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Numerous automakers missing from this year's Los Angeles Auto Show.
I wasn't physically there at the L.A. Auto Show late last month, but, looking at the floor-plan, I was simply aghast at the number of automakers that weren't present....particularly in Southern California, arguably the nation's top Bread-and-Butter region for new-vehicle sales.
BMW, Audi, and Mercedes all three stayed away. So did most of GM, where Chevy was the only GM division at the show...never mind the fact that American rivals Ford, Lincoln, Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler all managed to show up. But Volvo was missing. So was Genesis. So was VW....although VW apparently had a roadshow. From what I could tell, so was Tesla....and some of the other BEV manufacturers.
As you might expect, I was particularly disappointed that Buick didn't show. I was hoping that Buick would display the next-generation GEM-platform Encore (not the Encore GX....a different vehicle). Perhaps GM has not decided if they are going to sell the GEM-platform Encore here in the U.S. or not......it's been in the Chinese market for a little while now.
I understand pandemic-concerns, and the fact that more companies now introduce their new vehicles in special stage-events, not traditional shows, but it still strikes me as neglect. If I had actually paid for tickets for the L.A. Show (I usually get free-passes here for the D.C. Show)....I would have probably asked for my money back LOL.
Even before the pandemic, less and less manufacturers were showing up for the L.A. show. I believe it's an overall trend.
The L.A. show, in some ways, has become more important than Detroit. California, particularly in the L.A. region, sells more new vehicles than any other place in the country. In fact, the Detroit show has been moved from January to June now.....some six months behind L.A. In fact, as I understand it, our own show here in D.C., at the end of January, is the next large show in the U.S.....Toronto will have the big Canadian show in February.
The D.C. Show's site for 2022 doesn't have the final list of automakers or floor plan yet (just past ones).......so we'll have to wait and see.
Volvo is on the map, were they not in the corner with Mazda and Honda like they said they would be? And of course Tesla wasn't there....auto shows are run by dealer associations. Dealer associations despise Tesla because their direct business model is a threat to their future.
I do find it interesting that Audi did not appear to have a booth, but was doing outdoor test drives along with the Wagoneer.
But in general, yes I would share your disappointment. I do think we are watching the large auto show format slowly die.
I was simply aghast at the number of automakers that weren't present....
.... I understand pandemic-concerns, and the fact that more companies now introduce their new vehicles in special stage-events, not traditional shows, but it still strikes me as neglect.
your being 'aghast' and thinking it's 'neglect' that auto makers aren't interested in a huge expense for a regional show is just not recognizing that the world has changed, that automakers know there are far more effective ways to get the message out there.
yes people need to see cars in person, but auto shows which fewer and fewer people want to go to, pandemic or not, are not cost effective, or targeted.
This year the Chicago show ran in July vs. the normal Feb. timing. A portion was indoors at McCormick Place and part of it was outdoors with food trucks, live music etc. in the evening. I don't know how the attendance was (I haven't gone to it for several years) but in 2019 many well known brands weren't represented so I would think it was probably the same this year. Times are definitely changing regarding auto shows. As mentioned, too many other options are available these days.
your being 'aghast' and thinking it's 'neglect' that auto makers aren't interested in a huge expense for a regional show is just not recognizing that the world has changed, that automakers know there are far more effective ways to get the message out there.
yes people need to see cars in person, but auto shows which fewer and fewer people want to go to, pandemic or not, are not cost effective, or targeted.
i know you wish it wasn't so, but it is.
Good post and I agree 100%, times have changed and people have changed. I used to love going to auto shows every year but it stopped being fun once they stopped bringing cars I was interested in or if they did bring a car in sometimes they wouldn’t let you sit in them. Then there is the people at these shows, worse than Costco that so many complain about. People sitting in cars for a long time when they know people are waiting in line to check them out, kids crawling all over the inside of the cars, etc. No thanks, not fun anymore for me as my patience have worn thin these days. I would rather watch a video like the new LX video and wait until they hit showrooms to check them out in person and where I can take my time really evaluate it without thousands of people around me.
Then there is the people at these shows, worse than Costco that so many complain about.
Great post and that cracked me up
I would rather watch a video like the new LX video and wait until they hit showrooms to check them out in person and where I can take my time really evaluate it without thousands of people around me.
