich left Chrysler in 1988 and in 1994 bought supplier Delco Remy America with a group of partners. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2009.
“Hal was a dare-to-be-different product planner who had vision, passion and knowledge of a customers’ wants and needs,” said Farley. “He didn’t play it safe, and he was always focused on the whitespace and improving the company’s capability.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Detroit — Detroiters took a break from Lions-mania Friday to celebrate Racing Day at the Detroit Auto Show.
While motorsports (and other sports, for that matter) can’t rival football for its economic value, Racing Day illustrated how central racing has become to Detroit’s automakers, economy and global standing.
Headlined by Team Penske superstar driver and two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, the event showcased the breadth of Motown’s investment in racing, from June’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, to Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske’s global ambitions to win the NASCAR/Indy 500/Le Mans trifecta, to General Motors Co.’s elevation of its Cadillac brand to compete against Ferrari and Mercedes in Formula One.
(From left) Roger Penske and Josef Newgarden hold their “Baby Borg” trophies for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and the team owner’s trophy during a ceremony at the Henry Ford museum, in Dearborn, January 16, 2025.
David Guralnick, Detroit News
“I haven’t been involved in (GM’s) F1 project, I’m focused 100% on IndyCar,” said the 34-year-old Newgarden in between giving show attendees hot laps in the Detroit GP pace car, the 655-horsepower Corvette E-Ray. Team Penske cars are powered by Chevy engines. “GM’s involvement is great globally for the brand and I’m excited to see them represent our country and represent as a manufacturer.”
Newgarden’s comments came as part of a whirlwind, two-day tour of Detroit to promote the launch of ticket sales for the May 30-June 1 Detroit Grand Prix — and to accept the coveted “Baby Borg” trophies for winning the Indy 500 along with his boss and legendary team owner, Roger Penske.
Cadillac’s acceptance into F1 in 2026 has set off a frenzy of rumors about the drivers the team will choose after promising at least one race jockey will be American. Speculation at IndyCar’s opening, 2025 Content Day in Indianapolis this week centered on Colton Herta (who drives for Andretti Global, which is managing the Cadillac effort). But Herta would not qualify for the so-called FIA Super License required to compete in F1 since he has not won an IndyCar championship Newgarden has won two.
Vimal Saigal, 45, of West Bloomfield (right) was first in line Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, to get a ride with IndyCar superstar Josef Newgarden in a Corvette E-Ray on the Detroit Auto Show’s indoor track.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Like Mario Andretti before him — the last American driver to win a F1 race in 1978 — Newgarden is the face of IndyCar, a hugely popular figure in the sport. That popularity was turbocharged last weekend when Fox, IndyCar’s new broadcast partner for all 17 races, debuted its first IndyCar ad on NFL Sunday on Jan. 12.
Newgarden starred in the funny, fast-paced spot and it instantly went viral with a staggering 39 million views. A line of fans queued up at the auto show’s indoor track Friday morning to ride shotgun with Newgarden (and four other race drivers).
First in line was Vimal Saigal, 45, of West Bloomfield, who arrived a half-hour before the show’s doors opened.
“It was a sweet opportunity to get a ride with a two-time Indy 500 winner,” he smiled after Newgarden took him for a quick spin in the ‘Vette. “Josef loves the car. He gave it a little gas and said if we were outdoors he really could have opened it up.”
F1 also brings views to Cadillac as it launches an ambitious international rebranding as an electric car brand. The world’s most prestigious race series has big ambitions of its own as it adopts 50-50 gas-electric hybrid power plants. Cadillac sees the global sport as the perfect vessel. It opened a showroom in downtown Paris last summer — the first of many planned in Europe.
Josef Newgarden prepares to warm up the 655-horsepower Corvette E-Ray, the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix pace car, for fan rides at the Detroit Auto Show.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Team Penske also has international ambitions. “The Captain,” as its 87-year-old chairman is affectionately known to his troops, has won everything there is to win in NASCAR, sportscars, and IndyCar — including 20 Indy 500s. Only the world’s greatest endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, has eluded him.
“What big race have we not won? The 24 Hours of Le Mans,” he said at The Henry Ford Museum after picking up his 20th Baby Borg. “With the relationship with Porsche, great drivers, and three cars this year, it’s up to us to make that happen.”
Team Penske’s hybrid-powered Porsche 963 GTP racers will also compete in Detroit streets as part of the June Grand Prix. The IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship will feature a who’s who of Detroit brands, including Team Penske and Cadillac racing for the front-running GTP class — and Chevrolet (Corvette) and Ford (Mustang) knocking heads in the production-based GT3 class.
