Utility vehicle of the year - @FiatChrysler_NA #Pacifica. #cklw #NAIAS
— Rob Hindi (@rhindi800) January 9, 2017
Car of the year - Chevy Bolt EV. #cklw #NAIAS
— Rob Hindi (@rhindi800) January 9, 2017
Car, truck and utility vehicles of the year will be announced soon. @FiatChrysler_NA #Pacifica is up for utility vehicle of the year. #cklw
— Rob Hindi (@rhindi800) January 9, 2017
The future of self-driving vehicles is on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Sunday was the first day of media previews and the idea of future mobility was the focus with electric cars and autonomous or self-driving vehicles front-and-centre.
And that includes a project using the Windsor-built Pacifica.
John Krafcik is CEO of Waymo, previously known as the Google self-driving car project.
He announced the new venture with FCA with the Pacifica on the stage. "In May of last year we sat down with FCA to build 100 of these and in just six months we went from project kickoff to production, pretty cool."
"The Pacifica works perfectly with their radar equipment needed to self-drive" says Krafcik. "As we get ready to serve more people and drive on all roads at all speeds, using mass produced vehicles becomes a requirement and this Pacifica hybrid had the perfect form factor to be our first one."
The first of the Pacifica autonomous vehicles will be driving on the road later this month in Arizona and California.
Many cars, from old to new, will be on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (Photo by Patty Handysides)