The North American International Auto Show is letting consumers get a taste of what it'll be like to be behind the wheel of many new models.
In the middle of the Ford Motor Co. show floor, people can test their racing skills in the virtual simulation of the brand's sports technology of the Focus. Technicians strap volunteers into an elevated two-seat cockpit controlled by four mechanical legs that allow the drivers to feel every twist and turn as they compete for the best lap time.
This is the first time the Detroit show has seen the contraption, which spokesman Said Deep said will give the public a realistic test drive of the Focus.
"The Focus ST has 252 HP with an EcoBoost engine that is best-in-class fuel economy, so it offers true performance in both aspects, and we were thinking what better way to bring that to life than to show that in the simulator," Deep said. "And if you can believe it or not, the performance is actually calibrated to exactly match the real thing."