As is our annual tradition, Mr. X and I, along with a friend of ours, went to the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Opening remarks? Yikes is show attendance down, both by manufacturers and the public! Now, to be fair, winter apparently saved up to hit Detroit all at once, so we got about 8 inches of snow yesterday and had highs in the single digits Fahrenheit today.
But this photo of the main floor tells the sad tale of NAIAS this year.
For those unfamiliar with the layout of NAIAS and Cobo Hall, the OEMs are pretty much exclusively on the main floor, and the basement is typically home to suppliers like Denso and Aisin, customizers like Envy Group, the food court, and various attractions.
This year though? Envy Group had massive footage on the main floor.
A huge section of the middle, remarkably filled with Envy Auto Group, but not with people. Normally by noon it’s so crowded it’s unpleasant and hard to get into vehicles. Today, we were there from roughly 9:30 (doors open at 9) to 1:30, and my off-the-cuff estimate is that crowds were down at least a full third. At 10:00 when I took this pic, you could have played catch in the aisles. Also missing were show mainstays Mercedes-Benz and BMW, as well as Volvo and Mazda. Jaguar-Land Rover and a few others pulled out several years ago.
No wonder they’re moving the show to the summer starting next year!
As is my tradition, I pretty much only photograph the things I find interesting. Sadly, there wasn’t much interesting on the floor this year. Everything had a sameness about it. Had you blindfolded me and put into an SUV, I would have had to search out the branding to tell you which one it was. The few remaining sedans were sort of the same story. Yawn.
Interesting stuff? Chinese GAC Auto Group (Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd.) with their Trumpchi brand, for the second year now, had main floor space. I’ve watched them go from things barely passable as autos in a corner of the basement to having main floor space to… this year.
They still need to work on their English translations, but the GE3 could easily be an honest competitor in the EV space. Overall, GAC’s fit and finish were on point-from what I saw I’d call it competitive with anyone else on the main floor at this point.
These two shots are of the aforementioned GE3. Seats were comfortable. Controls were logical, clear, and felt good. I could genuinely see myself driving this car, and I’d absolutely cross-shop it if it were available in the U.S..
Same for the GS8 large SUV. Technology was on point, including the very attractive screen-based IP and very modern center stack. I found the interior design, overall, very appealing, and again I could see myself driving this pretty happily. 
Probably the most interesting of the Trumpchis, though, was the GM8 minivan. My first guess is that it caters to that segment of the Chinese market that is driven around, but some of the other minivan makers could take some notes from GAC. This thing was downright swanky inside!
I found all of the GAC offerings rather attractive. Design language is appealing, and I have to remark on the swanky floor mats that were in all of their vehicles, too! If they enter the U.S. market, there’ll be some waves for sure.
Other interesting stuff? Mahindra, for the first time ever, had space on the main floor. They had a few variants of their iteration of the WWII-look Jeep.
Inside, it is quite opposite of the Chinese approach with Trumpchi: the absolute model of stark simplicity; a big dumb clunky thing… And I bet it’s an absolute riot to drive for it! A few toggle switches, a couple levers, a wheel, and pedals. That’s it.
Lights Yes/No, fan Yes/No, high beams Yes/No, horn Yes/No. That’s it. Creature comforts aside, though, can this thing go on the freeway?
Other highlights?
The ongoing debasement of Ford’s ST moniker. I realize that it’s only been around in the U.S. for a few years, but the European heritage of it is much more significant. Oh well, who cares about the enthusiasts when boring yuppie suburbanites have money? Inside are the saddest “sport” seats ever, but I’m sure it’s “zippy.”
As an aside, this Explorer’s on an all-new platform, but aside from that grille, it looks really really close to the previous one.
Lincoln, with about one-third the floor space they’ve had in past years, showed off their range, which is the best it’s been in decades (those interiors are some of the best out there right now, bar none). They did bring one of the 80 suicide-door Continentals with them, though.
I will say the effect of the doors not opening quite on the same plane is not quite as stark as some photos made it look. Still a bit noticeable, though.
Also, check out those hinges for the rear door!