From left, Howard Perkins of Ann Arbor and Sharon Jorgensen of Clinton Township view the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 at the Detroit GP Racing Day exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Detroit automakers say racing is key to their cultures — not just in proving track-to-production technologies, but also in recruiting top engineers.
F1’s premier Las Vegas street race has had a love-hate relationship with the city — shutting down The Strip and snarling city traffic. By contrast, the downtown Detroit GP has been embraced by the city since it relocated from Belle Isle two years ago.
“When it went back downtown, people felt like that was really where it was supposed to be,” Detroit GP President Michael Montri said in an interview. “In addition, we introduced the idea of having over 50% of the track open and free to the public. I was at (the Vegas) F1 race; it was totally different feel.”
Penske is part of Detroit’s fabric from the GP to bringing Super Bowl XL here in 2006. But the Indy is closest to his heart.
IndyCar’s Dave Furst (left) interviews Josef Newgarden of Team Penske (middle) and Dave Malukas of AJ Foyt Racing at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show’s Chevy stand.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“In 1951, my Dad took me to the Indy 500 as a young kid,” he said. “Racing became a passion, and continues as a thread through our business.”
Newgarden puts it at the top of his priorities. “Our goals for 2025, as in every year, start with the Indy 500. Then we want to win the (IndyCar) championship.”
At The Henry Ford on Thursday night, the dynamic duo accepted their Baby Borg trophies at the museum’s “Driving America” exhibit — seven months after Newgarden crossed the finish line on Memorial Day and took a traditional swig of milk on the victory stand.
The face of IndyCar: On Friday, Josef Newgarden was on Detroit Auto Show posters – and in that Corvette E-Ray on track giving rides to fans.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Go Lions!” Newgarden exclaimed, cradling the trophy. “Winning back-to-back is beyond my wildest dreams.”
He has won it twice now in 13 starts — one of only five drivers to claim that distinction. His second win was one for the books — featuring a last lap pass to win (only the fourth time that’s happened).
“The pass you made to take the lead was amazing,” Penske told his ace. “The skill, the guts.”
Their trophies are miniature versions of one of sport’s most famous baubles, the Borg-Warner. The massive, sterling silver trophy stands over 5 feet tall, weighs 110 pounds and bears small busts of every driver to win the storied race.
Josef Newgarden holds his “Baby Borg” trophy for winning the 2024 Indianapolis 500 during a ceremony at the Henry Ford museum, in Dearborn, January 16, 2025.
David Guralnick, Detroit News
“I’d like to thank my boss, Roger Penske,” Newgarden said at the ceremony. “He’s one of the titans of the industry, and one of the best men I know.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Josef Newgarden holds his “Baby Borg” trophy for winning the 2024 Indianapolis 500 during a ceremony at the Henry Ford museum, in Dearborn, January 16, 2025.
David Guralnick, Detroit News
Dearborn — Two is terrific. Twenty is titanic.
Team Penske superstar Josef Newgarden celebrated his second straight Indianapolis 500 victory at The Henry Ford on Thursday evening — and the 20th that his boss, Roger Penske, has won at the famous brickyard.
The dynamic duo accepted their “Baby Borg” trophies at a ceremony in The Henry Ford museum’s “Driving America” exhibit — seven months after Newgarden crossed the finish line on Memorial Day and took a traditional swig of milk on the victory stand.
“Go Lions!” Newgarden exclaimed, cradling the trophy in front of a Michigan crowd as goosed about football as the IndyCar year ahead. “Winning back-to-back is beyond my wildest dreams. I left Indy for many years with a broken heart. You never know if you’ll ever win it.”
Now he has won it twice in 13 starts around the legendary oval — one of only five drivers to claim that distinction. His second win was in a race for the books — featuring a last lap pass to win (only the fourth time that’s happened), 16 different leaders, 48 lead changes, and 649 total passes through the field. For his back-to-back achievement, Newgarden took home an extra $440,000.
“The pass you made to take the lead (over Pato O’Ward) was amazing,” Penske, 87, said of his ace river. “The skill, the guts.”
(From left) Roger Penske and Josef Newgarden hold their “Baby Borg” trophies for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and the team owner’s trophy during a ceremony at the Henry Ford museum, in Dearborn, January 16, 2025.
David Guralnick, Detroit News
Newgarden and Penske both received “Baby Borgs” — a miniature version of one of the most famous trophies in sport, the Borg-Warner. The massive, sterling silver trophy stands just over 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. Commissioned for the 1936 race, the trophy bears small busts of every driver to win the 500 (including retroactively to the 1911 winner). Other Team Penske drivers on the trophy include 2018 winner (and current Newgarden teammate) Will Power and Helio Castroneves, who won the race four times and has four tiny busts on the trophy.
