It was a car we fully expected to be shown at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, but it didn't come. The refreshed 2018 Ford Mustang, revealed online just a couple of days ago, didn't grace us with its presence at the Motor City and everyone, media and the public alike, didn't understand Ford's thinking. The updated 2018 F-150 was there, so why not the Mustang? Well, the Detroit Free Press reached out to Ford for an answer, and the reply was pretty dumb. So what was it?

Ford said that it wanted to reveal the updated Mustang in New York and Los Angeles so that "Mustang fans around the country can come and see it at the same time it goes on display in Detroit." Really. You can't make a dumb answer like that up. The Mustang is built literally right down the street from the Detroit Auto Show at Ford's Flat Rock Assembly plant in Michigan. Again, makes no sense. Fanning the flames even more, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, one of the show's main organizers, isn't thrilled with Ford's decision here because, obviously, having the Mustang on live display at Detroit would have been great for business.

Ford missed out on the opportunity to have one of the biggest highlights of Detroit and, therefore, allowed Kia and its all-new 2018 Stinger GT to have the affordable performance car spotlight all to itself. Have to wonder if a lesson has been learned here.