Every January the car and truck world descends upon bitter cold Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, always one of the auto industry's most important events of the year. Manufacturers are keen to show their latest cars, SUVs, and trucks for the media and consumers to drum up enthusiasm and sales.

This week's episode of "Talking Cars with Consumer Reports" brings you everything new and exciting from the show.

The news this year was predominantly about trucks. Big trucks.

Completely redesigned versions of the full-sized 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 pickup trucks were unveiled. Possibly even more significant, Ford is bringing back its Ranger midsized pickup, absent from the U.S. market since 2011. Our panel—Jake Fisher, Gabe Shenhar, and yours truly—get in-depth about each new pickup's highs and lows, and what those could mean for you, the consumer.

Next, the team talked about the all-new Honda Insight hybrid sedan, discussing whether this version will finally resonate with American buyers, and also why there seemed to be so little electrification and autonomous-driving talk at this year's Detroit show.

Other key vehicles up for discussion included the near-production-ready 2019 Acura RDX Prototype, the redesigned second-generation 2019 Hyundai Veloster (including the hot new 275-horsepower Veloster N), and the macho-looking 2019 Toyota Avalon. That's right, a Toyota sedan that stands out from the crowd.

Wrapping things up, each of us picked our favorite car from the show. The answers may surprise you.

Let us know what your favorite car from the show is in the comments below.


Check out CR's complete coverage of the 2018 Detroit Auto Show.


Panelists Mike Monticello, Gabe Shenhar, and Jake Fisher
Panelists: Mike Monticello, Gabe Shenhar, and Jake Fisher

As with other "Talking Cars" episodes, this one is available free through Apple Podcasts. (Subscribe to the audio or video.) You'll also find the audio on Spotify and video on YouTube.