Detroit auto show to return to its January roots, organizers say

Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press

The Detroit auto show will return to its traditional mid-January dates after a shift away from winter that fell afoul of COVID-19 and automakers’ reduced reliance on auto shows. The move has been under consideration for some time.

Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, told the Free Press on Thursday that the 2025 Detroit auto show will begin with the Charity Preview the night of Friday, Jan. 10, and conclude on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 20. The DADA runs the Detroit show.

"This update reflects our efforts to continue to reimagine the Detroit Auto Show while keeping an eye on what matters most — getting people excited about cars,” Alberts said.

People look over the Ford Motor Co. lineup on display during the 2023 North American International Detroit Auto Show held at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on Sept. 13, 2023.
People look over the Ford Motor Co. lineup on display during the 2023 North American International Detroit Auto Show held at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on Sept. 13, 2023.

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“The pandemic was a pivotal moment for auto shows and other large events,” said Ayalla Ruvio, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University. “The pandemic changed consumer behavior, and it’s not changing back."

The Detroit auto show began in 1899 and evolved into an international media event as the North American International Show in 1989.

Customer-focused

Expect the new show to be intensely focused on people who are shopping for a new vehicle or expect to be within a year. That’s the role auto shows traditionally filled, but the Detroit show and a handful of others around the world — most notably in Tokyo, Geneva, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Beijing — became glitzy events that drew leaders from the auto industry, entertainment and politics to see the unveiling of new vehicles.

The Detroit show still aims to offer some news events, including the awarding of North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards, but it will be more focused on vehicles that are available now, and the people shopping for them. Show organizers also expect to offer indoor rides and demos of off-road vehicles, electric vehicles and intrigiuing new features.

DADA cited these reasons for the move:

  • Based on feedback from the community, Detroit and the region love the auto show in January.

  • Allowing the public a respite from “cabin fever," a winter show gives consumers something to do in January. Comments on social media channels continually state a desire for a January show.

  • Gaining an additional day and a long weekend with Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a big plus to the vehicle brands and allows for guests and families to attend on a day off from work and school.

  • The move supports the show's long-term longevity with more people attending in January.

  • Multiple vehicle brands have national dealer meetings in September, which conflict with a September auto show.

  • Auto companies have advised that, given 2024 marketing budgets, a January 2025 show will be better supported.

  • The move puts the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards in the media spotlight again as the show’s opening event at the first auto show of the calendar year.

  • The move provides a January boost to hotels and restaurants which, without the auto show, is the slowest time of the year.

  • January increases the potential for Educational/Education Day programs versus September, which is the start of the school year.

  • January show is more cost-effective to produce.

  • Moving from September (opens) desirable times for other bookings at the convention center and the city.

“The pandemic changed consumer behavior, and it’s not changing back.” but there's still a place for auto shows, said, Ayalla Ruvio Michigan State University assistant professor of marketing.
“The pandemic changed consumer behavior, and it’s not changing back.” but there's still a place for auto shows, said, Ayalla Ruvio Michigan State University assistant professor of marketing.

A new kind of auto show

Automakers pressured the DADA to move the show from the midwinter stretch occupied for decades. They wanted to offer outdoor test drives and demonstrations of new features on Detroit’s riverfront in pleasant summer or fall weather.

Those events never materialized, however, and attendance fell. The show regularly drew 700,000 to 800,0000 in its drowsy post-holiday slot, when automakers from around the world staged multimillion-dollar new vehicle unveilings at the show. That fell drastically for the post-pandemic shows in September 2022 and ’23. DADA never announced official attendance for those shows, but it was clearly a small fraction of previous levels.

Despite that, auto shows remain relevant, MSU’s Ruvio said:

“Like any business rethinking, auto shows are reflecting on how to move forward and add value to the customers. The number of companies participating in auto shows have declined, but not the number of spectators.

“The focus must be on making it more interactive, more fun.”

One automaker reacts

"No matter the time of year, auto shows continue to be a good place for us to engage with potential future and current customers to help them experience our new technologies and vehicles," Ford spokesman Said Deep said.

Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit auto show to return to its January roots, organizers say

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