{"id":149412,"date":"2020-06-23T16:50:18","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T20:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=149412"},"modified":"2020-06-23T16:50:18","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T20:50:18","slug":"whichever-way-is-necessary-detroit-auto-show-will-be-back-in-2021-organizers-promise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2020\/06\/whichever-way-is-necessary-detroit-auto-show-will-be-back-in-2021-organizers-promise\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWhichever Way is Necessary,\u201d Detroit Auto Show Will be Back in 2021, Organizers promise"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
A rendering of the 2021 North American International Auto Show reveals one new feature: a chance for visitors to test drive new vehicles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The North American International Auto Show, forced to cancel its debut June outing, will be back in 2021, organizers promised on Tuesday, adding that they are looking at ways to handle the event should the coronavirus pandemic drag on through next year, as a number of experts are warning.<\/p>\n

This was to have been a big month for the NAIAS which had been scheduled to switch from its traditional January timetable. Like virtually all global auto shows, the event was scrubbed, however, due to the massive outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. As the number of cases reported in Motown soared over the spring, the TCF Center convention facility where the show was to have been held was converted to an emergency field hospital to help Detroit\u2019s struggling hospitals.<\/p>\n

Detroit isn\u2019t alone, however. Events from Beijing to New York to Paris have been cancelled or postponed, adding to concerns that auto shows may be running their course, automakers looking for alternatives like CES or even the online webinars that have become this year\u2019s alternative for introducing new products.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question, \u201cWe have to evolve. We can\u2019t stay static,\u201d said Rod Alberts, head of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, during a webinar sponsored by the Detroit Automotive Press Association. But that doesn\u2019t mean traditional auto shows are going away. No alternative, he argued, offers \u201cthe bang for the buck,\u201d whether for automakers showing off new products or consumers looking to compare the various vehicles on their shopping list.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>(Automakers delay product launches in wake of pandemic.)<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Detroit organizers will have a chance to prove how well they\u2019ve evolved in June 2021, picking up and adding to the plans for the event that was to have taken place this month. DADA officials say they\u2019ve created seven car shows in one, starting with the traditional gathering at TCF Center. They also will use adjacent park space along the Detroit River, as well as facilities in other parts of downtown Detroit. One, for example, will focus exclusively on the ultra-premium brands that have been absent from the January NAIAS in recent years. Another, the Motor Bella, will focus on various British and Italian brands.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s any silver lining it\u2019s that we have more time to refine our show\u201d by pushing back to June 2021, said Doug North, a suburban Detroit auto dealer serving as the chairman of next year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

Part of the challenge, however, is figuring out how to deal with the coronavirus. As the surge in cases across the U.S. is demonstrating, the disease is proving tough to beat back. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the man leading the government\u2019s containment effort, has repeatedly warned of a second wave of infections, other experts telling the country the pandemic could drag on for a year or more.<\/p>\n

What that could mean for large public gatherings is far from certain, but DADA Director Alberts said, \u201cWe\u2019re confident we\u2019ll find a way to pivot the show whichever way is necessary,\u201d if the pandemic drags on. That could force a reduction in the number of people allowed on the show floor at any one time, he said, while the organization might also have to trim back on ticket sales for the annual charity ball marking the public opening. The DADA might also have to put limits on the number of journalists credentialed for the 2021 media preview, he added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Detroit’s TCF Center was converted to an emergency COVID-19 treatment center, ensuring the cancellation of the 2021 auto show.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

(TCF Center converted to emergency hospital. 2020 Detroit Auto Show canceled.)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The pandemic has hit the auto industry in all manner of ways. A recent study by AlixPartners noted automakers around the world have generated more debt since March than they did during the entire Great Recession, something the consultancy said would contribute to an industry-wide \u201cprofit desert.\u201d<\/p>\n

J.D. Power, LMC Automotive and other research firms anticipate U.S. sales will slip to around 13 million this year compared to 17.1 million in 2019. That is, however, slightly better than many had expected going into the nationwide lockdown in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can thank this emerging digital sales process for the better-than-expected sales we experienced,\u201d said NAIAS Chair North, whose own showroom joined those around the country in switching to online retailing to keep demand building.<\/p>\n

Ironically, the pandemic may actually play out to the auto industry\u2019s advantage in at least one way, noted Alberts.\u00a0 As recently as last winter, conventional wisdom suggested Americans would start abandoning personal vehicles in favor of ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft. But, recent studies by Capgemini and IBM, among others, have found Americans increasingly reluctant to use either mass transit or ride-sharing. There already are signs that this is encouraging a burst of demand for new vehicles.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it take something like what we\u2019re going through to rekindle the American love affair with the automobile,\u201d said Alberts.<\/p>\n

(GM hopes to back to normal production capacity by end-June.)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to cancel the North American International Auto Show, but they aim to be back in June 2021 with even more ambitious plans – including ways to deal with the pandemic if it lingers on. More from TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,8,5,13],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[118,149,150,151,268,123,274,276,173,171,169,132,283,275,277,121,139,278,288],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149412"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=149412"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=149412"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=149412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}