The Auto Writer

File this one under the “I’m glad that I went to the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show” category.

Nissan announced yesterday that they would not make an appearance at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit this coming January (or Chicago in February) choosing to conserve some cash. Fresh on the heels of rolling out the Nissan Cube, Nissan 370Z, and Infiniti G37, the Japanese automaker says that they don’t have any additional products to introduce, hence the Detroit/Chicago departure.

Seven Automakers Skip Detroit and Counting

For the NAIAS, this news comes on the heels of reports that both Suzuki and Mitsubishi would also skip Detroit, joining Ferrari, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Porsche who also are planning to stay away.  With some free space on the main showroom floor available, expect that Chinese automakers such as Brilliance, will make a fresh pitch to have their cars featured front and center.

The Detroit venue has long been a source of disappointment for some automakers as the aged Cobo Center is too small to handle the NAIAS and the city of Detroit doesn’t have the funding available to expand the facility.  The NAIAS could relocate to a more convention friendly city (I vote for Atlanta), leaving a much smaller event behind in Detroit.

Michigan Wants to Fund the Cobo Center, But the State is Impoverished

However, the state of Michigan apparently sees that losing the NAIAS would be a financial disaster for Detroit as the state’s Republican leader, Mike Bishop, agrees with Democrat Governor, Jennifer Granholm, that the Cobo Center should be expanded and a light rail line running along Woodward Avenue should also be approved. The lame duck session of the Michigan Senate is expected to take up the issue in December with hopes that some money will be found to pay for the projects despite a projected fiscal shortfall of at least one billion dollars.