The Last Stands
Scenes from the final auto show ever.
With traditional auto shows on the wane—Frank-
furt canceled, Paris and Tokyo shrinking,
manufacturers shifting attention to CES and
SEMA—it’s only a matter of time until the conven-
tion-center car show is extinct. But there will be one
last show. And it’ll be a biggie, bringing all the pomp
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a sneak peek of how it’s gonna go down.
With its hallmark bravado, Dodge reveals that
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through the wall as Mötley Crüe descends from the
ceiling into the bed of the Rammunition monster
truck. A deep voiceover says, “Time to quit readin’
and start writin’!” while a jumbo screen displays an
overhead shot of three Demons scrawling the anar-
chy symbol in burnt rubber. Then Dodge says that
Rammunition is going into production, too, pow-
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green called What Are You Gonna Do About It? Plus,
every new Durango now comes with karate lessons.
In front of the Chevrolet stage, journalists
gather, expecting maybe the Corvette Z06 or the
return of a hallowed nameplate. Rumor has it that
Chevy is bringing back the Chevelle, this time as a
compact crossover. Then a man with a beard walks
out and asks, “What if I told you your entire concept
of reality is nothing more than a computer simula-
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slot in between the Trax and the Equinox?”
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Gretel, features a gingerbread house set in an ominous, dark for-
est. A sign outside is emblazoned with an arrow and the words
“Exciting new BMW sports car this way!” But inside, there’s just
a Supra and a witch who chases you shrieking: “We build this!
It’s a Z4! Why do you like it more than a Z4?”
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newest outrageous G-wagen. Based on the Zetros 6 x 6 heavy-
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AMG chief Tobias Moers, who replies, “Which one?”
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rowed product lineup. Going forward, it will make only cars,
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ators, jet planes, snowblowers, outboard motors, side-by-sides,
motorcycles, garden tillers, string trimmers, small engines,
brush cutters, scooters, and robots. “No more submersible
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In an event dubbed the TruckTacular Truck-ebration,
emceed by Denis Leary and the Naked Cowboy, Ford announces
it’s going even bigger on trucks. Get ready for the EcoSport Rap-
tor, the Edge Tremor, and the Explorer Super Duty! Even the
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a military-grade aluminum bed with the most tie-down points
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Ranch interior. And the new Mustang Power
Stroke promises to outtow and outhaul any
Camaro, especially when equipped with the
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here’s our full model lineup arranged on a
nice platform and you can walk around and
look at the cars and sit inside and maybe ask
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To really troll the normies, Elon Musk holds
a press conference to reveal a refreshed,
longer-range Model X that’s ready to go into
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ing, righteous commentary on traditional
automakers. Tesla’s stock price triples.26 MAY 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIVER
ILLUSTRATIONBY^ BRETTAFFRUNTI