Tucked away in a secluded conference room in Cobo Hall on an arctic afternoon in Detroit last January, AutoWeek editors heatedly debated our Best in Show Awards.
As we pondered the Audi E-tron, the Cadillac XTS Platinum concept and a couple of other worthy candidates, an unlikely choice arose--the North American International Auto Show itself.
Naming the show Best in Show (aside from creating one of the most awkward headlines ever on the pages of this storied magazine) would have been a fairly unconventional move. But it had serious support, and we were in nearly unanimous agreement based on merit.
Ultimately, we did go with the E-tron (“Big Rebound,” AW, Jan. 25, 2010), for its striking sheetmetal and potential as a game-changer for Audi.
Still, the revitalization of the signature event in Detroit was not lost on our editors, who spend much of their time on airplanes crisscrossing the globe. Even to our jaundiced eyes, the Motor City show, while not blockbuster, had renewed momentum in 2010.
Enter 2011.
Yes, it's still warm and the blustery winter Detroit auto show is still nearly seven months away. But organizers say next year's event will continue to build on the previous edition, which featured almost 40 reveals and 5,000 media from 60 countries. Attendance for the public days also spiked by 65,000 over 2009 to 715,000. There was a brief fire above the Audi stand, but it was quickly put out and the show rolled on without further issues.
Much of the strong showing can be attributed to the health of the domestic auto industry. An enduring message from last January was the poignant realization that the Detroit Three had, in fact, picked themselves up off the mat and could fight their way back from recent struggles.
Industry conditions will always cast a shadow, particularly in rust-belt Detroit, but auto shows are really about sheetmetal. For 2011, the NAIAS has a full show floor, and Fisker will return after a one-year absence. Additionally, Saab--under new ownership--will have its own display apart from the General Motors stand. A feature called the Gallery, held at the nearby MGM Grand Casino with spotlight luxury and sports-car marques, also will continue. Organizers, however, had no update on companies such as Nissan that have left the show in recent years.
What's next? Show officials remain optimistic for 2011 and point to subtle upgrades in the building where it's held, the venerable Cobo Center, as a key reason. European automakers such as BMW and Audi have continued to have a significant presence at the show with fresh product reveals and top executives.
At the moment, the status of the Detroit auto show is perhaps best summed up by the low-key mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing. The former basketball star spent the first 12 years of his career with the Pistons when they played at Cobo, and he's intimately familiar with the car world as the founder of a successful parts company.
As he put it, “I think we've surprised a lot of people. They're coming back. They're coming back in droves.”
We'll see.
As we pondered the Audi E-tron, the Cadillac XTS Platinum concept and a couple of other worthy candidates, an unlikely choice arose--the North American International Auto Show itself.
Naming the show Best in Show (aside from creating one of the most awkward headlines ever on the pages of this storied magazine) would have been a fairly unconventional move. But it had serious support, and we were in nearly unanimous agreement based on merit.
Ultimately, we did go with the E-tron (“Big Rebound,” AW, Jan. 25, 2010), for its striking sheetmetal and potential as a game-changer for Audi.
Still, the revitalization of the signature event in Detroit was not lost on our editors, who spend much of their time on airplanes crisscrossing the globe. Even to our jaundiced eyes, the Motor City show, while not blockbuster, had renewed momentum in 2010.
Enter 2011.
Yes, it's still warm and the blustery winter Detroit auto show is still nearly seven months away. But organizers say next year's event will continue to build on the previous edition, which featured almost 40 reveals and 5,000 media from 60 countries. Attendance for the public days also spiked by 65,000 over 2009 to 715,000. There was a brief fire above the Audi stand, but it was quickly put out and the show rolled on without further issues.
Much of the strong showing can be attributed to the health of the domestic auto industry. An enduring message from last January was the poignant realization that the Detroit Three had, in fact, picked themselves up off the mat and could fight their way back from recent struggles.
Industry conditions will always cast a shadow, particularly in rust-belt Detroit, but auto shows are really about sheetmetal. For 2011, the NAIAS has a full show floor, and Fisker will return after a one-year absence. Additionally, Saab--under new ownership--will have its own display apart from the General Motors stand. A feature called the Gallery, held at the nearby MGM Grand Casino with spotlight luxury and sports-car marques, also will continue. Organizers, however, had no update on companies such as Nissan that have left the show in recent years.
What's next? Show officials remain optimistic for 2011 and point to subtle upgrades in the building where it's held, the venerable Cobo Center, as a key reason. European automakers such as BMW and Audi have continued to have a significant presence at the show with fresh product reveals and top executives.
At the moment, the status of the Detroit auto show is perhaps best summed up by the low-key mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing. The former basketball star spent the first 12 years of his career with the Pistons when they played at Cobo, and he's intimately familiar with the car world as the founder of a successful parts company.
As he put it, “I think we've surprised a lot of people. They're coming back. They're coming back in droves.”
We'll see.
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