mmarshall

For years, the huge North American International Auto Show in Detroit has been the center of the country's major auto-show circuit....and one of the largest auto shows in the world. Most concept and new-vehicle introductions take place there (especially those destined for the American market) amid much hoopla from the auto press, journalists, high-level auto-manufacturer representatives, and, of course, the local Detroit press as well. Occasionally you will see a new introduction at the L.A. show, NYC show (or, on rare occasions, here at the local D.C. show), but, most of the time, new-car intros happen at Detroit.

But has this show outlived its usefullness? We have debated the topic, of and on, in a number of threads, but have never really addressed the issue head-on. Detroit has long since declined, as the center of the American automobile industry and market, to other regions. Almost all new assembly plants, both for domestic and foreign nameplates, are in Southern states where there is less union influence and costs are lower. Little of the auto-industry itself is left in the Detroit area, except for some corporate HQ.....and several of even those have moved to CA or the South (VW of America, for example, just recently, set up a new North-American HQ just a couple miles from my house, in Herndon, VA, near Washington, DC). Lincoln-Mercury moved its HQ to SoCal several years ago....as did Mazda, at Irvive. And then, of course, Detroit can be brutally cold in January.....with deep snows. I remember one year, not long ago, it was -17 degrees F in Detroit, with a foot and a half of snow on the ground, on the show's opening day.

I don't think we need to re-debate the pros and cons of relocating the nation's auto show to another city.......we have already done that in other threads. But we have never done a poll or faced the question head-on, to get a consensus from all of CL.....so I will post one. With the L.A. show now over, the big Detroit show coming up in a few weeks, and the slightly smaller (but still large) Washington, D.C. show right after that, what's your take as individual CL members? Where should the country's largest auto show be held?

........Keep it in Detroit, which is a car-show tradition, but a city...and area.....of more and more declining auto influence every year?

........Move it to L.A./SoCal, the center of the country's car culture, and the largest new-car market in the country, selling ten times the number of new cars the Deoroit Area does. Needless to say, it also has the country's most widespread traffic.

........Move it to the Washington, D.C. area, home of the country's second-largest new-car market (and traffic), selling six times the number of new cars the Detroit area does, and home to the Federal Government, Congress, and most of the people who actually regulate the auto industry?

.......Move it to New York City, which sells fewer new cars than either the L.A. or D.C. regions, but is home to Wall Street, the center of the country's buisness establishment, and other buisness firms from all over the world?

.......Move it to Atlanta, which is not quite at L.A. or D.C.-area traffic/new-car sales levels yet, but is rapidly gaining, and is nearer the location of many of the new auto plants going up all over the South?

........Another city (state your preference and why).

(BTW, even as a D.C.-area resident, I think, fairly, that there is an equally good case for both L.A. and D.C. I won't be disappointed if it gets moved to L.A.)

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

I live in So Cal but am from Atlanta so of course I am biased...

I vote for:

1. Move it to L.A./SoCal, the center of the country's car culture, and the largest new-car market in the country, selling ten times the number of new cars the Deoroit Area does. Needless to say, it also has the country's most widespread traffic.

2. Move it to Atlanta, which is not quite at L.A. or D.C.-area traffic/new-car sales levels yet, but is rapidly gaining, and is nearer the location of many of the new auto plants going up all over the South?

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I think Los Angeles best describes the automotive market in North America.

And although these two shows typically address two different issues (L.A. Auto Show = worldwide vehicles in American market; versus NAIAS = American vehicles in worldwide market), I think it would be more encompassing to address both issues to one place.

mmarshall

I agree that a good case can be made for L.A. My guess is that L.A. will wind up with the majority of the poll's votes. A good case, however (maybe slightly less so), can also be made for D.C., where the national government and the industry regulations are, and the new-car market is second only to L.A.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

Personally I don't see Atlanta replacing LA as the center of car cultures however I can see that the Atlanta AJC Auto show to become one of the top three auto shows in the nation.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

They couldn't go wrong with L.A., D.C. or Atlanta for the reasons you listed. Southern California sells a lot of cars as does D.C. Atlanta (the South in general), produces a lot of cars like Detroit used to although not entirely domestic.

mmarshall

I included Atlanta as an option for two main reasons: First, because of its rapidly-increasing auto sales and traffic (currently behind only L.A. and D.C.), and, second, because of its closer location to where many new plants (and some corporate HQ) are.

