snowday

The real reason manufacturers are pulling out of the Detroit show is they hate the weather. Come on, it's the in the middle of the freakin' winter in frigid Michigan. They've always hated the cold and the snow...

mmarshall

Yes, that's part of it. I can remember one Detroit show (though I wasn't actually there), several years ago, when it was -18 degrees, with 27 inches of snow on the ground, on the show's opening day.

But regardless of the climate, Detroit is just not the center of the automotive world anymore. And, if climate alone was that big a factor, they could just move the show to another month with warmer temperatures.

LexBob2

The Chicago Auto Show draws huge crowds at McCormick Place every year (but not too many new model launches). Most people go for something to do on those cold, dark and gray February days and nights.

I'm sure most of the automakers will cut back at the shows to some degree this year.

mmarshall

Well, in Europe, the Geneva show, big as it is, is eclipsed to some extent by the somewhat larger Paris Auto Show, which is the way it should be. Paris (and France) is one of Europe's largest car markets; far bigger than Switzerland or Geneva.

LexFather

Honda nixes press conference at Detroit auto show

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/26/h...ess-conference

Trexus

Good post. California is the most populated state in the U.S. Los Angeles county is the most populated county in the U.S. SoCal is definitely diversed and open...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

not only most populated, but there are a wide range of people as well in terms of assets. there are tons of people who want economy cars, and all the way to people who are looking for exotics. not to mention the variety of brands people look for here

LexBob2

Nissan earlier had announced they wouldn't be in the Chicago Auto Show (Feb '09). Last night there was a teaser on the news that they may reconsider after a lot of complaints from area Nissan dealers.

I don't know how many new car sales you can credit to the Auto Show, but it seems like it might be money well spent when the show draws a little over a million people each year. That's a lot of potential buyers that might check out your cars.

LexFather

As someone stated, just move the damn show to the spring/summer. Who the hell wants to be in Detroit in the winter? That should help.

I just don't think car companies are getting bang for the buck with these car shows. We can love/hate the internet for this. Car shows used to bring surprises and oooohhhhss and aaaaaaahhhhhhs. Now they just show what we already know is coming.

mmarshall

That alone won't cut it, Mike. Detroit isn't any more the center of the auto industry during the summer as in the winter. All you would be doing is shifting an inappropriate location for North America's biggest auto show from one season to another, but not actually moving it.

The L.A., D.C., or even your own Atlanta, GA area, today, would be a better overall location. All three markets sell far more new cars than the Detroit area does. L.A. or D.C., in general, make the most sense because SoCal is the center of the country's auto culture, while D.C. is the central government where most of the industry's rules/regulations now come from. Both areas are very high-income, sell an enormous number of new cars, and are the country's two most traffic-ridden areas.


You can talk all day long about new cars on the Internet (as we do, of course, here in CAR CHAT), but nothing beats actually seeing and test-driving them in person. That, of course, is why you and I do reviews. And, even if you can't physically drive a new car at an auto show, you can learn a lot about it just from a static examination and review.