I’m not sure what this very sexy concept from Infiniti is meant to be, but I absolutely want to strap in and let it make me feel things!
Speaking of performance, Honda again brought a Civic Type R, this time in a new color. These have been out for a couple years now, so I give Honda credit that it can still draw a serious crowd (probably the biggest crowd around any one car I saw at the entire show, honestly). Yes, it looks bonkers. No, I don’t care. Yes, I want one.
Honestly, in spite of an entire auto show, these were the few things that struck me enough to bother photographing. I definitely have thoughts on who had what going on, but I’ll wrap this up here.
Wow, it would seem that the Detroit show is really in a spiral. And the fact that you found nothing interesting besides these, well that is telling too.
Agreed. We went through an automotive paradigm shift around 2010 vis-a-vis technology and design. I think now we’re back to stability and that we’ll see evolutionary change, rather than revolutionary, for the next several years.
And yeah, the Detroit show’s been in decline for several years now. There’s LA moving to December, CES becoming a venue for showing off car tech, and the malaise SUVdom is causing in the industry. Detroit’s weather is typically unpleasant in January (as was the case this weekend), and the OEMs have basically thrown down the gauntlet-they’ve been wanting a move to summer for years now.
We’ll see if a June show makes a difference. I’m not convinced people are going to waste good summer weather (there’s so little of it in Michigan) to go stand inside a stuffy convention center to look at cars.
But who knows eh?
They should move it to Woodward Cruise week so that out-of-towners can hit both on one visit.
That is a fantastic idea.
I noticed the same thing at IAA exhibition in Frankfurt, too, which has changed a lot since my first visit in 2005 and the subsequent visits every two years ever since. I wondered every time whether this visit would be the last time or not.
Several manufacturers had stopped setting up the exhibitions there, including Rolls-Royce, or reduced the exhibition size greatly. BMW and other manufacturers haven’t updated their exhibitions since my first visit in 2005. Mercedes-Benz is probably only one that rearranged its entire exhibition every time.
The only thing that keeps expanding every time: OEM and aftermarket part manufacturers. How unexciting…
I used to carry fat bag of brochures, but the bags have gotten lighter and lighter every time I visit IAA since more and more manufacturers stopped giving out the brochures. They insisted on us filling out the forms in order to receive the print or digital brochures by post or e-mail respectively.
Aside from a couple of strange Nissan/Infiniti concept cars, other OEMs have not baited show goers with futuristic concept vehicles for many years… and I don’t count thinly veiled sneak peak production vehicles as concepts. As a result, I can see new model production cars at my local dealer without waiting for that rude family of 6 to wake-up and get out of a vehicle on the show floor.
What’s with the Hummer in the background of the opening photo? My initial thought was “Why’s there a Hummer at the auto show? The don’t make those anymore.” I assume it’s showing off some sort of off-road customization, not the Hummer itself.
Envy Auto Group specializes in customizing exotic and expensive cars for people with too little taste but too much money. Once upon a time, they were relegated to a small part of the basement, but with the whole show in a death spiral there was plenty of main floor real estate for them.
The Hummer was one of theirs.
I was just there today, and it’s all true. I liked the new GT40 painted in Gulf colors, the new GT500 was pretty cool, and, uh…yeah. Not much else.
Monsieur soixante cinq! Great to see you round
Welcome back Aaron. I was looking for you at the meetup in Dearborn in 2017. Ever going to write up the Model T school?
Thanks, guys… 🙂
Wow, you could fire a cannon. Not much there but a bunch of Zzzz.
Maybe they should move it to Portland.
Wow, I used to go to the for-locals-only Washington DC auto show when I was younger and it was way more crowded than this. Every manufacturer showed up, even small boutique brands like Bitter and Avanti. The Detroit scene this year mirrors what’s happening in trade shows in general – several manufacturers seem to consider trade shows passe and have pulled their wares from the conventions. It’s not just cars. Sometimes it’s because the brand thinks they’re better off with their own show where they don’t have to compete with anyone else. This works best if you’re very big and/or closely watched (Apple, Tesla). But many brands just think these big conventions have become irrelevant and there’s better ways now to make a splashy intro than at a huge trade show where you’re one of dozens announcing new products. Some have gone with online-only intros.
