The outside air was frigid and the temperature around auto shows for new vehicle reveals was starting to cool the last time Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan toured the floor at the city’s own show in January 2019.
But when Duggan toured the floor at the North American International Auto Show on Tuesday, it was a breezy 70 degrees outside, and inside Huntington Place was bustling with workers making final touches in preparation for the Wednesday kick-off of the first Detroit auto show in more than three years.
Warmer weather is bringing new opportunity to the Detroit show but many automakers have pulled back marketing dollars for new vehicle reveals at auto shows, choosing instead to have reveals online. Still, there’s excitement in the city as it prepares to show off its auto-making heritage over the 12-day event to guests including President Joe Biden, who’s flying in on Wednesday for a tour of the floor during the show’s media day.
“This is going to be special and you’re gonna have an outdoor festival. Can you imagine?” Duggan told media before his floor tour Tuesday afternoon. “Electric monster trucks crashing cars at Hart Plaza. You’re going to be able to drive electric vehicles … you’re going to see the first wave of the what I would call the Jetson cars, the vertical takeoff and landing vehicles … all of that is going to be here and we can do it because we can be both inside and outside.”
The reimagined auto show will bring an experience for the whole family. There will be new vehicle lineups on display, concept cars, outdoor drives on part of the new Detroit Grand Prix downtown course, and rides with professionals on tracks. There’s a dinosaur-themed exhibit, a 61-foot-tall rubber duck, electric air mobility demonstrations, monster trucks and other activations.
On Tuesday, Duggan got to experience some of the interactive drive experiences with the Ford Motor Co. electric F-150 Lightning, the Bronco, Stellantis NV’s Ram pickup and a Detroit-built Jeep Grand Cherokee, which the mayor currently drives.
“All of the downtown restaurants that I have talked to are very excited,” Duggan said. “We’re gonna see the economic benefits spin off a lot differently than when you drove in in the cold, parked here in the structure, came in and drove back home. And now you’re gonna see people out on the streets and I think it’s going to be a great thing. We’re gonna to show off Detroit this auto show.”
With fewer vehicle reveals and automaker-backed displays, the auto show is seen less as an industry event and more for consumers. Next year, Duggan wants to have a closed track with autonomous vehicles
“Also I think next year, you’re probably going to see people starting to fly in some of these vehicles,” he said. “These are things you can do outside we couldn’t do before.”
Dates for the 2022 Detroit auto show
- Media day: Wednesday, Sept. 14
- AutoMobili-D and industry tech days: Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Thursday, Sept. 15
- Charity preview: Friday, Sept. 16
- Public show: Saturday, Sept. 17 through Sunday, Sept. 25
khall@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bykaleahall