Matt Burns @mjburnsy / 6:54 AM MDT • September 15, 2022
Long-time visitors to the Detroit auto show will be disappointed. The glitz and glamor are gone.
In 2022, the show is much, much smaller than in the past. Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis are exhibiting; Toyota has a simple booth. That’s about it: No Volkswagen, BMW, Honda or other industry giants.
And that’s great news for startups.
Startups are the main attraction at the reimagined North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Attendees can’t miss them, unlike in past years when they were literally housed in the basement. Now with most automakers absent, startups are given equal footing among the big three and are found everywhere throughout the main show floor.
It’s a year of firsts for the auto show. It’s the first auto show since the Covid pandemic and the first since organizers moved the show from blustery January — and just days after CES — to September. No one enjoys Detroit in the winter anyway. The show attractions this year are replete with monster trucks, dinosaurs, and a weekend of DJs and cover bands.
Full article here –