Before it was the show with the giant duck, the Detroit Auto Show was known for many other things — biting winds, slippery roads and driving snow among them. But winter in Detroit gave the show character and in turn, the show gave Detroiters (and the automotive world at large) something to look forward to during the crisp daylight of Midwestern January. That all changed with a foray into summer shows, but now we have a date with winter all over again.
The North American International Auto Show is returning to its January time slot in 2025. The Detroit Auto Dealers Association, producers of the show, told the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau that the late-summer 2024 show is scratched, and the event will return to its original time.
Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Show and Detroit Auto Dealers Association, said in a statement:
“The Detroit Auto Show is pleased to announce the iconic show will return to its roots with a January 2025 debut. Our primary goal is to create the most impactful event we can and after discussions with numerous constituencies, we believe a January date absolutely makes the most sense. In a constantly changing global automotive landscape, this update reflects our efforts to continue to reimagine the Detroit Auto Show with keeping an eye on our traditional focus – getting people excited about cars.”
The convention bureau’s President and CEO Claude Molinari told Crain publications, “The Detroit and Southeast Michigan hospitality community, we’re thrilled by this move to have an incredible show during a time of the year that has historically not been the best time to sell major meetings and conventions.”
The Detroit News was the first to report the move. The paper’s sources indicated that the decision was made after show organizers struggled to attract families during the frenzy of back-to-school season (the 2023 show was held Sept. 16-24).
A move back to January would eliminate one of the key advantages of a September show: a hospitable outdoor environment. If you’ll remember, that was the goal of organizers when they first announced the show would move prior to Covid. But September wasn’t the goal; June was. After that effort went for naught due to the pandemic, organizers then aimed for a later slot in 2021. That also fell through, but the Motor Bella event that replaced it set the precedent for its eventual return in September 2022.
The September weather allowed the show to spill over into downtown Detroit’s outdoor spaces. While seeing the 2024 Mustang revealed in Hart Plaza was certainly cool, we’d be content to see the show move back if it means we see more from the Detroit Three.
The show will kick off Friday, January 10, 2025, with the Red Carpet Charity Preview, aka the midwinter Car Prom. Public days for the show will be Jan. 11-20 at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit.
Source: www.autoblog.com