Take your mark, get set, Detroit!

It’s home of the big rig, the big burger, and of course, the Big Three. Since 1907, the Detroit Motor Show has been dominated by what we call the Big Three: GM, Ford and Chrysler.

But these home-town heroes of Michigan have faced some stiff competition from rival imports in recent years, with the Germans and Japanese (and now, the Chinese and the Indians) all keen to take their slice of American pie. The Big Three are resorting to some very un-American tactics to not only keep up, but attempt to regain their dominance.

Now known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the Detroit motor show brings with it all the hype expected of the biggest motor show in the world.

Thousands of media from around the globe pack into the Cobo Arena to be the first to see the newest and best in automotive engineering and design.

Of course, the NAIAS would not be what it is without the big rigs, monster trucks and oversized pick-ups. But this year, more than ever, the Detroit Show is the platform for smaller, greener, and lighter cars and trucks.

Yet from jaw-droppingly expensive supercars, strange futuristic concept cars, to the next big thing in environmentally friendly, affordable family vehicles, Detroit has it all.

The trends we see in Detroit will almost certainly be followed here.

So for all the latest action from the Detroit Motor Show, stay right here at carsguide.com.au.

- Samantha Stevens and Jonah Wigley