You would think that NYC, with its enormous population, would rival L.A. as a new-car market, but that is actually not the case......many of its tens of millions of people ride the extensive subway lines, buses, or cabs instead. That is one reason why NYC has gotten somewhat of a reputation as, politically, an anti-car town. But I included it because there is no denying the fact that it is the center of the American buisness world, not only with Wall Street, but numerous buisness interests around the world as well.

mmarshall

It's true that the new assembly plants in the South include a lot of foreign, non-Big Three nameplates (BMW, Mercedes, Nissan/Infiniti, Hyundai, and Toyota), but the major auto shows, of course, include everyone who sells (or who plans to sell) in the American Market, not just Ford, GM, and Chrysler. And, with today's global auto economy, many of the various auto firms are interrelated, and no longer exist alone.

trukn1

As much as I would love to see it relocated to DC, being a MD resident myself, I truly think that LA. would be a bigger draw for it. While DC does have an impressive show every year, the potential for it out in Cali would be huge. Marshall, the one thing which swayed my vote away from DC was the potential for the city to handle the increased traffic for the show. I just don't think it can handle it. Not to mention that parking is always a problem. By comparison, I think that LA would be a lil more better equipped to handle the increased traffic than DC is. Don't get me wrong, I know that BOTH are very crowded areas; having driven thru both with a semi, but at least LA has a beter system to herd the masses.

I plan to attend the DC show in february. Maybe I will run into you there.

mmarshall

An excellent case can be made for either L.A. or D.C., auto-market wise. Both cities have a good subway that can handle large crowds.....that is usually the way I go to the D.C. show. So far, the D.C . Metro Subway has had no problems with auto-show crowds (there is even a station at the Convention Center itself), but of course, the local show is not the size of the huge Detroit one.

The D.C show has been neglected for years, considering the area's enormous new-car market status....second, of course, only to L.A. It was only about 3 or 4 years ago that the show got upgraded, with the new D.C. Convention Center from a Class-B show to a borderline Class-A.

Here's the show's website.

http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/

I'll be there probably on opening day and a couple of other days as well (I get free passes). I go on opening day for a dry run, to see what is there, chat with the company reps, and then go back later with friends who are interested in car-shopping.

If you want a couple of free passes, just stop at any local area dealership and ask for them. They usually come in a couple of weeks before the show starts. The dealerships WANT you to go...so they often encourage it by giving you and a friend or two a guest pass.

If you run into me.....I'm a big heavy guy, 6' 2" with a baseball cap. I'll be getting into and out of most of the vehicles there and chatting with the reps.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...auto-show.html

LexFather

The Atlanta Auto Show is a joke. Seriously. I am nearly ashamed at how bad it is. I seriously have considered volunteering to help them as IMO it has SO MUCH potential. To be honest, its no different than going to a dealership(s). We never get any debuts and we get minimal concepts.

mmarshall

That may change, Mike. It took them years to realize how important the D.C. area was, with its huge new-car market and the presence of the Federal Government. Atlanta's car market is growing so much that I think it's just a matter of time for you guys, too, to get a Class-A show.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

NYC is the car mecca with L.A. being a distant second.. shhhhhhh

Speaking of the Autoshow, I recived an e-mail regarding tickEts for the 09 NYIAS.. Click below link to order tickets if you intend to visit NYC on April 10 thru 19...

mmarshall

Well, you're half-right, DASH. NYC is the SUBWAY-car mecca.

NYC , as I pointed out in the thread, does deserve some consideration for the country's largest auto show.....that's why I included it as an option. Because of the extensive transit systems there, its traffic and new-car market levels, outside of the city itself, are not in L.A. or D.C.'s class, but it has an enormous local population and is the unquestioned center of American buisness (and a lot of international buisness as well).

LexFather

I doubt it. The show here is stagnant if not worse than in years past. Its quit the bore.

People in Atlanta are very weird. We buy cars cars cars but the car scene in general is very small.