Newgarden’s Baby Borg also has his likeness on its base — sculpted by North Carolina artist William Behrends. “There is no other trophy in the world like this,” said Newgarden.
The respect between the driver and owner is palpable.
Josef Newgarden holds his “Baby Borg” trophy for winning the 2024 Indianapolis 500 during a ceremony at the Henry Ford museum, in Dearborn, January 16, 2025.
David Guralnick, Detroit News
“I’d like to thank my boss, Roger Penske,” Newgarden said. “He’s one of the titans of the industry, and on eof the best men I know. I‘ve learned so much under him.”
Handsome and glib, Newgarden has become one of the faces of IndyCar as it goes into its first full season with Fox TV network, which will telecast all 17 races, including the Detroit Grand Prix. Fox’s first ad for the 2025 features Newgarden has gone viral for its humor and action. It’s already been seen by 39 million viewers.
“This 20th win is special for us,” Penske said. “You can’t make any mistakes and win the Indy 500.”
The race has become core to the Bloomfield Hills-based businessman’s global business empire.
“In 1951 my dad took me to the Indy 500 as a young kid,” he said. “Racing became a passion, and continuous thread through our business. The consistency of our partnerships — with Shell, Chevy — is key.”
Borg-Warner Executive Vice President and COO Joe Fadool presented the Baby Borgs to Penske and Newgarden. While the Borg-Warner trophy resides at the Indy 500 museum, Penske’s 20 Baby Borgs will soon join them as the museum is remodeled. Newgarden, 34, is just building his trophy case.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Brighton — BMW makes a state-of-the-art, all-wheel-drive X5 SUV for $88K with a curved 37-inch dash screen, color head-up display, 21-inch wheels, twin wireless phone chargers, leather seats, Level 2 driving assist, WiFi onboard, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto navigation and panoramic roof.
So does Hyundai. For $51K.
The 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e and 2024 Hundai Santa Fe Calligraphy are $36k apart in price – but nearly identical in luxury and tech features.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The gap between luxury and mainstream has been shrinking in the electronic age and Hyundai’s latest Santa Fe SUV is a luxury car hiding behind a mainstream badge. Badges still matter and BMW’s X-ceptional midsize model will continue to justify its rich sticker price with smooth power and that signature twin-kidney grille. But buyers of the Santa Fe can take comfort that they get the same value — in all the areas that matter — for nearly half the price.
The Alabama-made Hyundai even matches the South Carolina-built BMW’s value in offering three rows of seats, clever console amenities and bold styling. Yes, styling.
The Santa Fe turned heads ‘round town. The brand has crafted daring wardrobes since the 2009 Sonata sedan (followed by the Elantra compact, three-door Veloster, and Ioniq 5 and 7 electric vehicles) and Santa Fe continues the trend. With its upright, squared-off stance and horizontal accents, the ute looks like a LEGO married an Ioniq 5.
The letter H is everywhere on the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe’s design.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Look past the Goldfinger-like flat-bronze paint scheme and an H-theme emerges. It’s echoed in the headlights, lower grille and rear taillights that bracket “SANTA FE” stamped across the trunk.
Like Hyundai, BMW has taken the opportunity of a new EV model line to introduce radical new styling — but it’s limited to “i” models like the iX. My BMW xDrive50e (alphabet soup translation: “xDrive” for all-wheel-drive, “50” for model, “e” for plug-in hybrid) brings a familiar, muscular Bimmer look with swollen fenders and blacked-out fascia to convey power.
That power is where the price difference lies.
Where the price is. The $87k 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e makes an impressive 483 horsepower – about 200 more than the Hyundai Santa Fe.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
As I merged onto I-96 West, the 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-6 engine cleared its throat and blew by traffic on the way to cruising speed. The 50e is a battery-assisted, plug-in hybrid system but the eight-speed transmission still must find its cogs, so don’t mistake it for the instant acceleration of the sister all-electric iX (yours for a 12-grand premium).
Dropping into a highway cloverleaf, I unleashed SPORT mode, the seat bolsters gripping my torso for the anticipated kick of 483 horses from the combined gas engine and 194-horse AC motor. Complicated? You bet. Pricey? Of course.
And heavy. All that plumbing mean X5 tips the scales at 5,573 pounds — just 150 shy of the iX, which carries around 106 kWh of battery. X5 goes XL.