You raise an excellent point in that youtube has changed EVERYTHING. Not only can we see promo videos, but much more importantly we can see amateur and professional reviews by the dozen showing in person, up close impressions of cars from every angle. Sure it's not exactly the same as seeing one in person or a test drive, but it's also not worse either, because test drives are often rushed or are sensory overload, so you can't fully appreciate what you're testing, it's just a gut feel. Important nonetheless.
but as you say, since most auto shows are a 'horde' crawling all over certain models and ignoring most others, it's not necessarily that useful and certainly not efficient. It's a bit like a movie theater vs watching at home... sure the movie theater has a huge screen and great sound, but i also have to sit with hordes or other people who might be coughing, texting, talking, snoring, or worse, plus outrageous prices, sticky floors, etc. no thanks, for the most part i'd rather watch at home.
Auto shows were the 'bull horn' when there weren't other options besides old school advertising.
about youtube in particular, obviously auto makers now spend a lot of time and money catering to 'influencers' and reviewers online, and probably pay the expenses of many to fly to wherever they want them. given the resulting millions of views, likes, comments, etc., it's VASTLY more effective than the hunger games auto shows.
your being 'aghast' and thinking it's 'neglect' that auto makers aren't interested in a huge expense for a regional show is just not recognizing that the world has changed, that automakers know there are far more effective ways to get the message out there.
yes people need to see cars in person, but auto shows which fewer and fewer people want to go to, pandemic or not, are not cost effective, or targeted.
i know you wish it wasn't so, but it is.
Well, it depends on what you mean, in automotive-show terms, by the "World Changing". The pandemic, of course, has had a major effect......there's no denying that. So has the fact that, because the auto-industry is changing so rapidly to BEVs, they are steadily losing the interest of many of us traditional enthusiasts and/or those who don't have plug-in capabilities for recharging. And, although it gets into the subject of politics which we can't discuss in detail, there is the effect of never-ending and constantly-increasing government demands and legislation. But none of the, at least IMO, negates the fact that there is still no better or easier way to compare Vehicle A to Vehicles B, C, D, etc.... than to do it all under one big roof. (or, in some cases, if you have limited test-drive circuits at the shows like they do at the D.C. show). Introducing new vehicles on just one indoor stage, like Elon Musk does with Teslas, or like Ford recently did with the F-150 Electric Lightning, or Like GM did with the new Hummer, may provide a lot of glamor for the cameras, but, except for a limited number of people in the audience, it's just basically just that....camera glamour. It's not like being there in person.
Now, having said that, I will be the first one to admit that the traditional shows also have what, IMO, are their own limitations. Too often, as with the D.C show, the people making the REAL decisions in the industry don't show up to take questions or comments from people in the show like they do at Detroit or L.A. Instead, they send those so-called company "Product-Experts", often in carefully-tailored dresses/pants, badges, and uniforms, some of which do have an impressive amount of knowledge, others being nothing but what I call P.B.S.....Professional-Bull-S***ters, who either read answers right off of scripts, or try to deceive you with a smokescreen. Or, in some cases, they will have people dancing around the cars on the turntables to loud music.....yeah, that really tells us a lot LOL. Or, they will give carefully-prepared excuses why certain vehicles were not, or cannot, be brought to the show. Or, when they DO bring new vehicles to the show, they spin them around on turntables and/or put them on the floor and lock them up so no-one can sit inside. Or, they will have a vehicle at the show one day, and then the next day, it's gone.
So, no, auto shows aren't necessarily the perfect answer to marketing needs. But there is still no better way to compare vehicles than all together, under one roof. And, if it is getting too expensive for the automakers, they can simply cut out some of the added frills at the shows....like celebrity-entertainment, all of the prizes/gifts that the companies give out every time you do a test-drive (caps, keychains, umbrellas, pens, flashlights, cell-phone accessories, etc...) , the pre-loaded $50 and $75 debit-cards like with Ford/Lincoln, and all the rest of the stuff they give out.....it's like being under a Christmas tree.
