Well, when Boomers get a new vehicle and write a check for 30 or 40K (or more) of "Bah-Blah"...........money talks. My next door neighbor's husband (a Boomer) came home, fortunately just before the pandemic hit, with a $73K Ford Expedition Platinum....she (also a Boomer) is set to get a new Bronco Sport as soon as the market returns to sanity.

As far as who attends them, at least here at the D.C. show, I see a pretty uniform mix of people of all ages, genders, and races.....even people in motorized wheelchairs. No single group seems to have a monopoly on attendance.




I'm not necessarily saying do away with all of them. Among those that I think are worthwhile are the Toyota and Hyundai Quiz-Games (you've probably seen them yourself, since you go to the D.C. show). Company reps ask questions about the auto-markets and their products, and give out prizes to whoever is the first to raise their hand with the right answer. Often, of course, those there don't know the answers, or can't think of them quickly enough...as an auto-buff, I often do, and when I do, I love to turn around and give what I just won to little kids next to me...it's just wonderful to see their little eyes light up with delight. The may (?) even help them get more interested in vehicles as the get older.

 

I bet the auto show didn't book the entire venue, and Tesla sneakily booked part of the building that was available at the same time as the show. If they do it again this year and you're able to make it, I suspect you'll find that an auto show ticket is NOT required to get into the Tesla display.

 

It/was required to have ticket. So on the top floor you have some big brands…middle floor you have Tesla as well as other show parts such as racing etc and then on the bottom floor…you have other big brands. Tesla just doesn’t group their cars with the major brands. They are on their own which is ok as they only have 3 models to display.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.auto...toronto/64409/

 

Out of curiosity I checked the Chicago show (Feb.) and no Tesla. I'm not surprised but was curious anyway.

 

And my friend who is 34 just bought a $215k Mclaren GT. And?

Boomers don't buy as many vehicles as millennials. Fact. The torch has been passed, and boomers will have a continually shrinking share of the pool of carbuyers as they continue to age, spend less and die off, where millennials and younger generations share will grow as they earn more and spend more. Makes total sense why carmakers would go after where their future business is going to be. The only business where Boomers are the next growth area is the funeral business, like it or not.

 

Yes to both of these. Really not much else to speculate on. I will also add that this is hardly just a U.S. occurrence- this has definitely been a global trend.

 

Damn man, what does your friend do? I was 34 in 2002 and barely made $70K in those days. I made my first "real money" at 43 when one of the medical device start-ups I worked for was acquired by St. Jude and put it in property. This was during the downturn so property was a lot cheaper

 

As of statistics from just a year ago, Boomers still account for 62% of the new vehicle-purchasing-power.

https://www.strongautomotive.com/boomer-consumer/

 

I just turned 40

Hes a real estate agent. A very, very successful one.

Not according to JD Power:

https:/www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/business/buying-a-car-online-carvana.amp.html

The link you posted uses data from 2019. It’s the end of 2021.

Older article but discusses the trend:

https://www.wardsauto.com/industry-voices/move-over-boomer-car-buyers

 

Ah, Real Estate. That explains it 😀

 

i can't be the only socal resident here...but yes i agree esp in the OC where i'm at that the laws are pretty laxed. we have full on concerts and events for awhile now with not much regard for the state of events. LA county is a little more strict i'd say.

back to the topic, i failed to make my way to downtown LA for the autoshow this year which was my tradition for years. yes youtube is a plethora of info but there is no replacement to experience (albeit only drive certain models) first hand the vehicles in one spot all at once.

 

I have been going to NY Auto Show since i was a little kid. The crowds have only got larger so the demand for this type of show still exists.
Automakers used to spend much more $$$ of these shows with amazing concept cars. In past 10years or really since the economic crisis in 2007-2008, those concept cars have been very few.

These shows help build interest in young people and concept cars used to spark imaginations of the future. Its very shortsighted for automakers to abandon this way to connect with consumers imo.

Also for Tesla - these shows are less important because they have a unique sales strategy where ppl can go to their store and sample all their cars with zero hassle. If i go in to BMW dealer, its highly unlikely i will see a new M5cs but it would definitely have been at NY Auto Show. There were many unique cars i only got to experience because of these shows and definitely not the same watching a YouTube video.

 

Then why are more and more carmakers opting out? There must be internal data that drives that.

 

Yep....couldn't agree more.


That's because most people at the shows don't go there to look at concepts, which they can easily do on-line or in articles. They go to see actual production-products, compare them one to another, see how well they fit in them or how comfortable the seats are, etc...., sometimes do a limited amount of company test-driving (if possible) on the streets around the show, and see for themselves if they would like to maybe take one home some day. That is why I don't think much of the practice of having dancers, entertainers, and locking up new vehicles on the floor where people cannot sit in them.

Agreed.