“No one leapt over the bar and punched Dieter? Why the hell not?!”

Best – post – ever!

August would be too late to preview cars that appear in dealer showrooms in Sept. Once upon a time, the public didn’t get to see new product until the new model year’s cars hit the dealer showrooms, which was typically in the fall. Some dealers made a big deal of it, papering up the windows so people couldn’t get a sneak peak. The LA, Detroit, Chicago and NYC shows were all over by the spring, which allowed buzz to build by the time the new models were at dealers.

This year’s NAIAS will be a competition by the automakers to show how cheap they are. None of them, at least the domestics, can afford a story in the MSM about wining and dining journalists. Nissan is one-upping everyone by not even letting their SEMI dealers display at NAIAS. Toyota’s CEO, Watanabe, bailed on the NAIAS because he doesn’t want to get asked about his company’s losses.

As for swag and eBay, the companies have been cutting back for the past few years, with fewer freebies and simpler press kits.

Why not August when the weather cooperates, other auto related events are happening, and the trees/flowers are in bloom?”

I agree…100%…so a few years ago, I started asking around as to just why the Deeeeeetroit show is in nasty, dark, cold, wintry January and like you asked, why not host the show in Fall, when the Michigan climate is at it’s best…?!?!?

The answer I got back from the organizers was…1: We want to be the first show of the year and 2: (the real reason) Auto Sales traditionally are at their worst in the first quarter so the show is put on in January to try and drive the local customers into the showrooms when sales are at their worst…thus once again showing that the Detroit show has always been a dealer-driven show (all the local big dealers run it) and not a manufacturer-driven show…It’s a good show compared to most shows in U.S. cities (other than LA and Chicago which are very good shows), but compared to Tokyo, Geneva, Paris and others, the Detroit show is terrible.

I even suggested to the organizers that they combine it with the Dream Cruise week and have those two events run back to back. Now you suddenly have 500,000-1,000,000 car enthusiasts in town for the Dream Cruise and many would be very happy to go to the NAIAS as well…You could have Press and Industry week run the same week as the Dream Cruise…the NAIAS show closes Friday and Saturday to let the Cruise shine, and then Sunday the show opens to the public and Whammmmy!! you suddenly have $1,000,000+ people attend in the first few days and shatter all local attendance records.

Why not August when the weather cooperates, other auto related events are happening, and the trees/flowers are in bloom?

Well, I predict the printed car magazines (C&D, MT, R&T, etc.) will soon go out of business or at least cease production. The internet has taken over.

Magazines still have their place and will continue to. The net is great for on the spot news, short reviews and exchanging thoughts, but I still enjoy to sit where it’s quiet with a magazine and actually read most of it word for word. Try that on a computer!

The attempts to force feed are not likely to work. The one state of Michigan recession is spreading throughout the country. And the government follows the policies of Jennifer Granholm.

Being sent to Detroit to pick through, like a vulture, the putrifying remains of the domestic auto industry sounds like a pretty shitty way to start the year.

Have the senior execs give a little ‘briefing’ and it could have been played off much more easily than the silly ‘thank you’ ad.

Oops.

The domestic OEM’s, especially Chrysler are not helping themselves one damned bit by turning down the lights at the LA Show, canceling the Firehouse Bar Charity event and such…The time is now to start acting positive and upbeat…like y’all have some sense of Hope and Change perhaps ?!?!? No one goes to the car show to be depressed unless of course you’re a Chrysler executive and WANT to convey a sense of desperation.

They had a party across from Cobo Hall? Did they make the guests check their arms at the door?

I agree completely.