Charge the X5’s onboard 25.7-kWh battery overnight on a 220-volt home charger (which adds a couple grand more to your $87K bill) and my Bimmer had an indicated 38 miles of pure battery range on tap for a morning appointment in Sterling Heights.
In ELECTRIC mode, I cruised quietly down Telegraph Road, but don’t expect drag-racer acceleration like iX from the small battery. The X5 eased out of stoplights before hitting I-696 West. My 16-mile journey sucked 30 miles of range off the battery as I pushed the big brick through the air at 75 mph. Better to use HYBRID (gas plus electric) mode on highways and leave ELECTRIC mode for neighborhood chores where aerodynamics are less taxing. As governments force the industry to go all-electric, expect the difference between brands to shrink even more dramatically.
The Hyundai ferries you about with a simple turbo-4 cylinder.
No electric motor, no modes, no charger box on the wall. Just the occasional quick stop at the pump to fill up 513 miles of range (the X5 gets 418 miles on gas alone). For further value, the Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers 10 years or 100,000 miles compared with the BMW’s four years/50,000 miles.
Hyundai is so proud of its four-bangers that its electric Ioniq 5 N track rat can replicate its sound on demand. Sante Fe’s 277 ponies are plenty of giddyap, and I merged quickly onto I-696’s racetrack.
The distinctive, muscular design of the 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
That’s all the performance most midsize SUV drivers require. I flogged a BMW X5 M around Autobahn Raceway a decade ago and it was a hoot, but I’m weird like that. If you want to do track days, buy a sports car.
Indeed, without the BMW’s extensive powertrain weaponry, the Hyundai is a serious 1,000 pounds lighter, and I felt it immediately. Some of that added Bimmer heft also goes to sound-deadening. The BMW was one quiet ride even when I put the cane to the inline-6.
The 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e shows off its twin screens integrated under one piece of glass.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Otherwise, Santa Fe’s interior is Bimmer’s peer in all the ways passengers appreciate.
The twin digital screens in both chariots are crisp, quick to the touch. BMW offers a rotary controller so you can manipulate the infotainment screen remotely if you like, but it has the drawback of cluttering the center console — sharing space with Bimmer’s compact, cool chiclet shifter.
The Santa Fe, by contrast, assumes the smartphone generation will be satisfied with the touchscreen — then offers you two huuuuge charging pads for phones. The BMW, too, offers twin charging pads, but they are harder to access in the forward compartment of the cluttered console. Hyundai further improves console ergonomics by using a steering wheel-mounted shifter stalk and superior, tactile buttons on the elegant, Art Deco steering wheel that you can operate without diverting your eyes from the road.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe offers twin screens under one piece of glass.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The icing on the cake — er, console — is a double-hinged door that is accessible to the rear as well as the front seats. The Bimmer goes with a fashionable (if less useful) butterfly door. Both second rows are comfortable for six-footers and both have individual seatback USB-C ports so passengers can charge their phones. Both second-row seats will recline, and both vehicles offer third-row seat options (of my testers, only Hyundai had the third row).
In their high-tech cocoons, both brands offer a blizzard of goodies in the infotainment screen to entertain you, including Level 2 driver assist. My favorites? The Hyundai offers special first-to-third-row communication and programmable FAVORITES buttons on the steering wheel (for, say, a shortcut to the phone screen). The Bimmer options automatic lane change while in driver-assist mode, and its head-up display can scroll your favorite music stations.
The pair even boast clever storage items. X5 sports a lower tailgate to help keep backstop items in the boot. Santa Fe offers a second, secret dashboard glovebox for extra storage — maybe where you can stash the 30 grand you saved by buying this fashionable family SUV.
Next week: 2025 Volkswagen Taos
2024 BMW X5 xDrive 50e
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, six-passenger SUV
Price: $74,275, including $995 destination fee ($87,745 as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-6 cylinder mated with 25.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor
Power: 483 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.6 seconds (mfr.); towing, NA
Weight: 5,573 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 22 mpg city/23 highway/22 combined (as tested); 38 miles on battery alone
Report card
Highs: Multitalented drivetrain; lovely interior
Lows: Crowded console; gets pricey
Overall: 3 stars
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front or all-wheel-drive, six-passenger SUV
Price: $35,674 including $1,395 destination fee ($50,905 as tested)
Detroit — On a balmy late spring day June 1, Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden will compete on city streets in the Detroit Grand Prix. On a frigid Friday, Jan. 17, he’ll give hot laps to Detroit Auto Show attendees inside Huntington Place.
In a 644-horsepower Chevy Corvette E-Ray.
