With the 2018 auto show season now in full swing, most of the major automakers around the world are once again planning their annual pilgrimage to Michigan, birthplace of 'Merican muscle, Motor City – Detroit. This is a city practically dripping with auto heritage, and as such, the domestic makes are offering 2018 Detroit Auto Show attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the latest and greatest V-8-powered RWD sports machines with a red, white, and blue soul. However, alongside the traditional tire-shredding performance machines, this year's event will also include a few unexpected debuts, ranging from luxury-infused top-dollar land yachts to a Chinese-built battery-powered concept. It's a new world out there, and even a bastion of the old school like Detroit isn't immune to change. With that said, read on for a few expected (an unexpected) debuts headed to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming Detroit Auto Show debuts.

2019 Ford Shelby GT500

With the arrival of the vastly improved sixth-generation Mustang in 2015, many speed lovers began asking about Ford's intentions to create new go-faster variants for even more pony power right out of the box. Now, rumor has it the 2018 Detroit Auto Show will be the place where the Blue Oval drops the vaunted Shelby GT500 iteration, with speculation backed by leaked images spread across the Internet that seem to show a massive supercharger from a specially tuned 2019-model-year 'Stang, as well as a special Easter Egg that would appear to suggest January 12th (just a few days before the show kicks off) as the debut for the blown beast.

All told, we certainly hope Ford is bringing this thing to Motor City. If so, we've got our fingers crossed for output around 750 horses, plus the suspension and chassis mods required to put it all to good use.

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang.

2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

If Ford doesn't drop the Shelby GT500 in Detroit this year, the new Bullitt could very well replace it on the list of debuts. The fact that such a machine is in the works is more or less confirmed at this point, with a bevy of leaks making it online, sparking excitement among fans of all things fast (and fans of all things Steve McQueen, for that matter). If such a machine does appear, expect the traditional green paint job and one helluva exhaust note.

2018 GAC Motors Electric Concept

With the traditional muscle car debuts covered, it's time to get into the weird stuff. So then – what's more out of place in Detroit than a Chinese-built electric concept car?

Last year, attendees at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show got a chance to check out the products of GAC, which arrived with no less than three different models flying under the international Trumpchi brand. Now, GAC is back, bringing a battery-powered concept that's supposedly targeted at the “young generation in the U.S. market.” Sounds promising – or potentially disastrous. We'll see which is which soon enough.

2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom (U.S. Debut)

Rather than wait for something like the New York Auto Show or Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Rolls is bringing the new Phantom to the U.S. for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show. Not that there's anything wrong with that – it's just that Detroit is usually the home of muscle cars and practical SUVs, not a $450,000 uber-luxury sedan.

Regardless, the British brand will give U.S. audiences a chance to get up close and personal with the Phantom for the first time at The Gallery, a pricey pre-show gala for auto-loving elite. Ah, now it makes sense...

Read our full review on the 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

We've seen bits and pieces of the newly updated G Wagen over the past few weeks, both through official reveals and the odd unofficial leak. Now, this German-derived slab of off-roading comfort is hitting the Detroit Auto Show floor. In addition to superlative luxury inside the cabin, the new G-Class also offers pretty astounding capability off the paved stuff, which actually makes sense for Michigan, considering the weather lately...

Read our full review on the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

References

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