Detroit 3 tease reveals, including Ford F-150

The 2023 Detroit auto show, while smaller than pre-pandemic events, is expected to showcase at least a handful of reveals from the city's hometown automakers.

Ford Motor Co. plans to unveil a freshened F-150, including an updated hybrid variant. General Motors has press conferences scheduled for its GMC and Cadillac brands, while Stellantis has one scheduled, for Jeep.

Overall, the show says 35 brands will be represented through manufacturer- and dealer-sponsored displays. Notable among the 16 corporate exhibitors will be electric vehicle giant Tesla, which traditionally has avoided the Detroit show.

"We're thrilled to be able to bring auto show audiences a broad spectrum of brands and vehicles," Rod Alberts, the show's executive director, said in a statement. "As a dealer association-backed auto show, one of our main goals is to display all the brands that are sold in our region. This blend of bringing together corporate- and dealer-supported vehicles is trending at auto shows nationwide, and it's really become the catalyst for the future success of shows across the country. Dealers are still the closest conduit to the consumer."

This is the second Detroit show since a three-and-a-half-year hiatus created by a move to a warmer season and the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers have worked to make the event more consumer-oriented and to focus on providing unique experiences both inside and around the convention center as participation by automakers has dwindled.

Only four to six vehicle reveals are expected this year, compared with 31 global debuts in 2019.

The show could be clouded by a UAW strike against its three largest exhibitors. The union has threatened to have nearly 150,000 workers at the Detroit 3 walk out of plants across the U.S. if it hasn't reached new labor agreements when the contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14. Public days for the show are Sept. 16-24.

The updated F-150 will be among the show's highlights. Changes will include updated designs of the taillights and grille, according to spy photos.

For the reveal, Ford is creating a tailgate concert-like atmosphere for dealers, journalists and invited customers to see performances by music star Darius Rucker and others. That event takes place at the same outdoor plaza where Ford revealed the seventh-generation Mustang a year earlier.

Inside the convention center, Ford also plans to show off its recently unveiled Mustang GTD and off-road-focused Mustang Mach-E Rally.

Cadillac's reveal will be the brand's second in a little more than a month, following the electric Escalade IQ in August. Neither Cadillac nor GMC has said what they plan to reveal at the show.

Stellantis is expected to unveil at least one vehicle.

BMW, Tesla and Volkswagen will showcase new EVs with rides on an indoor track. Ford and Tesla will offer rides on an outdoor street course.

Indoor ride-and-drive experiences for gasoline-powered vehicles, such as Ford's "Bronco Mountain," will return.

The show will also debut an "exotic and luxury showcase" billed as a "magnet for supercar enthusiasts."

Semifinalists will be announced for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards to be given in January.

"We will showcase some of the latest and most intriguing products available — from current and future vehicles to electric products to 800-horsepower exotics," Alberts said. "It's a powerhouse display of vehicles appealing to every type of car enthusiast and show visitor."