Hot laps by IndyCar drivers highlight the return of Racing Day to the Detroit Auto Show. Newgarden will be joined by David Malukas of AJ Foyt Racing, Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson as well as up-and-coming INDY NXT drivers Callum Hedge and Nolan Allaer. The latter is a local Detroit talent competing in his second INDY NXT season for 2025.
A Detroit Grand Prix display at the Detroit Auto Show includes the #3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet of Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin with an IndyCar transporter in the background. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The drivers will also be available for autographs as the Auto Show kicks off ticket sales for the May 30-June 1 event, being held for the third year on the 1.7-mile Detroit street course. In addition to the race jockeys, Racing Day will rev up show attendees with the #2 Shell Powering Progress Chevrolet IndyCar that Newgarden piloted to his second straight Indianapolis 500 win last year — and the 20th victory for Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske and its founder, Roger “The Captain” Penske.
“Super excited to partner with Detroit Auto Show this year on Racing Day,” Detroit GP President Michael Montri said. “The show has historically been a nice springboard for us in our promotions, and with the move back to January it works out perfectly.”
Auto Show attendees on Friday will have the chance to ride in a Chevy Corvette E-Ray piloted by race car driver Josef Newgarden. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Indy’s world-renowned Borg Warner Trophy — one of sport’s most recognized trophies along with the NHL’s Stanley Cup — will be on display in the Huntington Place Atrium along with the Newgarden car. The trophy features the likeness of every Indy 500 winner. You can’t miss the bright yellow Corvette Z06 GT3.R racer, which represents the production-based GT cars that also compete on Detroit GP weekend in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The free Racing Day event in the Atrium, at the Detroit River side of the main lobby, complements the Detroit Grand Prix display on the show floor next to the “Detroit GP” gas-car test track. The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear has partnered with the Detroit Auto Show by sponsoring the track — one of four tracks (the others are the “Powering Michigan” EV track, Camp Jeep and Bronco Built Wild) where attendees can ride in current cars.
The IndyCar driver ride-alongs will take place on the Detroit GP track.
From left, Howard Perkins of Ann Arbor and Sharon Jorgensen of Clinton Township view the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 at the Detroit GP Racing Day exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
“That’s going to be a fun activity,” said Montri. All five drivers are going to be giving rides. It is the neat thing about this year’s show. (Attendees are) able to get into a car and experience what it feels like to ride in vehicles at the show. It gives the consumer a little extra information when they shop.”
And a little extra adrenaline in the case of the celebrity rides. At 11 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. on Racing Day, lucky fans will have the opportunity to ride shotgun with the some of the fastest drivers on the planet. In addition to Chevrolet drivers (IndyCars are powered by either Chevy or Honda engines) Newgarden and Malukas in E-Rays (pace cars for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and Detroit GP), Simpson will pilot a Honda, and the Indy NXT drivers Buicks.
On the track’s southeast corner, the Detroit GP display includes two more IndyCars: the #3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet of Newgarden’s Team Penske teammate and pal Scott McLaughlin and a mule wrapped in Detroit GP colors and logo (a doppelganger will be on display in the Huntington Place lobby). Rounding out the show floor display is the red-and-white #7 Porsche 963 GTP prototype that brought home the overall IMSA title to Team Penske last year.
From left, Marcus Goral, 25, of Farmington Hills and Ray Abbott, 27, of Walled Lake view the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 at the Detroit GP Racing Day exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Other goodies on the show floor booth include a towering IndyCar race transporter, the “Winner’s Circle” display complete with trophies, hats and champagne bottles, a Firestone tire display, and Detroit GP history cubes with photos of the event’s highlights over the years.
The Detroit Auto Show continues to run through Monday, Jan. 20, at Huntington Place. For tickets and for more information, visit detroitautoshow.com.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Detroit — Detroit News readers have spoken and Detroit iron is Best in Show.
Motown models swept all eight categories of the 2025 Detroit News Readers’ Choice Awards as Motown’s auto-palooza returned to January dates for the first time since 2019. As the show floor opened at 9 a.m. Friday for Media Day, 100 News readers descended with ballots in hand to judge the 34 brands, exotic Gallery display, and car-stocked tracks inside.
Here’s what caught their eye.
Best of Show: The Chevy Corvette ZR1
The fastest ‘Vette ever made wowed, capturing 40% of the vote. Consistent with its 1,064 horsepower and 233-mph top speed, it quickly put distance on the rest of the field. Second place was the Ford Mustang GTD with 15% of the vote, and the Cadillac Lyriq, the luxury brand’s first electric vehicle, came third with 12%.
