THE GOLDEN ERA OF AUTO SHOWS

DETROIT AUTO SHOW REFLECTIONS

Some might call it apotheosis of the auto show press conference. In their pursuit to command the 24-hour news cycle OEMs (original equipment manufacturers, as in the car companies) competed to outdo their competitors while out feting journalists. (“Just the facts” journalists for the most part cared less about the showmanship.) Some even hosted vehicle reveals off-site before the start of media days to get the jump on their competitors.

Auto show displays (stands) were elaborate even over the top, literally, with some two-tiered with private VIP spaces. Of course, there was the mandatory video wall along with cars on pedestals, turnstiles and even mounted on walls. It was as though money was no object as long as you grabbed front-page headlines and a breaking story on the evening news – both local and national. These were heady days for sure with big budgets and an army of attending journalists numbering 5,000 plus. Within this frenzy of two- and three-day media days the automotives rolled out double-digit vehicle premiers – both global and regional (North America).

Here we are today. What was the North American International Auto Show, the key word here is “international,” is now the regional Detroit Auto Show and it’s back to the basics of cars and trucks parked on carpets with all the pizzazz of dealer showrooms. Here’s a brief look back at what was and may never be again when it comes to auto show biz.

1992 NAIAS - The Sound of Breaking Glass Heard Round the World

Well, yeah maybe that is an exaggeration but not by much. These were heady days for the auto show circuit and OEMs. They were feeling their oats. There was lots of strut at the media days. One of the more outlandish and brazen stunts was the reveal of the 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee. With former fighter pilot and Chrysler president Bob Lutz behind the wheel and Detroit Mayor Coleman riding shotgun, Lutz pulled a daredevil maneuver and drove the Grand Cherokee up the steps of Cobo Hall and thru a plate glass window. Not only did the stunt shatter expectations of what a reveal should be it launched the first generation of this iconic sport utility.

1995 NAIAS - The Flying Minivan Leapfrogs the Competition

Chrysler is often given credit for inventing the minivan. Some including Volkswagen politely disagree. Disputes aside, there’s no disputing that the first-generation Chrysler minivans – the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager – were wildly popular especially among suburban soccer moms. To introduce its redesigned, second-generation minivans Chrysler invoked the tranquil setting of a story book hour with Bob Lutz and Chrysler Chairman Bob Eaton seated on rocks reading aloud to the audience. As the story unfolded a minivan with Kermit the Frog behind the wheel leapfrogged overhead … and over the competition.

2003 NAIAS - Cadillac Sixteen Concept, a Fashion Show on Wheels

Your LACar team in Detroit never made the VIP list for special, private previews or gala offsite events at NAIAS. Afterall, we’re not The New York Times or Car and Driver. That reality was especially poignant when we were not invited to Cadillac’s unveiling of the Cadillac Sixteen Concept at the Detroit Opera House. We had to settle for a pedestrian viewing as the Sixteen’s “red carpet” entry on to the show floor and journey to the Cadillac stand was a roll down a roped-off runway (an isle way) lined by journalists, cameramen and gawkers. The Sixteen was jaw dropping beautiful and over the top powered by a 16-cylinder powertrain. We ooh and aah over exotics with 12. But 16! Come on. It left us wishing the Sixteen would become a reality. Today, we have the bespoke, handcrafted Cadillac Celestiq. Perhaps the Sixteen was its forbearer.

2006 NAIAS - A January Blizzard (Indoors) 

What does Chrysler do to reveal the Aspen its first premium SUV? Well, you key in on the name. It evokes luxury. Fun on the slopes. So, let’s bring the winter inside. And that begets a simulated blizzard with zero visibility. As the “storm” subsides out rolls the 2007 Chrysler Aspen and yet another over-the-top reveal.

2008 NAIAS - A Cattle Call 

It’s January, 2008. The dead of winter. It’s freezing cold outside, and your LACar team answers the call to action to cover the reveal of the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup (the brand now known as Ram Truck). But it’s outside the convention center. We’re on the clock. The auto show press conference schedule is rigid with hard start and end times with ten minutes between conferences so that journalists can race from one to the next. Did I say it was cold? We’re freezing waiting for the event to begin. It’s behind schedule. Problem is: the “talent” ain’t cooperating. Yep, cowboys on horseback are having difficulty driving a herd of Texas Longhorns down the street. This is an important reveal of a new pickup. What could go wrong? Go figure. Finally, here comes the urban cattle drive and with it the all-new Dodge Ram 1500. Chrysler gets its soundbite, “There’s no question, Dodge Ram has separated itself from the herd.” The PR stunt went on to be the talk of the show.  – Christopher Merlo

*Editor’s note: Jason Vines was head of communications for Chrysler Group from December, 2003 until December, 2007, and is credited with some of the company’s wildest new car debut themes. 

LA AUTO SHOW REFLECTIONS

From a skating rink to going international

The LA Auto Show has come a long way since 1907, when it was held at Morley’s Skating Rink off of Grand Avenue. In 1908, it moved to the basement of Hamburger’s Department Store. By 1915, it was called the Broadway Automobile and Flower show, occupying two floors of a vacant department store. In 1929, an electrical short circuit engulfed the entire show.

After a hiatus in the 1940s due to World War II, the show reopened in 1952, taking on the designation “International”, as in the Los Angeles International Auto Show. It was a nod to the interest in European cars that veterans acquired after returning from overseas. The “International” designation has been used on and off by the LAAS organizers since then, but it wasn’t until the 1970s when the show was officially recognized by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles (OCIA) as one of the four auto shows in North America with a global presence (the others being in Chicago, Detroit, and New York).

The Golden Era

In 1993, the show began blossoming into the mega-show we know today with the expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Doug Stokes was the Editor of the Motor Press Guild MilePost and remembers the show in the 90s.

