The 2025 Detroit Auto Show opened its doors to the public Saturday, a day after the show’s annual charity preview gala, an event that featured what one Free Press columnist called “likely the wildest 1 hour and 15 minutes of entertainment in the auto show’s decades-long history.”
By comparison, the first day of the public show was much less wild. At Huntington Place, opening to the public at 10 a.m., hundreds of car enthusiasts, families and hopeful car buyers moseyed about the two levels of vehicles and car-related exhibits. The show returned to its regular January time slot after experimenting with running the show in the fall.
On the main floor, there was a subtle sound of squealing rubber coming from each corner of the massive showroom. Patrons were driven around obstacle courses, getting a feel for the capabilities of vehicles like the new Ford Bronco, Volkswagens and Jeeps. The most rugged cars of the bunch — many of them electric — crawled up metal ramps and toppled over car-size seesaws.
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More than 30 carmakers brought their newest vehicles to the auto show, while curious attendees hopped in and out, checking retail prices and gas mileage.
In a room tucked into the corner of Huntington Place, millions of dollars’ worth of hyper-luxury cars — Maybachs, Lamborghinis, McLarens and the like — sat behind velvet rope for the most optimistic showgoers.
The show featured a few gimmicks and show cars, but the heart of the show felt focused on buyers. Sam Klemet, the new co-executive director of the Detroit Auto Show and the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, told the Free Press on Thursday that running a buyer-focused show was a goal of his.
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Arnold Noelle, a 59-year-old from Lapeer, said he was at the auto show trying to find his next truck. He had just ridden in a Bronco on Ford’s Built Wild Track when he said the experience convinced him of the Bronco’s capabilities.
“The ride, it’s going to help sell vehicles, without a doubt,” Noelle said.
But not to him, Noelle said.
“I need more of a truck.”
One floor below the squealing sounds of the main auto show, one of Michigan’s largest car enthusiast groups, Modded Detroit, filled a room with specialized collector cars. Stunning low riders, souped-up Subarus and vintage, hand-painted vans filled the floor.
Trevor Caraccia, a 23-year-old from Ypsilanti, squatted next to his glittering yellow ’98 Mustang GT, shining the wheels.
Caraccia’s car is nothing like the brand-new cars on the main floor. His Mustang has been entirely rebuilt.
“The whole car has pretty much been gone through,” Caraccia said. “Ain’t nothing stock in this car.”
It’s a drift car that Caraccia likes to take to speedways across the state. It’s got a hand-welded wing, a 2011 Crown Victoria “cop motor” under the hood, and a flexible body kit, “so if I hit something, go off-road, whatever, it won’t destroy the body,” he said.
It’s a labor of love for Caraccia and the other owners of the custom cars beneath the new-car-scented first floor.
It’s a new version of the longtime Detroit installation, but the first day of the Detroit Auto Show public days brought a lot to the table for all kinds of car fans, from potential buyers to vintage enthusiasts.
The show runs for 10 days, from Jan. 11 until Jan. 20. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online.
Breaking news reporter Liam Rappleye can be reached at [email protected]