I do like that GAC minivan; we need luxury minivans in the States. And no, that Mahindra Jeep-like thing (called the Roxor – great name) isn’t certified for on-road use, although I’d bet some owners drive the things around the neighborhood if not the interstates. Mahindra has been licensed to build these ever since the early postwar era from Willys and their many descendants right up to FCA.
This is profoundly sad. Back in the late 70s and early 80s my Dad and I used to make an event of going down to the show every year, and it was an amazing spectacle. Times change, I suppose, but it’s still depressing.
Yeah, I was there, too, last Thursday. It was made a (mercifully) quick trip by dint of asking the booth staff “What’s on display that I wouldn’t have seen at Los Angeles last month?”. The modal answer was “nothing”. There were a few plausible new-vehicle launches (Cadillac XT6, Toyota Supra, Ford Explorer, VW Passat and Arteon), a few pretend-launches (Hyundai, Kia, and others who reprised their Los Angeles launches as though they were first-showings), and other than that, mostly the stench of desperate, delusional irrelevance.
Mahindra’s Roxor gives every appearance of being a thoughtlessly-specified, poorly-built, thoroughly unsafe piece of junk, and FCA are engaged in a prolonged legal battle to keep it off the US market on grounds of design patent infringement. GAC still haven’t addressed that unfortunate “Trumpchi” brand gaffe that had people pointing and laughing last year (and this); no amount of “No, see, actually the ‘P’ is silent, um, it derives from…that is, it means…well, you see…” is going to get the cleanup job done.
The “Automobili-D” technology show down in the basement looked and felt like a small-town pie-eating contest versus CES’ world’s fair. This placed some participants in something of a difficult position; there are quite a few universities within easy distance of Detroit with highly worthy engineering programs, no surprise given the longstanding industrial seat, and they really deserve CES-level foot and eye traffic—and they really didn’t get any of it. And up on stage, panellists valiantly discussed vehicular autonomy and technology before rows upon nearly-empty rows of seats.
The Detroit auto show (“North American International”? Get over yourselves; you’re not all that) has been dying for years. Its organisers seem to have lately(!) got it through their greasy skulls that this is not 1956 when everybody in the whole world wanted an American car, and maybe—just maybe!—people don’t want to trek to godawful Detroit at its worst in the middle of January. They’re moving it to June from now on. Will that help? Wait and see, I guess.
My Dad and I go to the show in Baltimore every year. Last year’s show was so lame (nothing but mostly Trucks, SUVs and CUVs, but very few actual CARS), that, where by now, I’d already have purchased our tickets, I haven’t even bothered to check to see when it’s being held this year. It has been getting sadder and sadder by the year.
And like the article says, less and less crowded. We always went out of our way to do the show early on a weekday to avoid the crowds, but it doesn’t look like you need to plan it that way anymore.
SIGH
I worked at NAIAS for about a dozen years, mostly the 90s and early aughts. As a car nut (and in the days before the Internet pre-reveals) it was a great gig to be able to see new vehicles before even the press did.
But now, there’s nothing to see. I don’t miss it, and I certainly don’t miss working in Cobo with all the loading doors open and the single-digit temperatures filling the hall!
Y’member the ’99 show when (Daimler?)Chrysler displayed the Charger R/T show car and people mobbed it all day, every day? Yeah, that was 20 years ago. Nothing like that in a lonnnnnnng time at Detroit.
Yes, Cobo’s a goddamn drag—like its city. Here’s a fun anecdote from 2011: having taken all the pictures I needed of the lights on the cars, I had about half an hour before a meeting, so I thought I’d go back across the street to the parkade and get something out of my car that I needed to send in a FedEx box. I left Cobo Center by one of the side doors. Across the sidewalk from the base of the steps was a man half-kneeling/half-sittng, rocking back and forth in the bitter cold. He had a crude patch—long overdue for changing—over one eye, and a “Please help thank you” sign in his hands. There was an empty cup in front of him. He wasn’t speaking to any passersby, and he wasn’t in anybody’s way. He was crouched between a signpost and a bollard; nobody walks there.
