Updated Ford F-150 gets new grille, other features as Ford shows it off on eve of Detroit auto show

The top-selling vehicle in America will get a bit of a facelift next year, one of just a few new or updated vehicles that will be shown off this week at Detroit's big auto show.

The top-selling vehicle in America will get a bit of a facelift next year, one of just a few new or updated vehicles that will be shown off this week at Detroit's big auto show.

Ford unveiled the latest version of the F-150 pickup Tuesday night at an event next to Huntington Place, the convention centre that will host the North American International Auto Show starting with media day on Wednesday.

It's one of only four new or revamped vehicles to be unveiled at the show, including models from Stellantis' Jeep off-road brand, and from General Motors' GMC and Cadillac brands.

That's far short of the 40 or 50 new models that were often unveiled during the show's heyday. During the past four or five years, automakers have been shunning auto shows as the preferred places to reveal new models. Instead, they're opting to show them online for less money and at times when they don't have to share the limelight with others.

The Detroit show will instead focus more on experiences for consumers, including an indoor electric vehicle track and on-street ride-and-drives. Tesla, absent from the show for years, will return for those events with a display on the floor.

The F-150 will get a new front grille, dark-coloured headlamps and some new vents, as well as added features. Ford will drop a 3.3-litre V6 engine as the base power plant. Even the lowest trim line of XL now will get the company's more powerful 325-horsepower 2.7-litre twin-turbocharger V6 as standard equipment. All other engines remain.

Inside, the interior gets an update, plus all models get a 12-inch touchscreen as standard equipment.