Nissan back on for Chicago Auto Show, still avoiding Detroit
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Nov 28th 2008 at 8:01AM 
That was short lived. Just a few days after announcing that it would be pulling out of both the Detroit Auto Show and the Chicago Auto Show, Nissan has changed its mind. Sort of. The Japanese automaker will indeed have a presence in the Windy City thanks to the support of its local dealerships, which will be manning the show in lieu of an official factory effort. This being the case, don't expect a particularly showy display, but at least attendees will get the chance to see the new 370Z, Cube and Infiniti G37 Convertible that were all unveiled across the country at the LA Auto Show. According to Nissan, there's next to no chance that the situation for Detroit will change.
To recap, Porsche, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Ferrari, Land Rover and Rolls-Royce have all pulled out of the International Auto Show in Detroit. All's not lost, though, as room is now available for a couple of Chinese upstarts to show their wares at the big boy table upstairs.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
larry a 9:04AM (11/28/2008)
LOL that picture is funny
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Red 9:26AM (11/28/2008)
I second that. Just made my morning. lol
Lar 3:11PM (11/28/2008)
Quite!
Often amused by the clever graphics you guys post.
( Hope fellow American readers are enjoying a restful Thanksgiving weekend. )
gs 4:31PM (11/28/2008)
Your a mean one Mr. Grinch
StinkyPete 9:40AM (11/28/2008)
I cannot argue against companies not going to Detroit. I always see and hear about examples of the cars are disrespected by the visitors at that show.
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Red 10:04AM (11/28/2008)
What you've heard is non-fiction. It really is awful. Don't get me wrong, it's GM, Ford and Chrysler's backyward, but the atmosphere at the Detroit Show sucks for pretty much everyone who's not...well, GM, Ford and Chrysler. I'm sure the list of no-shows for Detroit will get longer in the next two months. If Toyota hadn't committed the next Prius there, neither Toyota nor Honda (unveiling the production Insight) would've bothered showing up.
MajorGeek 9:46AM (11/28/2008)
The cars? I think no one want to go to whats left of Detroit.
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Crackberry Addict 12:24PM (11/28/2008)
ok. i take back what i said in my previous comment.
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Hybridthry84 12:46PM (11/28/2008)
Thank you Chicagoland dealerships! I go to the Chicago Auto Show every year and I couldn't believe that I would miss the chance to see the 370Z at the show. It may not be factory backed but if the cars are there, that is all I care.
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Tagg 12:56PM (11/28/2008)
So what you are saying Nissan is still not going to the Chicago auto show. The dealers want to put on a display but Nissan isn't spending a dime right?
As for cars being wrecked at the Detroit show it's not just limited to non domestic brands. To insinuate that is completely wrong. If you go early in the show the cars are fine but if you go on the closing weekend most of the buttons, shifters and other interior pieces are missing or broke. That goes for ALL the brands including Ford and GM.
I've been to the New York and Chicago shows and have seen the same. I would say it's not as bad but to say that the cars there are "respected" at those shows would be pushing it.
Also, Toyota would have been there regardless of the Prius. Toyota has massive R&D and desgin departments in the area so they would go to Detroit. Everyone thinks that only Ford, GM, and Chrysler are in the Detroit area but the fact is Toyota along with many suppliers have a major operations in Michigan.
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Judy Zik 2:37PM (11/29/2008)
It is worth noting that the Automakers themselves tend to remove shift knobs and other loose easily stolen items. I know these cars do take a beating and some theft goes on but on the other hand I find it interesting. You really get a sense of how a vehicle's interior is going to stand up to years of abuse by seeing how it handles a few days of the extreme use conditions at the auto show. Take a look at the doors, carpets, scuff plates and such. I have seen cheap "leather" seats start to disintegrate and paint wear off of control surfaces. It get's even better when they have one of the models powered to demo features because by the end of the week on the poorly designed models some of those features don't work so well anymore. Doing the show the last day is a great heads up for serious buyers.