Ann Job on the importance of image and the North American International Auto Show

Freelance writer Ann Job got her name up in lights with a column in the Detroit News yesterday, commenting on the pressure automakers are under to carefully choreograph and spin their entire presence at the North American International Auto Show. With all of the developments of 2005, how well are OEMs automaker able to pull off a show rivaling Hollywood’s most creative? Even while bleeding red ink, Job says, Ford and GM feel pressured to build bigger and more expensive exhibits than ever, hoping to compensate for the year’s bad news and praying that industry leaders and the media confuse the images of success and wealth with the real things.

Will the 2006 North American International Auto Show be ‘Friends’ or the Martha Stewart season of ‘The Apprentice?” Stay tuned to Autoblog's 2006 NAIAS coverage to find out.