This year’s Detroit Auto Show marks the second time the event has been held since returning to its traditional winter date. While it isn’t as large as it once was, there are still plenty of new vehicles to kick the tires on.

One way the show has changed is that there aren’t the same level of high-profile vehicle launches as there once were. In fact, Ford opted to hold some of its major unveils at an alternate event across town.

Ford Racing’s season preview saw the company take the covers off two new F1 cars. The Dearborn automaker also used the occasion to debut its latest version of Ford Mustang, the Dark Horse SC.

Mark Rushbrook is global director of Ford Racing. He says taking the festivities to Michigan Central, a place Ford is heavily invested in, was a logical move.

“I mean, I think this is a symbol of the City of Detroit,” says Rushbrook. “To be able to come here, with racing as we have it, with Formula 1 at the top…it made sense.”

Despite being unveiled somewhere else, the Mustang Dark Horse SC has made its way over to the Detroit Auto Show. Attendees can find it on display in the Ford exhibit throughout the week.

Chevrolet’s Chad Lyons says the way car companies unveil products is evolving.

“I think it’s trying to find out the strategy that helps us reach the most number of people that we can,” says Lyons.

And that can mean finding new methods for utilizing big events.

“Certainly, auto shows [are] still a place where we try to make news,” says Lyons. “So for instance, earlier this week we talked about Hudson’s, which is our new global headquarters. We also unveiled our test livery for F1 — Cadillac team did.”

In that way, manufacturers say they still find value in auto shows, even if they aren’t quite the spectacle they once were. This year’s Detroit Auto Show is open to the public through Jan. 25.