Auto shows have been waning the last few years. From the media side, it’s obvious they’re more for the public than the press, which has been especially apparent in recent years. While the major auto shows still attract attendees, those public numbers are down; I saw the difference myself when I attended the 2023 LA Auto Show on public days this year. Now one auto show is trying to right the ship by returning to its original timeslot.
Detroit’s Fox 2 reports that the North American International Auto Show — colloquially known as the Detroit Auto Show — will finally get back to its original timeslot of January. As we’re already well into January, that change isn’t happening until 2025. In a statement to CBS News, show officials say the move back to the month it was originally held is better for both the show (from a business standpoint) and for the city.
Our primary goal is to create an impactful auto show and showcase our great city and industry. After discussions with numerous partners, we believe a January date absolutely makes the most sense. In a constantly changing global automotive landscape, this update reflects our efforts to continue to reimagine the Detroit Auto Show with keeping an eye on what matters most – getting people excited about cars.
Looking at the last few years, the Detroit Auto Show has certainly seen better days. In 2018 it was announced that the show would move to June 2020, which was then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was canceled again in 2021, again due to the pandemic, and in 2022 it was moved to September, with the show happening again for the first time in nearly four years. That 2022 Detroit Auto Show was pretty bleak, so hopefully a return to January will herald a return to its glory days, too.