OK.....for you CL showgoers...three major auto shows will debut in the next 4-5 weeks, including my own local favorite, the Washington, DC Auto Show.

The Los Angeles Auto Show will run from January 6 thru January 15. This is traditionally a Class A auto show and easily the largest one in the western part of the country......and, of course, is held in the area that is the country's largest single market for new vehicles and the center of the country's auto culture.
http://www.laautoshow.com/2005/index.aspx

The biggest American show of them all.....The Detroit North American International Auto Show.....will run from January 14 thru January 22. This show is literally huge in size....one of the largest ones on the planet.......and is usually the place to go if you want to see new official introductions before anyone else, and many of the highest-ranking people in the auto industry are there to promote their products and take questions. However, the weather that time of year in Detroit can be absolutely frightful, and it can be difficult to get there and make reservations at hotels if you don't already have a place to stay.
http://www.naias.com/



My traditional favorite for many reasons...the Washington, DC Auto Show at the DC Convention Center....will have a major change this year. Instead of the traditional Christmas-thru-New Year's week like in the past, the show will shift this year to late January....after the Detroit Show. It will run from January 24 thru January 29, and in the past was a Class B auto show. That will also change this year...the show will be considered on the borderline between Class B and Class A. It will have more importance than in the past because many new products will have already been unveiled at Detroit, and we won't have to wait to see them in DC like in the past....they will be brought down to the DC Show from Detroit. Of course, we may not see EVERYTHING that is shown at Detroit...the DC Convention Center has somewhat less space.
This upgrade and date change for the DC Show is for several reasons. First, the DC area sells many more new vehicles than the Detroit area does...some six times as many. It is a much larger auto market...the second-largest in the country in terms of new vehicles sold. Second, the Government and auto regulatory agencies are here. Most of the laws and regulations affecting the industry are made here. Third, Congress, which tradditionally is in recession during the Holiday season, will be back in town, so high-ranking people in Government will be able to attend the show.
As usual, I will be at the show for at least 3 or 4 days. I will take several days off of work and be there all day on opening day ( as long as my not-so-young feet and legs hold out ) to see what is there, (and perhaps post on CL the most significant new displays, for those of you who did not see them at Detroit ) . I will also be there several more days ( not sure which ones yet ) with friends, colleagues.....anyone who is interested in new vehicles for any reason.

Free or discount passes for this show can be obtained starting about two weeks in advance or so at any new car dealership in the DC area....the show itself is sponsored by the DC-area Auto Dealers' Association. Just walk up to the sales desk and ask for them...but call in advance and make sure the dealership has them. Some dealerships get them before others. I usually get a number of free passes myself every year, and I usually get extra ones for visitors who want to came as long as it is a reasonable number. Discount passes good for $2 off are also sometimes given out at local area stores. The dealerships, of course, WANT people to come to the show and see their products.

Best way to come to the show is by Metro Subway. Park at the outlying stations and ride the train downtown. ( you will ned a SMARTTRIP to exit the parking garage, but it can be re-used ) . Transfer downtown if necessary and take the Yellow / Green lines to the Convention Center exit. Go right up the escalator and the glass doors of the building are right in front of you....no walking out in the cold like with the old Convention Center.

Maybe I will see some of you guys there

http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/re...SpaceDraw.html

http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/

 

NAIAS is going to be big, especially if you are an Toyota/Lexus fan...

 

Yes. The new LS, the Yaris ( which you and I discussed recently ) , the new Scion xA replacement, the new RAV4, the next Camry, and a couple of future Toyota / Lexus Hybrids should be there.
Hopefully we will see some, if not all, of them in DC too.

 

the new Scion xA replacement will not be there...it just got a refreshening for 2006

probably next year

 

OK...maybe I should have not used the word "replacement". "Latest" perhaps would have been a better term. Sorry.

Speaking of what will not be at Detroit, a significant omission will be Isuzu. They are not going to display at all at Detroit this year, preferring instead to market to their natural truck and SUV-based areas in the Southwest. There is no final word yet whether they will be at the DC show either....though they might be at Los Angeles. In fact, how much longer they remain in the American market right now is an open question, despite corporate words otherwise.
See my CL thread last week on this subject:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=isuzu+pulls

 

watch the digital photography forum for coverage of the LA Auto Show by whoster

 

Yes..I plan to follow the L.A. and Detroit shows on-line even though I won't be there.

 

Going to the L.A. show. But not the VIP night: $200 a ticket!!! YIKES!

 

Yes.....$200 is ridiculous. Check with some dealerships in the L.A. area and see if you can get free (or discounted ) passes for the L.A. show like we do here in D.C.....where the show is actually sponsored by the Dealers' Association. Even normal-priced regular tickets here are around $10.00.

Also check with Liz ( AsianGirl007 ) or flipside909. They might know a little cheaper way of going to the L.A. show.

 

Is the new Audi TT still supposed to debut at Detroit?

You can't get buy a current one out here in CA due to emissions, but I have heard good things about the DSG transmission.

 

Check out the Lexus L500 and the flying mercedes on the LA Auto Show site. http://www.laautoshow.com/2005/la_ultimate_machine.aspx These are really cool concept drawings that I saw last year at the auto show.

 

The L500 has the weirdest interior arrangement that I have ever seen...

 

Here is the list of official Detroit NAIAS introductions. The TT is not yet officially on the list....but could still be..the list is still being updated.

http://www.naias.com/section.asp?sec...2&categoryID=8

Even if the new TT does debut at Detroit, it will be somewhat overshadowed by the new Q7 SUV, ( providing, of course, the Q7 itself is there ) which will probably appeal to a somewhat larger market base. .

 

I hear next G35 will be at NYC auto show in April. Any truth to this?

 

Don't know yet........the final display list for the NYC show, to my knowledge, has not been released yet....they are still planning it. For example, a good question is if Isuzu will be there at all. Isuzu has already announced that they will NOT be at the Detroit show and may or may not be at the DC show here on Jan. 24 either...they want to concentrate on their home markets in the Southwest where they do most of their remaining buisness.