STORY: 2023 North American int'l auto show kicks off in Detroit amid UAW strike threat
DATELINE: Sept. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:13
LOCATION: DETROIT, U.S.
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the auto show

STORYLINE:

The 2023 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also called Detroit Auto Show, started Wednesday, with the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (NACTOY) semifinalists for 2024 announced.
   
The 50 independent journalist jurors from the United States and Canada whittled the semifinal list down to 25 from 52 eligible 2024 models, which include 10 cars, 5 trucks and 10 utility vehicles.
   
The 25 best will be furthered winnowed to three finalists in each category on Nov. 16 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Winners will be announced on Jan. 4, 2024, in Detroit.
   
Electric vehicles (EVs) once again accounted for more than half of the contenders. Of the 25 selected to advance, nine were EVs. Gas-powered vehicles are well represented during the reveal of the semifinalists for the awards.
   
The 2023 Detroit Auto Show opened in the shadow of strike threat from the United Auto Workers (UAW) against the Big Three U.S. automakers as they have not reached agreement on renewing workers' contract yet.
   
UAW is planning a high-profile rally in downtown Detroit on Friday, when UAW President Shawn Fain and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders will attend. The union is billing the event as a "Rally to save the American Dream."
   
Fain on Wednesday gave the clearest signal that the union is willing to strike all three Detroit automakers at once, an unprecedented move that appears more likely than ever with the contract deadline on Sept. 14.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Detroit, U.S.
(XHTV)