Tag Archives | Mitsubishi out of Detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show Becomes Even More Subdued; However, Chinese Will Spice Things Up

By on November 26, 2008 in News

By Chris Haak

11.26.2008

Since we last reported on automakers pulling out of the January 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, there has been even more bad news for the show.  As of the earlier article – written Friday, November 21 – Mitsubishi, Land Rover, Suzuki, Ferrari, Porsche and Rolls-Royce had all pulled out of the show.  Porsche had not been at the show for several years, citing very low sales volumes in the Detroit metro area (as if the premier North American auto show was only important from a regional standpoint), but Rolls Royce, and especially Ferrari, always seemed to draw a crowd at their (well-enclosed stands).  Still, those other automakers are fairly small fish in the whole scheme of things, although Mitsubishi revealed two vehicles (the production Lancer Ralliart and the Concept RA), and Land Rover revealed its LR-X concept at the 2008 show.

Then on Monday, Nissan announced that it was pulling out of both the Detroit and Chicago auto shows due to the economic environment.  Nissan’s departure is a fairly big blow because it’s a full-line automaker unlike the other dropouts, and occupies a sizable chunk of floor space.  Then today, Honda announced that it wil not be having any staged press events at the show in January.  Honda is expected to still reveal the production version of its Insight hybrid vehicle, but will do so without the theatrics that accompany traditional press reveals.  The fact that Honda – probably the healthiest automaker in the US market – has taken this step shows that no manufacturer is immune from the challenges faced in this environment. Continue Reading →

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Mitsubishi Opts Out of Detroit Auto Show

By on November 21, 2008 in News

By Brendan Moore

11.21.2008

Mitsubishi says its going to take a pass on the Detroit Auto Show this year, joining Land Rover, Suzuki, Ferrari, Porsche and Rolls-Royce as auto manufacturers that won’t have a stand in Detroit this year. Mitsubishi cited the company’s push to save money wherever possible in the current economy. The Detroit Auto Show opens in early January.

Exhibition space is always at a premium in Detroit during the show, which is the largest in the world, and even with the aforementioned manufacturers absent, the show organizers expect that there won’t be enough space available to fill exhibitors’ requests.

Still, it is a troubling sign. The Los Angeles Auto Show, another one of the major shows in the world, and going on as I type this, was hit by several cancellations of new model launches and concept reveals by manufacturers this year. The culprit was the same; that is, the economy. Just as importantly, several senior auto executives canceled their travel plans for Los Angeles, which certainly didn’t help the show’s intent to maintain the perception that their event is an absolute requirement for any car company that wants to see and be seen in the automotive media.

The recent SEMA show also experienced some defections among previously reliable exhibitors, and again, financial concerns were the reason.

None of these shows are in danger of losing their positions on top of the international auto show circuit, but the current cutbacks are a sobering reminder of just how tight budgets are in the auto industry these days.

It should be noted that non-attendance at any show this year does not preclude attendance by a manufacturer next year, should they decide that it makes better economic sense 12 months from now. Of course, absence this year could translate into continued absences in subsequent years if the manufacturer decides that there just isn’t enough payoff for the money spent. This is exactly what has happened with Porsche. They stopped attending the Detroit Auto Show after 2006 (a boom year) and have not returned yet. It is precisely this type of scenario that worries auto show executives.

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