Day 2, 2018 NAIAS - Press Conferences

Detroit was the world stage and global reveals were the star power as the second day of Press Preview unfolded with the introduction of trucks, crossovers and coupes as well as brand-defining concepts and prototypes.

The day opened with the crowning of the Honda Accord, Volvo XC60 and Lincoln Navigator as winners of the 2018 North American Car, Utility and Truck (NACTOY) awards.

A host of reveals and news followed:

Lexus made the global debut of the Limitless LF-1 concept vehicle, a design with the flexibility to fit into a number of categories and on-board technology to serve as a robust bridge between the state of the art and the era of electric vehicles (EV) and mobile connectivity.
FCA rolled out it all-new 2019 Ram 1500 pickup, the truck’s first redesign since 2009, incorporating a list of impressive improvements, including 100-plus safety features.
BMW took the wraps off two new vehicles with world premieres of the all-wheel drive BMW X2 and the BMW i8 Coupe roadster and emphasized its strong commitment to electrification.
Volkswagen revealed two vehicles, starting with a GT configuration of the Passat and the brand’s all-new Jetta, an introduction that VW says builds on one of the most successful of the brand’s vehicles.
Nissan revealed the global debut of the Xmotion concept CUV, calling the approach behind it a foundation to the brand’s future in the U.S. market.
Hyundai held the world premiere of the 2019 Veloster, a vehicle that is performance-focused yet has multiple safety features. “What we have is a sexy coupe,” said a Hyundai official.
The global wraps were taken off the third-generation Acura RDX Prototype, a prototype described by Jon Ikeda, Vice President and General Manager of Acura, as a “huge leap forward; bolder, more distinctive.”
Kia made the global debut of the 2019 Forte sedan, a vehicle that Michael Sprague, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Kia Motors America, said is “bold, strong and ready to rock the compact segment…”
Infiniti unveiled the Q Inspiration Concept vehicle and heralded its VC-Turbo technology, which the automaker sees as being a fundamental rethinking of the internal combustion engine.
Toyota unveiled the all-new 2019 Avalon that’s longer, wider and lower. “It’s the sportiest one we have ever created,” said Jack Hollis, Group Vice President and General Manager Toyota Division.
Chinese automaker GAC revealed the world premiere of its new small sedan GA4 and its concept vehicle Enverge. The Enverge is GAC’s first compact sport-utility new energy concept vehicle. The company plans to sell vehicles to the North American market in the fourth quarter of 2019.

See Notes and Quotes for the latest Press Preview happenings. See the NAIAS Press Conference Schedule to find out what’s in store tomorrow for the third day of Press Preview.