The Auto Writer

Although the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) doesn’t officially open to the public until Saturday, January 19, 2008, I have the privilege of attending the Press Preview which will be held from January 13-15. In addition, I have been invited to GM Style, an important social event being held on Saturday evening, January 12th by General Motors.

With just two days left before I leave for Detroit, I am feverishly working on finishing up a handful of writing projects. I am on schedule and, thanks to the help of my wife, I have some new duds to wear while in Detroit. Thankfully, most events aren’t too formal but wearing jeans is a no-no.

To keep pace with all of the buzz surrounding the event, I have been scouring the news for information about the NAIAS. Although there isn’t too much fresh news just yet (wait until the press days, then watch out!) I have uncovered some fresh news worth noting:

• Porsche and Aston Martin will not participate in this year’s event. Porsche normally uses the Detroit show as their annual launch of the international show season, but they aren’t participating. Porsche has cited slipping local sales (Detroit metro) as their reason for staying away. Personally, I think that this may be a mistake — with nearly 7000 journalists on hand from around the world, the NAIAS is the perfect venue for global advertising. Source: Autoweek.

• Auto shows can use a healthy amount of publicity leading up to and including the event and the NAIAS is no exception. With at least 750,000 people attending each year (more than 800,000 in recent years) attention that is given to the show can only help. To that end, CNBC will be airing a live, one-hour special on Monday, January 14, covering the NAIAS. Source: The Detroit News.

• The NAIAS contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy, a windfall for Detroit. As part of their effort to give something back directly to the community, the NAIAS always holds a special black-tie charity event just before the show kicks off. On Thursday, January 17th, attendees to this year’s event will be able to see the Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies, perform. The proceeds from the gala will be used to provide funds for goods, clothing and health and support services for local children’s charities. Source: liveDaily

• GM is planning to unveil the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V at this year’s show, a car that is currently a finalist for the North American Car of the Year award and already the recipient of other COTY awards including Motor Trend’s. The newest CTS-V will be 35% more powerful than the last model, with a whopping 550 h.p. and 550 lb.-ft of torque. The sport sedan is expected to go on sale by this Fall. Source: Jalopnik

Look for my next report about the Detroit Auto Show to appear this Saturday with frequent updates after that through next Tuesday.
2008 Cadillac CTS Photo Copyright General Motors