Well, this makes my fourth consecutive year that I’ve been to the North American International Auto Show here in frigid Detroit, MI. Every year has been a lot of fun no matter when you go. The first three times I ended up going on the first Public Day as soon as the gates opened. This year, however, I was able to get tickets with some coworkers and got in on the first day of the Industry Preview. And let me tell you, depression is in the air.
Fortunately, we walked in right by the Ford exhibit, which was about the same as most years, but spectacular by comparison to most other exhibits. If that doesn’t tell you something then there’s something wrong. The entire auto show basically looked like a typical showroom floor, and was as busy as one too. The foot traffic was low, the camera crews were few and far between, and the overall feel was just as cold as the single-digit temperatures outside the building.
If the low-cost investment on displays, limited number of models -- both cars and women -- on the floor, and overall “wow factor” (which, by the way, there was zero of) have any reflection on the state of the industry then you’d be kidding yourself to say everything is okay. Hell, you’d be kidding yourself to say anything is okay. The way this looked, I’d be shocked if they didn’t cancel entire auto shows, like there are rumors of with the Tokyo International Auto Show.
That being said, I will say I was impressed with some of Ford’s new stuff, especially the Fusion and Taurus. I like the refreshed Mustang, but I’m still not a fan of the F150.
However, one of the most exciting parts of the show for me was the Camaro display. There was a silver RS, a Camaro Black Concept, and a red (SS?) model that you could sit inside. I love how the interior just unfolds around you and how the steering wheel both tilts and telescopes. However, I must say that I am really disappointed. One of the biggest things I've been worried about are the materials of the interior. Well, when I sat inside I felt the door panel and the instrument panel and they were both very hard plastic. I'm hoping this is just a very very pre-production car because that's even worse than the vinyl-covered dash of the 4th Gens. Very unappealing and I'm very unhappy if that crap makes production.
Aside from that, there wasn’t really anything that interested me except for maybe a handful of the ladies walking around. It was sad to walk through Pontiac and the others and say that this may be the last time, or one of the last times, ever seeing them at the show. Speaking of which, Pontiac had a G3 on display which made me question if they’re still bringing it for a year or not with the latest news Pontiac’s spilled.
All in all, it was just a really sad show. The displays were subpar, the money spent on displays were nill, and there was nothing special about it like there has been in the past. No special feeling, just bland and unappealing. Mitsubishi’s display was terrible, and Bugatti’s display was simply a Veyron with a rope around it. Also, as we all know, Ferrari wasn’t there and neither was Nissan/Infiniti (which is sad because I wanted to see the new Maxima, 370Z, and G37 – and Nissan usually has some of the better looking models there). Aside from feeling uncomfortable and uneasy about the show this year, I just don’t know what to say.
So that’s that. Hopefully everything gets better, and soon. Here’s a link to the pictures I took at the show: http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/NOS2006/NAIAS%202009/