“I miss the constant cacophony of the (BANG!) airbag demo setups from the shows in the mid-late 90's. It's my guess is that a sizable portion of the people who watched those shows went away thinking that, after deployment, the damn bag simply retreated back into the steering wheel hub, all nice and ready for the next accident as the demo one did after it was deployed about every 15 minutes or less at the show.”  

2003 LAAS - The Keynote by Bob Lutz

2003 was a memorable moment at the LA Auto Show because of General Motors Vice President Bob Lutz’s famous statement as the Motor Press Guild keynote speaker. It was right about the time the breakthrough second-generation Toyota Prius reached these shores. Someone asked him about Toyota’s hybrid Prius. “There’s no business case for hybrid cars,” was his dismissive reply. Of course, the Prius then went on to put a huge dent in domestic car sales, while collecting virtually all of the important automotive awards along the way that year.

Two years after the Motor Press Guild event, Lutz admitted GM missed the mark on the Prius. “We business-cased it, took a hard, analytical look and thought the engineering and investment were irresponsible vis-a-vis our shareholders. We failed to appreciate what Toyota has basically treated as an advertising expense.” Toyota was perceived by consumers as a company helping to save the plant. Said Lutz, "Toyota very cleverly has used hybrids to gain an improved perception of the brand."

2006 LAAS - Moving out of Detroit’s shadow

The golden era of the LA Auto Show really began in 2006, when it was moved from early January to its current schedule of late November through early December. That allowed Los Angeles to get out of the shadow of Detroit’s then-designated North American International Auto Show, and gave reason to car companies to make Los Angeles an ideal venue for new car debuts.

Hyundai & the Mermaids at Hotel Figueroa

Starting around 15 years ago, Hyundai had been hosting exceptional after-show parties for the press at the top of the Hotel Figueroa in Downtown Los Angeles. The parties featured great entertainment, and the entertainers would be kept a secret right up to the beginning of the parties. In past years, the performers included Joan Jet and the Blackhearts, Kool and the Gang, Alanis Morrissette, Ziggy Marley, and John Legend.

Sometimes the concerts had a more light-hearted approach, like when Jack Black performed in his Tenacious D persona, or Jeff Bridges and T. Bone Burnett getting together to perform songs from the Oscar-winning movie Crazy Heart. All the while, mermaids would be swimming below the plexiglass floors under your feet. We could always count on Hyundai to have the best entertainment. AutoDesignO's John Grafman remembers the mermaids and the music:

“I remember the mermaids. I also remember the time security forced me to delete images of Joan Jett from my DSLR, as cameras were not supposed to be allowed at that press only event (but they didn’t stop anyone with a cell phone camera). I’m not sure why Hyundai didn’t think press would have a camera coming straight from the press day at the convention center, but that’s what took place.”

2014 LAAS - Reaching New Heights

By 2014, the show had a record 65 automotive debuts, albeit this included North American and auto show debuts as well as world debuts. Connected Car Expo, a networking event for automotive and technology professionals, was merged with the show's Press & Trade days to create AutoMobility LA. By 2016, AutoMobility LA also included four days of networking, three days of press previews, and a Press & Trade Days Kickoff Party the night before the AutoMobility LA Conference. 

Press kit designs reached a new peak, with manufacturers jockeying to outdo each other with the most imaginative ones. Says Doug Stokes about those kits:

“I remember the mad scramble among a throng of "media" people (none of whom I recognized as fellow Motor Press Guild members) who descended on the pressroom with wagons and rolling suitcases to secure as many of those big nicely-bound three-ring press kits of the past era as possible (and to put them up for sale shortly thereafter).  I CAN name names* if called for.”

As we developed this report, it became clear that LACar had enough material to write a separate story on the golden era of automotive swag. Stay tuned for that story! - Roy Nakano

FRANKFURT AND PARIS REFLECTIONS

Every other year, two of the largest automotive shows in the world are held in France and Germany on a rotating basis. In 2001, the International Motor Show Germany (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung in German) was held. And the following year, it was the Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l'Automobile in French). We attended both.

2001 International Motor Show Germany (IAA) - 9/11

LACar’s Bill Wright was at the 2001 show in Germany when he noticed journalists all congregating around large television monitors. The day was September 11th, and the planes had just crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York. What was happening in New York overshadowed the IAA in Frankfurt, Germany. The organizers cancelled the opening ceremony as were other show elements and any loud music, but the exhibitions remained open. The President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, Bernd Gottschalk, explained his decision:

"Because we could not permit terrorist forces to take away our freedom of action. And because, as a key international sector, we have a responsibility not to allow things to grind to a halt." 

The decision was well-received by the public. More than 800,000 people went on to visited this quieter version of the IAA in Frankfurt.  

2002 Paris Motor Show

The following year, in 2002, Bill Wright, John-Fredrik Wright, and I attended the Paris Motor Show. It was just a year after 9/11, and sentiment towards Americans was at an all-time high. The French newspaper Le Monde editorialized after the attack that “we are all Americans” and published full-page English language coverage of the events.

There was a time when manufacturers went the distance for automotive journalist luncheons. This was especially true at the Paris Motor Show. The French take this car show seriously. Citroën treated the American journalists with the French-sounding publication (we were La Car before it became LACar) to a luncheon complete with no less than five glasses for five different drinks. Not to be outdone, Volkswagen asserted itself as a high-end player with a Phaeton-like meal to the press that included truffles and foie gras. Newspapers and magazines at every street side newsstand publicized the event.

Four months after the Paris Motor Show, a United States-led coalition invaded Iraq, resulting in the overthrow of the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein, and the rest, as they say, is history. - Roy Nakano