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DETROIT — <\/span>The Detroit Auto Show<\/a> returns this week, offering an opportunity to take a peek at the cars of today and tomorrow and also go for a spin. <\/p>\n The annual car-fest at a Detroit convention hall features a lineup of 40-plus vehicle brands. At last year\u2019s show, organizers say attendees took more than 100,000 rides in them.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what makes the Detroit Auto Show different,\u201d show chairman Todd Szott said. \u201cYou can get up close, talk to the people behind the brands and actually experience the vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n The Detroit Auto Show once was the place for new model debuts, glitzy displays and scores of journalists from across the globe. <\/p>\n Automakers since have determined that new models can make a bigger splash when they\u2019re unveiled to a digital audience on a day when they don\u2019t have to share the spotlight with rivals.<\/p>\n While it has scaled back dramatically from its heyday, it still drew 275,000 attendees a year ago. And it is leaning into interactivity.<\/p>\n Two tracks offer attendees ride-along experiences in internal combustion engine, hybrid and electric vehicles, while the Camp Jeep and Ford Bronco Built Wild Experience give visitors a chance to climb into the vehicles and tackle some makeshift \u201cmountains.\u201d<\/p>\n The show gets underway Tuesday evening with vehicle announcements from Ford Motor Co.<\/a> as part of the media and industry preview days. On Wednesday, the annual North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year<\/a> will be revealed. The show opens to the public Saturday and runs through Jan. 25.<\/p>\n Visitors can check out displays under the Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Ram, Subaru and Toyota nameplates.<\/p>\n Speakers include Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno<\/a> from Ohio, and a pair of Democrats \u2014 Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer<\/a> and Pete Buttigieg<\/a>, the Transportation Secretary under President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n