I’d left my coat at the coat check inside, for I was only going across the street. A short walk, but a slashingly cold one. On the way back, I stopped at the crouching man, looked him in the eye and said “Sir, can I buy you something to eat?” He said “If you’d like to, that’d be great, thanks.” I said “What would you like? Sandwich or something?” He said “Sure…er…actually, a coffee would be even better.” I said “Sure. What do you take?” Cream and sugar. I went in and bought a large coffee with cream and sugar, wrapped the change around it, grabbed a napkin, and brought it all out to him. Introduced myself. His name was Todd.
We talked for a minute or so and then he said “Upp…here comes a cop. I’ll have to go.” Sure enough, the cop came over and scornfully said “How long were you planning on staying here?” Todd said “I was just leaving, Officer.” The cop, with sneering sarcasm, said “What a good idea. You can’t be impeding pedestrians.” I said “Officer, he didn’t get in my way, or even speak to me. He looked cold, so I bought him that coffee.” The cop said “You’re talking to him now, aren’tchya? That means he’s impeding a pedestrian, whether intentionally or not. It doesn’t pay to be nice here.” I said “Oh!” The cop said “Wherever you’re from, we do things differently here. If you don’t like it, you can apply to be a Detroit cop.” I said “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was telling you how to do your job.” The cop said, mostly to Todd but partly to me, “Yeh. So you were just leaving. If I come back around and you’re still here, somebody’s getting a ticket or going to jail.”
A couple hours later when I left the building again, this time for the day, Todd was back in the same place. I talked with him for a couple minutes, keeping an eye out for cops. He said there was a program for homeless people to get canned food, but this time of year it freezes so they can’t eat it. Somebody brought some kerosene heaters, so now those who got one can eat when they get canned food. Presumably they can also be marginally less likely to freeze to death.
If that’s where the Chrysler or the Cadillac or the Toothgnasher Superflash is imported from, they can keep it.
In other words, a whole lot of iPhones with wheels and one automobile.
Very interesting post! I’ll take one of those Trumpchi vans in burnt orange, please.
I know others aren’t as interested in new cars as I am but I’m genuinely surprised these were the only cars you found interesting, even though there were plenty of brands missing.
I used to attend this show and reveled in the cold weather and snow, while life has gotten in the way of regular attendance I don’t think a June date would make it more appealing. I’ll take a dose of cold over humidity and heat any day but maybe that’s just me. We used to stay at the Marriott across the street from Cobo and then for dinner we’d walk and find places within a couple of blocks. Was that foolhardy, who knows, but we never had any issues and as far as vagrants, the homeless and other forgotten/ignored people that the public in general prefers not to see there are way less there than in most parts of California and other warm(er) weather states.
It’s too bad that it’s fading away but manufacturers have been picking and choosing their venues to display at for years now, the expense isn’t worth it in every location. When LA moved their show that didn’t help Detroit at all, but June just seems like a weird month, it seems too early for most intros and way too late for others. Not that anything original is ever actually “revealed” at a show anymore but still.
All that being said, those GAC’s do appear to be ready for prime time, if they end up bringing them over and the price is right, they may well do very well. This is the first time I’ve seen multiple pix of multiple models in one place, so thanks for that!
Don’t judge those GAC cars until you’ve scrutinised them in person—they’re a whole lot better than they were in the past, but they’re still lagging a lot, too. Maybe keep reserving judgement until after other people live with them for a few years.
(and there’s still no evidence of US-compliant models; this is nontrivial)
Uh, yeah, I wasn’t planning to inquire about putting down a deposit anytime soon ….I meant that visually they appear to look fine, decent styling, acceptable materials etc, so to the vast public out there that doesn’t realize an Envision is made in China either, if they can get beyond the “new brand” thing, and the price is right (ie a bit cheaper than the Koreans or discounted US brands), then they will sell them by the shipload.
