Detroit Doom
I was speculating with a number of journalists in Detroit last month about how some of the luster was lost at the Auto Show. Oh, there were plenty of concepts and reveals but the lack of participation from automakers such as Porsche made you wonder about the long term significance of the granddaddy of all auto shows.
Porsche yesterday showed its 2008 Cayenne GTS SUV for the first time in North America at the Chicago Auto Show, just a couple weeks after the German automaker was a no-show in Detroit.
In unveiling the latest Cayenne model, Porsche described the GTS as the best-performing on-road SUV in the market. While the new version gives up some of the standard Cayenne's off-road capabilities, a 405-horsepower V-8 engine and lower-riding sport suspension make the SUV nearly track worthy.
But the unveiling seemed to be as much about Chicago as the Cayenne. Company officials talked about how Chicago is a strong market for the automaker. Chicago is the sports carmaker's fifth largest market, and half of its vehicles sold here are Cayenne's.
Porsche announced its plans to pull out of the Detroit show last June, citing its efforts to focus on areas where it had more customers.
Many automakers are starting to grumble that Detroit is expensive and logistically difficult because of Cobo Center's facility issues. Cobo has only 17 loading docks, which hinders access and means it takes longer to build exhibits, a significant issue for automakers. McCormick has dozens of loading docks available on multiple levels.
Many carmakers, from a marketing standpoint are starting to position their auto show strategies to be where our buyers are – in the five or six biggest markets – like Chicago, LA, NY, Dallas and Miami.
Comparing Detroit and Chicago, Detroit attracts more media, about 6,000 journalists; Chicago draws about 2,000. Detroit, too, boasts more world premieres, 33 this year, while Chicago counted just 13.
While the world puts its eyes on Detroit to see what's happening in North America, it appears car manufactures are starting to put there eyes more on targeting on potential buyers.
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