Now that I have gotten home and had some time to reflect on the good and bad of the 2010 North American International Auto Show, an underlying theme seems to prevail. It was like the tale of two cities.
Hearing about automotive industry colleagues getting robbed prior to my arrival was not the most encouraging news before departing for my drive, but unfortunately, that is the ugly part of Detroit. Being shuttled around to and from the event really speaks volumes.
It is a ghost town.
Building vacancies with plenty of "for sale," and "for lease" signs litter the empty canyons known as downtown. It is a shame. But, if you were to speak and listen to the presentations from the industry's top executives, you would have heard a lot of positive news. Uh, what?
This year's show was not buzzing like it was in former years and there was a lacking sense of urgency. Case in point: Chrysler, who is arguably in the worst shape out of the domestic manufacturers, had a pitiful showing. Most of their vehicles were thinly modified or simply special editions of dated designs and chassis. Not powerful or moving stuff.
When I go one of the globe's biggest automotive events, I want my jaw to drop with model reveals topping one another and stiff competition. It just did not happen. Additionally, with the American sales numbers not picking up dramatically, I do not see how any auto manufacturer can be upbeat.
Even more intriguing than the auto show itself, was the reporting on the event. Thanks to 001's detective work, he found out some surprising reporting from regional papers and national publications. For instance, the Detroit Free Press ran a front page story on Tuesday, 1/12, saying "The Buzz Is Back."
Although Ford has made some positive moves with its new products and the 2012 Focus, let's not overstep what's going on. With Ford's new Fiesta on the way, it proudly spoke about the 4,000 reservations that have been placed. Mind you, these are not closed deals nor is it a good number for a large volume car such as the Fiesta. It is time to put the sombreros and tequila shots away.
Taking a look into The Wall Street Journal revealed a different story. The infamous newspaper kept reporting on international brands and product reveals, such as Audi's eTron, Toyota's FT-CH and the MINI Beachcomber. What happened to those other guys? You know, the domestic ones. They remained largely ignored.
Is the Detroit media simply giving it a "vote for the home team," and over hyping much of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show? Certainly looks that way.
At the end of the day, I am not sure I can blame them. I mean, if you smelt the stench of vomit permeating throughout Cobo hall -- literally -- I would probably be writing a lot of biased pieces trying to turn an ugly duckling into a swan.
If you asked 001 about Cobo's reekage, I am sure he would have said simply: "It's the smell of excitement."
Either that or bad carpet cleaning.
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