Things are looking bleak for what was once the greatest new car show in the world. We remember the times when more than 5,000 automotive journalists would head to Cobo Center to witness dozens upon dozens of new car reveals.
The news that BMW’s decided to go another in another direction comes just as we zip up our bags to head to New York, for its international Auto Show. More and more OEMs are opting for different venues to display their new products and the North American International Auto Show is the one suffering the loses.
Mercedes announced that they were not returning to Detroit in mid-February. Remember that Volvo, Porsche, Jaguar, Land Rover Mazda and Mitsubishi skipped the show while a number of other carmakers (Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin) had no booth on the show floor, opting instead to display cars in The Gallery.
The show organizers, DADA, or Detroit Auto Dealers Association, are looking into different ways to revamp the interest around the NAIAS. One idea is to move the show to the Fall, a slot that essentially belongs to Los Angeles, not to mention a number of other big shows around the world.