Last year, I would have said the same thing. This year, I’d say they’re ready for primetime. The improvement year-over-year has been absolutely remarkable, and the difference from last year to this year genuinely shocked me. If GAC is building to the standard I saw yesterday, they’re competitive with anyone at this point.
We’ll see, eventually, perhaps. There’s a lot to be learned during the industry preview days of the auto show that can’t be gleaned once the public’s allowed in.
I’d happily buy diamond-stitch padded vinyl floor mats as an aftermarket accessory if the price was right, though. Plusher than rubber and easier to get looking clean again than carpet.
I agree that June is a curious choice. Early summer has traditionally been an automotive doldrums with late model year sales and nothing new being introduced. Something like October or April would seem more logical.
Also, with the problems this show is displaying I don’t see a change of season having much of an effect. People crowded to Cobo for years in Detroit Januaries when there was something to see.
Years ago, my dad used to joke about the snowmobile business (back when he owned a snowmobile dealer) that it didn’t matter which one you bought, they were all the same except for the color. Obviously he was partial to Polaris and Ski-Doo, since those were what he sold, but he’d readily acknowledge there wasn’t much difference between a Polaris and an Arctic Cat.
I think we’ve reached the same point with automobiles. They all have the same tech inside, the same features, etc. Pick the styling and seats you like, and that’s about it.
Have you had a look at the Yamaha and Arctic Cat lineup lately? Same thing, but different color.
So not much different than they were 15 years ago then?
My first Detroit Auto Show was in 1958 (3 years old) -it became an exciting annual event for Dad and I, and later on my younger brother. I didn’t miss a year until the late 80’s; after that it became more of a chore than a fun outing. The last one I attended was in 2004, I believe, at the request of a friend in from Colorado. The best years, for me anyway, were the Performance 60’s and the Broughamtastic 70’s. Later on it just got wearisome; the inevitable bitter cold, the remote parking, the horrendous crowds. I’m actually quite amazed at the photos above, with all of that open space. Will moving it to June help? It’s unlikely to motivate me to go again, unfortunately.
Well then, if you could take me to the 1958 Detroit Auto show I would gladly go!
Now, what to wear?
How I’ve managed to live my life this long with neither an AI Pile Locator nor Social Travel is what I want to know.
From what I have seen of the publicity, the “new” NAIAS looks more like a huckster carnival that a car show. Supposedly, the conventional show will still be going on in Cobo, but the hucksters will rule on the Cobo roof and Belle Isle.
I wonder if VW will bother to show up next year? They have had Detroit reveals the last couple years: Jetta last year and updated Passat this year, but all the other Germans are gone, along with the Swedes and Brits. Probably the only reason Fiat and Alfa are there is because of the Jeep and Ram divisions. Maybe this year I will be able to actually check out a Renegade and a Compass. The Jeep stand is usually such a mob scene that I don’t have the energy to fight the crowd.
Probably no mob to fight to see a Buick Regal. I wouln’t buy one, but I’d like to see one before GM severs the supply contract with PSA.
It seems to me that periods of boring calm are always followed by wild turbulence. Given all the creative and talented designers and engineers at every manufacturer I feel certain that we will soon see some really innovative ideas coming along soon. Whether the innovative ideas will actually succeed in the market is another matter.
I have been going to the Houston show every year since about 1980 and agree that the shows have gotten pretty boring. So, I am hoping for something exciting to come along soon.
having been burnt too many times by the allure of low prices i’ll wait till the PRC can make a tool that lasts more than one job before considering buying their shiny pot metal on wheels. Ohhh! quilted floor mats! probably turn into a pile of puffy diamond shapes the 1st time you wash em.
It is instructive to look at how Chinese-brand cars are doing in markets like Australia, as widely gauged by things like (many) mandatory recalls for safety hazards and noncompliance with regulations and by analytical articles like this.
As the linked article describes, Chinese cars are on the way to getting there eventually (for whatever definition of “there” one might want to use), but it’s going to be awhile yet, and a quick look at a primped-and-prepped show car in Cobo Hall is not a solid foundation for a claim that they’re super excellent and totally competitive, etc.
Love the Mahindra Roxor, wish it was street-legal.