The Best New Cars at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show

This was the year automakers went big in Detroit—and were told to “adapt or die.”

After trying to convince the world they can beat Silicon Valley to electric cars and autonomous driving, they are crowing once again about what they do best: trucks. Each of the hometown companies (Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV) pulled the cover off a new pickup, while multiple luxury brands (BMW, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz among them) rolled out brand-new SUVs. “You can call 2018 the death of the car,” said one industry consultant.