The Cadillac Optiq captured two categories in The Detroit News Readers’ Choice Awards. GM
Hottest Tech: Cadillac Optiq
The Lyriq’s sister Optiq and Vistiq SUVs got the jurors’ attention for hottest tech, showcasing beautiful, 33-inch hoodless displays that arch across the dash. Both vehicles also light up their fascias as you approach. Optiq captured 25% of the vote for first, and the third-place Vistiq got 15%. Dodge’s first EV, the Charger Daytona, split the Caddy pair in second place with 18% of the vote.
Most Electrifying: Cadillac Optiq
The sleek Optiq may be Caddy’s entry-level EV, but it is also arguably the prettiest in a family that includes Lyriq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ. It beat out the BMW i4 (22%) and Jeep Wagoneer S (18%) with 25% of jurors’ votes.
Bargain Buddy: Ford Maverick
Ford’s entry-level, $27k pickup may be $6,000 more expensive than when it debuted two year’s ago, but it remains one of the most affordable hybrids on the market while offering 42 mpg. It attracted 32% of jury votes ahead of the handsome, $23k Kia K4 (22%) and the new VW Taos (12%).
Mayor Mike Duggan got behind the wheel of the Cadillac Escalade IQ, one of the winners of The Detroit News Readers’ Choice Awards, on Thursday ahead of the opening of the Detroit Auto Show. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
If Money Were No Object: Cadillac Escalade IQ
What makes a $90k Caddy Escalade look affordable? A $129,900 electric Escalade. The Escalade IQ is a rolling mansion and got 28% of readers’ vote while the $235k Aston Martin Rapide and $310,00 McLaren 720 got 15% each.
Off-Road Warrior: Ford Bronco Raptor
Scaling the Ford Bronco Built Wild Track in the middle of Huntington Place, the Bronco SUV is hard to miss. Its big brother Bronco Raptor is even more capable in dirt and sand. In the Detroit off-road wars, the Raptor edged archrival Jeep Wrangler, 35% to 32%. The GMC Canyon AT4X pickup was a distant third with 12% of the vote.
Top Family Hauler: Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Detroit leads the industry in living rooms-on-wheels like the truck-based Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon and Ford Expedition. But they were no match for the luxurious Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which hauled away 35% of the vote.
Muscle Machine: Chevy Corvette ZR1
With 1,064 horsepower and 233 mph top speed to rival $3 million exotics like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, how could the $175,000 ZR1 lose? It ate up 50% of the vote, leaving the Ford Mustang and Porsche 911 in the dust with 15% each.
Top Concept: Cadillac Celestiq
Cadillac has two stunning concepts on the floor, the Celestiq and the Opulent Velocity. But the (estimated) $350,000 Celestiq is actually going into production. Jurors coveted it with 30% of the vote. The Audi GT in The Gallery exhibition space got 10% and the Ineos Grenadier got 8%.
Check out the Detroit Auto Show from Jan. 11-20 to see if you agree with the jury picks.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Detroit — If the 2025 Detroit Auto Show were a car, it would be a mainstream Jeep Grand Cherokee, not the luxurious Audi Q8 of yesteryear.
The show has shed its international name and much of the media and big stage glitz that fueled the North American International Auto Show from 1989-2019. Gone are European and most Asian automakers. Reveals like the Audi Q8 SUV at NAIAS 2017? Fuhgeddaboudit. Audi doesn’t even have a display at this year’s show.
The all-electric Cadillac Opulent Velocity concept vehicle drew a crowd Friday at the Detroit Auto Show’s Media Day in Huntington Place. General Motors Co. is among a reduced group of automakers with displays at this year’s show. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
Detroit Three (and Toyota) displays anchor the show and European and Asian automakers have been replaced by dealer displays, specialty brands and tracks. Lots of tracks. Detroit is not alone. Auto shows like New York and Los Angels are shadows of their former selves as a new media age has allowed automakers to reveal cars whenever and wherever they want.
Just this week, for example, Honda showed its new Honda Salon and SV 0 Series models at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and Tesla unveiled its new Model Y SUV on. . . its Chinese customer website.
Detroit is a meat-and-potatoes show for shoppers who want to see lots of vehicles in one place, then take a short ride. The show has also shed its premium, “educational” electric vehicle vibe and now offers attendees rides in internal-combustion and EV vehicles alike on the show floor.
There are glaring holes, however, including no vehicles from popular brands like the aforementioned Audi, Hyundai, Subaru, and Mini Cooper. Eye candy still exists with goodies like the exotic Gallery display and a robust Detroit Grand Prix stand showcasing race cars for this year’s race — and even Corvette rides with IndyCar winner Josef Newgarden. Sure, the show is back in frigid January with the mercury in the (brrrr) teens, but downtown is also more welcoming today compared to 2019 with lots of restaurants to visit after your day at the auto circus, and three Pistons and three Red Wings games to attend at Little Caesars Arena during the show’s Jan. 11-20 public days.
