Rockstar Games released the first official trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI in December 2023, giving audiences their first detailed look at the fictional state of Leonida. Set against a backdrop modeled closely on modern Florida and Vice City, the 90-second preview introduced protagonists Lucia and Jason alongside an ultra-dense urban landscape. Car enthusiasts and digital archivists quickly dissected the trailer frame by frame, uncovering dozens of vehicles based heavily on real-world automotive icons hidden in traffic, parking lots, and highway takeovers.
Background
The Grand Theft Auto franchise has balanced vehicular parody with enthusiast appreciation since its inception. While Rockstar Games avoids direct manufacturer licensing to preserve game mechanics such as extreme vehicle damage, police chases, and illegal street racing, the developer relies on unmistakable silhouettes drawn from real-world assembly lines.
In previous iterations, such as Grand Theft Auto V, cars were often amalgamations of two or three distinct models to evade intellectual property disputes. Over the past decade of Grand Theft Auto Online updates, however, Rockstar shifted toward closer 1:1 representations of actual production vehicles. The Grand Theft Auto VI trailer shows this trend continuing on a broader scale, capturing South Florida’s unique automotive ecosystem, which includes high-end European exotics in coastal districts and modified domestic sedans in suburban neighborhoods.
Key developments
The initial trailer revealed more than 50 distinct vehicles operating within dynamic traffic scenes, car meets, and rural swamplands. Analysis of the footage reveals an emphasis on realism, regional car culture, and accurate period models spanning several decades.
Modern Exotics and Sports Cars
Several high-performance sports cars appear in prime positions throughout the Vice City nightlife scenes:
A convertible heavily resembling the Porsche 911 Cabriolet (specifically the modern 992 generation) appears cruising down Ocean Drive. In existing Grand Theft Auto lore, this model falls under the Pfister Comet family, appearing here with updated proportions, working daytime running lights, and accurate interior appointments.
Mid-engine domestic performance makes a clear appearance in the form of a Chevrolet Corvette C8. Modeled in previous updates as the Invetero Coquette D10, the trailer showcases the vehicle with aggressive aerodynamic splitters and sculpted side intakes typical of the track-focused Z06 variant.
An unmistakable tribute to the Ferrari Testarossa—long recognized in the series as the Grotti Cheetah Classic—appears parked curb-side, reinforcing the 1980s heritage of the Vice City aesthetic alongside modern exotics inspired by Lamborghini and Aston Martin.
Florida Donk and Lowrider Culture
The trailer pays explicit homage to South Florida’s custom car culture, specifically the “Donk” movement. Originating largely in Southern states, this subculture revolves around customized 1970s and 1980s American sedans modified to fit massive wheels, often ranging from 26 to 30 inches in diameter.
Several General Motors G-body vehicles appear with high-clearance lift kits and oversized chrome rims. Specific frames highlight models modeled after the 1971–1976 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice, as well as the 1980s Buick Regal and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. These vehicles feature pearlescent paint jobs, custom metallic grilles, and distinct suspension geometry that mimics real-world high-riser builds.
Classic Muscle and Street Tuners
Street takeovers and illegal drag racing scenes demonstrate an array of modern and vintage American muscle cars:
Modern Dodge Challenger and Charger equivalents (the Bravado Gauntlet and Buffalo variants) appear in highway sequences. The details mimic the widebody configurations of real-world SRT Hellcats, complete with hood scoops, front-splitter guards, and flared wheel arches.
A brief look at a street meet shows classic 1980s Japanese performance cars, including vehicles inspired by the Toyota Chaser and Nissan Silvia lineups. These models display lowered ride heights, custom exhausts, and external oil coolers popular within drifting subcultures.
The Fox-body Ford Mustang, produced between 1979 and 1993, appears in traffic with its distinct notchback profile, marking the model’s first modern appearance in the high-definition Grand Theft Auto universe.
Utility Vehicles and Emergency Fleets
Beyond personal transport, municipal and utility fleets received complete overhauls. Law enforcement pursuits show modern cruisers modeled directly on the Ford Police Interceptor Utility (Explorer) and the Dodge Charger Pursuit. Older patrol units based on the iconic Ford Crown Victoria (the Vapid Stanier) still linger in rural precincts.
In swamp and agricultural environments outside the central city, heavily lifted four-wheel-drive trucks appear. Modeled after modern Ford Super Duty and Chevrolet Silverado platforms, these trucks feature mud-terrain tires, roof-mounted light bars, and dual-rear-wheel axle setups built for wetland navigation.
Impact
The vehicle density and accuracy in the trailer point to major technical leaps driven by Rockstar’s updated proprietary engine, RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine). Improved physics, lighting, and geometric detail allow for functional elements previously absent from the series.
Automotive observers noted functioning interior instruments, including illuminated digital instrument clusters and accurate center console navigation screens. Mirrors now display true environmental reflections rather than low-resolution static projections, a limitation imposed by older console hardware.
The visual variety also suggests that vehicle customization will expand substantially beyond Grand Theft Auto V’s Los Santos Customs system. The presence of authentic Donks, drift-spec sedans, and mud-boggers indicates that aftermarket suspension tuning, wheel-scaling, and interior personalization will play an integrated role in gameplay rather than serving as minor cosmetic additions.
What next
Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release in the fall of 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, with a PC release expected at a later date. Rockstar Games has yet to release a dedicated gameplay overview or an official breakdown of vehicular mechanics.
Industry analysts anticipate subsequent trailers will focus more heavily on gameplay systems, physics updates, and player economy. As the marketing campaign accelerates, gearheads and fans will continue monitoring promotional media to identify how many of the trailer’s background vehicles will be fully drivable and customizable upon the game’s commercial launch.
