DETROIT, Mich. – The Detroit Auto Show is driving away soon.
After taking 2024 off to re-imagine the show for essentially the third time in five years it appears to still be trying to regain the traction it had before the pandemic.
Mike Woolfolk spoke with attendees to get their opinions on the direction and future of the show.
“I think it’s impressive. If you don’t come, it’s something you’re going to lose out on,” said one attendee.
“The car are starting to look mostly the same. So, it’s not quite as exciting as it used to be,” said another.
“While this isn’t as big and amazing and just eye-candy as it was, it’s still a really great place for consumers to come,” said Jill Ciminillo an automotive content creator.
And, that’s the message show organizers hope convinces consumers to give the “new” Detroit Auto Show a look, now and in the future.
At its peak, years ago, the then North American International Auto Show would draw close to 800-thousand visitors.
But in recent years, with cancellations due to the pandemic, and a couple of September shows that fell short of expectations, estimated attendance dropped to between 300-and-500 thousand for the last show held in 2023.
After a 15-month hiatus, the Detroit Auto Show has come full circle, returning to its original name and January roots.
As you walk the exhibit hall floor, the atmosphere still lacks the immersive feel of pre-pandemic auto shows, but that evolution puts a keener focus on the vehicles which automotive content creator Jill Ciminillo says benefits consumers.
“When you think about it, why do people come to an auto show? They come to an auto show to be able to choose between two cars they like,” said Ciminillo.
This show gives you that opportunity just in different ways from the past.
“The fact that you have the opportunity to check out the different test tracks on the floor, especially the electric test track, I think that is really cool. A lot of people haven’t had the opportunity to even sit in an electric vehicle,” said Ciminillo.
And, if that sparks more consumers to show up, maybe, just maybe, automakers not here this year, will return in 2026.
The auto show is open this weekend from 10 A.M. to 8 P.M. and Monday from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