In large parts of SoCal, including LA County and Orange County you would never know there was a Pandemic, the majority of hospitalizations and deaths in California have been in SoCal, so the pandemic probably contributed very little to these automakers not showing up, probably more the expense. I was in Orange County last year before the vaccine even came out, and I would say more than 50 percent of people were walking in crowds, going to restaurants etc without masks and zero social distancing. I have a some friends in SoCal who ended up in the ICU and almost died
In large parts of SoCal, including LA County and Orange County you would never know there was a Pandemic, the majority of hospitalizations and deaths in California have been in SoCal, so the pandemic probably contributed very little to these automakers not showing up, probably more the expense. I was in Orange County last year before the vaccine even came out, and I would say more than 50 percent of people were walking in crowds, going to restaurants etc without masks and zero social distancing. I have a some friends in SoCal who ended up in the ICU and almost died
Well, it depends on what you mean, in automotive-show terms, by the "World Changing". The pandemic, of course, has had a major effect......there's no denying that. So has the fact that, because the auto-industry is changing so rapidly to BEVs, they are steadily losing the interest of many of us traditional enthusiasts and/or those who don't have plug-in capabilities for recharging. And, although it gets into the subject of politics which we can't discuss in detail, there is the effect of never-ending and constantly-increasing government demands and legislation. But none of the, at least IMO, negates the fact that there is still no better or easier way to compare Vehicle A to Vehicles B, C, D, etc.... than to do it all under one big roof. (or, in some cases, if you have limited test-drive circuits at the shows like they do at the D.C. show). Introducing new vehicles on just one indoor stage, like Elon Musk does with Teslas, or like Ford recently did with the F-150 Electric Lightning, or Like GM did with the new Hummer, may provide a lot of glamor for the cameras, but, except for a limited number of people in the audience, it's just basically just that....camera glamour. It's not like being there in person.
But the vast, vast majority of people do not ever attend a car show. Somehow they purchase vehicles without the benefit of that experience. Big shows like that cost a FORTUNE, and the industry is clearly moving on from them as a means of introducing consumers to their new vehicles.
I bet if you look at the average age of those who attend car shows, its pretty high. Thats another factor, the core consumer aren't attending the shows. You're going to say "baby boomers have tons of cash blah blah" but the fact is they aren't the core consumer for life's big purchases any longer.
And, if it is getting too expensive for the automakers, they can simply cut out some of the added frills at the shows....like celebrity-entertainment, all of the prizes/gifts that the companies give out every time you do a test-drive (caps, keychains, umbrellas, pens, flashlights, cell-phone accessories, etc...) , the pre-loaded $50 and $75 debit-cards like with Ford/Lincoln, and all the rest of the stuff they give out.....it's like being under a Christmas tree.
They do these things to entice people to come to the show lol. If they didn't offer them, even less people would come.
IMO. I think Auto Shows will still be around. And they will become stronger. Bigger and more interactive. Lots of people want experiences and attending these shows will still be important. That said, the smaller shows that are more local or regional will likely shrink and disappear, but the biggest and the best will still be important. the Toronto Auto Show is back after a two year hiatus. But 2022 it will be safe and a lot of fun. And I can’t wait.
The Toronto show is definitely growing in attendance
Originally Posted by geko29
Volvo is on the map, were they not in the corner with Mazda and Honda like they said they would be? And of course Tesla wasn't there....auto shows are run by dealer associations. Dealer associations despise Tesla because their direct business model is a threat to their future.
.
Tesla has a booth at the Toronto Auto show in the past. They are on their own level away from all other cars.
IMO[/b]. I think Auto Shows will still be around. And they will become stronger. Bigger and more interactive. Lots of people want experiences and attending these shows will still be important. That said, the smaller shows that are more local or regional will likely shrink and disappear, but the biggest and the best will still be important. the Toronto Auto Show is back after a two year hiatus. But 2022 it will be safe and a lot of fun. And I can’t wait.
The Toronto show is definitely growing in attendance
Yeah, I'm with you on that one, Jill. Those big shows are held for good reason.
Here's the latest for you on the Toronto show, if I haven't already posted it.....Feb. 18-27, 2022. Tickets will be available this month.
One thing I like about the D.C. show is that, because the show is at least partially dealer-sponsored (WANADA) rather than directly from the manufacturers, you can usually get a number of free passes for it at local dealerships (I've been going for some 40 years and I think I only actually bought tickets once or twice). Even so...money well-spent. I really enjoy it there, although of course my physical ability to stand and walk for long periods is much less now, so I have to stretch it out for 3-4 days at the show, a few hours at a time, rather than 1 or 2 eight-or-nine hour days there.
Tesla has a booth at the Toronto Auto show in the past. They are on their own level away from all other cars.
Yep, that fits Elon Musk's personality perfectly....even if he himself isn't there.
12-04-21, 11:10 PM
Numerous automakers missing from this year's Los Angeles Auto Show.
given the resulting millions of views, likes, comments, etc., it's VASTLY more effective than the hunger games auto shows.
