Going to Detroit Auto Show? Take Snacks, Earplugs

Two terms you don't normally hear together are "restraint" and "auto show," but the normally glitzy press preview for the Detroit auto show starting Jan. 11 is shaping up to be a somber affair.

That's appropriate, considering that Chrysler and GM barely avoided bankruptcy earlier this month, winning a token government bailout of the auto industry within weeks of running out of cash. Ford said it doesn't need an emergency short-term loan, but some analysts think Ford will be needing government assistance, too.

Therefore, the auto companies are cutting back on extra bells and whistles for the Detroit show, properly called the North American International Auto Show. The Wall Street Journal, for instance, reported GM canceled a fashion show, and it will line its display with cheaper wall-to-wall carpet, as opposed to more expensive tile and hardwood flooring. Carpeting may not sound like much of a sacrifice, but apparently it's a substantial savings.

Import brands are hurting, too. Nissan, which introduced the all-new Nissan Cube and a redesigned Z-car in Los Angeles last month, opted out of the Detroit show entirely. Nissan also canceled, then revived, its appearance at the Chicago auto show in February.

U.S. auto shows are already modest affairs compared to the major international shows, especially the ones in Tokyo and Frankfurt, Germany. Frankfurt is several times the size of the Detroit show. Multistory company displays dispense food and drink more or less nonstop during overseas press previews. The U.S. displays for European and Asian car companies may look lavish in Detroit, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, but they are generally cut-down versions of the home-market displays.

I remember several years ago at the Frankfurt show, there was a lot of buzz about the "modest" Mercedes-Benz display. I overheard people wondering out loud whether it was even in keeping with the Mercedes-Benz image.

It turned out the display was gigantic, occupying an entire building all by itself. The display wound around in a spiral shape, in size and scope about like the Guggenheim Museum in New York. It turns out that the "modest" display was made out of recyclable, unfinished wood, and that was what some people considered scandalous.

Ear-splitting music is one thing all auto-show press previews have in common. That probably won't change much this year. Even if the car companies opt for cheaper sound systems, it doesn't cost anything to turn up the volume. I usually carry earplugs to auto shows for just that reason. This year I'll remember to take my own snacks, but I won't be cutting back on the earplugs.