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Text by Dubspeed Media Staff, Carl Modesette
Photos by Zerin Dube

Ford led off the show as the first manufacturer to present, driving home a new vision statement: “Driving American Innovation.” Fittingly, design innovator J. Mays took the stage to unveil two new concepts: the Reflex eco-sports car and the F-250 Super Chief. Here, Ford did a fantastic job of looking forward to innovative fuel-efficient powerplants, while at the same time capitalizing on their foundation strengths. The Reflex shows that efficiency and sport are not mutually exclusive concepts, and the Super Chief shows just how far traditional pickup-truck design can be taken. Carroll Shelby made an appearance as his namesake Shelby GT500 was officially unveiled, sporting a claimed 475 horsepower and matching 475 ft-lb of torque – all for a starting price in the low $40,000 range. This level of performance is a relative bargain when compared to last year’s show favorite, the new 505 horsepower Corvette Z06. Ford ended their show with an all-new crossover utility vehicle (CUV) the Edge. Bearing a distinct family resemblance to the Fusion, which was introduced last year, the Edge continues the latest era of design from Ford – and promises to be a big contender in the red-hot CUV market.