“I love the new show,” said Detroiter Rosemary Allen, 35, who came with her friend, Betty Davis, 71, to Huntington Place on Friday as jurors for The Detroit News Reader’s Choice Awards. “It’s so interactive so that you can actually get into the cars and ride them. It’s not as spectacular as it once was, but I will keep coming back. I like the Cadillac Opulent Velocity”
Here are the good, bad and chilly of the 2025 Detroit Auto Show.
Concepts and new cars
The gorgeous, scissor-door, boat-tail Caddy EV was one of a handful of daring concepts on the floor that elevated the show beyond a dealer showroom.
The stunning Velocity is joined on the floor by Chrysler Halcyon and Buick Wildcat concepts. All three are battery-powered, showcasing where (think fully-autonomous, Level 4 driving) the brands want to go. Indeed, the Wildcat’s influence is already readily apparent in the production cars around it. The Buick Envista, Encore, Envision and Enclave all share the Wildcat’s design cures.
The Chrysler Halcyon EV concept vehicle sits on display during the Detroit Auto Show, at Huntington Place, in Detroit, January 10, 2025. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
As for new cars, shows now present the opportunity for one automaker to dominate. With few new reveals at last November’s LA Show, for example, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 got lots of ink.
Ford is the standout of the 2025 Detroit Show.
The newly revealed "Spirit of America" Mustang GTD is among the Ford models showgoers can peruse, as the Dearborn automaker brought its full lineup to Huntington Place. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
At a special event on the Huntington Place floor Thursday night, the brand revealed the Mustang GTD Spirit of America Special Editon, Musang RTR, and Ford F-150 Lions Special Edition — the latter complete with Lions’ superstar quarterback Jared Goff hopping out of the cab in front of a cheering grandstand of Detroit faithful.
It’s the Mustang RTR, however, that should be most impactful. Still dressed in prototype camouflage, the RTR is the product of drift racing star Vaughn Gittin, Jr’s mod shop and promises to be the sequel to the last-gen ‘Stang’s EcoBoost High Performance model — a performance upgrade for the pony car’s 2.3-liter turbo-4 engine and suspension. Huzzah.
You can get a look at Rivian’s new R2 SUV, a smaller offering from the EV startup to go along with the R1T pickup and the full-size R1S SUV. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
All the new Fords are on the show floor. As is a less conspicuous debut from Rivian — its medium-size R2 SUV is making its show debut here. Secreted in the northeast corner of the convention floor, it is the third model in the EV maker’s lineup.
EVs and AWOLs
Notably, EVs have taken a step back for the 2025 show. Once exclusive to Huntington Place’s test tracks, EVs (Cadillac Escalade IQ, Rivian R1S/R1T, GMC Sierra EV) now share the floor with an ICE track (Mazda MX5 Miata, Buick Envista, Ford Bronco Sport).
Shoppers like Reaja Richardson, 37, of Detroit reveal why EVs have limited appeal: the extra time it takes to recharge versus filling a gas tank. “I’m looking to replace my Ford Fusion and I prefer a gas car because when I take a road trip, an EV will take too long to get there.”
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio, displayed on the show floor beneath a Ram 1500 pickup, caught the eye of visitor Reaja Richardson on Friday. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
Shopping with her son, Dexter, 7, Richardson wants an SUV. “I like the Alfa Stelvio and Dodge Hornet, but I really like the Jeep Wagoneer — it has more room for Dexter.” Dexter likes the Wagoneer, too — it has entertainment screens in the back seat.
Richardson enjoyed the show and the chance to shop multiple vehicles. But Detroit 2025 limits her choices by failing to attract major brands like Hyundai and Subaru. Most manufacturers have pulled out of the show (save GM, Ford, Stellantis and Toyota), but dealers have plugged most gaps. Shoring up brands like Audi, Subaru, Hyundai, Mini and others is a must for future Januarys.
Detroit Grand Prix, Hagerty
These two Michigan brands have stepped up in a big way to fill the gaps. Tickets for the Grand Prix go on sale this week, and the IndyCar race has embraced the show by branding the ICE track and stocking a display with IndyCars and IMSA cars that will compete in the June race. On Friday, Jan. 17, the Detroit GP will entertain showgoers with a group of race stars — including Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden and local Indy NXT talent Nolan Allaer. The drivers will give test drives to showgoers in 2025 Corvette E-Rays.
Hagerty also stepped up by bringing to the show some of Hollywood’s most famous movie cars — or infamous, in the case of the pea-green Queen Wagon Family Truckster wagon from “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Other notables include the Ferrari Modena California Spyder from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off “and a Jeep Wrangler used in “Jurassic Park.”
Muscle cars
No Detroit show would be complete without Detroit muscle. The winged 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 hypercar anchors the Chevrolet display with its 1,064-horsepower V-8 and 233-mph top speed.
Senator Gary Peters checks out the Corvette ZR1 during the Detroit Auto Show, at Huntington Place, in Detroit, January 10, 2025. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
Not to be outdone, Ford is showcasing the winged 1,600-horsepower Ford F-150 Lighting EV hypertruck — the fastest vehicle up the hill in last year’s Pikes Peak competition.
The Gallery
There’s more muscle in The Gallery, an exotic showcase in the southwest corner of the floor. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Ford GTs, Lotuses — as well as rare birds like the electric Rolls Royce Specter and Ferrari Purosangue SUV.
Alas, The Gallery looks like a valet carpark, with the cars jammed together. Future shows would benefit if banners were hung behind the cars with brand logos or pictures from their storied past.
Though diminished, the show feels at home in January. “I like that the show is back in winter,” said Richardson as snow began to fall outside. “What else are you going to do in Detroit in January?”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Detroit — Once an uninspired box on top of a ladder frame chassis, automotive design blossomed after World War II, and today cars are rolling art sculptures.
Each year, EyesOn Design Awards convenes top global designers and design educators in the field to recognize the most significant production and concept vehicles that debuted over the past year — August 2023-August 2024, in this case. Considered one of the industry’s highest honors, the prizes are valued by designers worldwide as recognition by their peers for standout creations.
The Cadillac Opulent Velocity, the winner of the EyesOn Design Award for Best Concept Vehicle, on display Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, at the Detroit Auto Show in Huntington Place. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
To kick off the Detroit Auto Show in Huntington Place, the winners were announced Friday in four categories:
EyesOn Design Award for Best Concept Vehicle: Cadillac Opulent Velocity
EyesOn Design Award for Best Production Vehicle: Karma Kaveya
EyesOn Design Award for Innovative Use of Color, Graphics or Material: Cadillac Sollei
EyesOn Design Award for Best Designed Interior: BMW Vision Neue Klasse X
Judges for the 18th EyesOn Design Awards are a who’s who list of top designers. They include: Ian Callum, director of design, Callum; Wayne Cherry, General Motors Co. vice president for design (retired); Kemal Curić, Ford global executive design director; Tom Gale, Chrysler executive vice president (retired); Professor Dale Harrow, chair and director of the IMDC Royal College of Art; Dave Marek, Honda R&D executive adviser, R&D; Tom Matano, executive director, School of Industrial Design at the Academy of Art University; Victor Nacif, chair of design, NewSchool of Architecture and Design; Camillo Pardo, 2005 Ford GT designer, painter and designer, Art and Development Inc.; Steve Pasteiner, president, advanced automotive technologies; Charles (“Chuck”) Pelly, chief creative officer, Intersection Inc.; Joel Piaskowski, global design director, Ford Motor Co.; Michael Simcoe, GM senior vice president, global design; Paul Snyder, chair of transportation design, College for Creative Studies; Jack Telnack, Ford vice president, design (retired); Mark Trostle Sr., Roush chief designer, creative services; Mark Trostle Jr., Stellantis NV vice president, Ram and Mopar Design; Todd Willing, Ford head of design.
In addition to its automobile honorees, EyesOn Design also selected longtime Jaguar designer Ian Callum to receive the 2025 EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award.
The annual award is determined by previous winners including names like Chris Bangle, Peter Brock, Wayne Cherry, Tom Gale, Ralph Gilles, Robert Lutz, Gordon Murray, Shiro Nakamura, Sergio Pininfarina, Peter Schreyer, Ed Welburn and others.
Callum will receive his bauble June 13 at Ford House, the historic lakefront home of Eleanor & Edsel Ford in Grosse Pointe Shores, which hosts the annual, week-long EyesOn Design automotive design show.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
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Hal Sperlich, who was Chrysler president from 1984-1988, designed the company’s pioneering minivan. Max Ortiz, The Detroit News
The distinctive, muscular design of the 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e.
A Detroit Grand Prix display at the Detroit Auto Show includes the #3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet of Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin with an IndyCar transporter in the background. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Chrysler Halcyon EV concept vehicle sits on display during the Detroit Auto Show, at Huntington Place, in Detroit, January 10, 2025. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
