Day at Detroit
The North American Auto Show is the domestic auto show event of the year and covering the show is a delicate art that involves comfortable shoes, carefully executed schedules and precisely planned drop offs of all the “stuff” automakers load us down with. Every year the media days leave us with memories and unique experiences that consistently rank as the high point of our auto year. In fact, some are so good, we can’t help but share them.
We suspect there are countless, auto geeks out there who would gladly sell a kidney to get credentials to the auto show we see. It’s just a bit different than the public show. There is an endless amount of free food, good entertainment, no locked cars, everyone bends over backwards for you and did we mention there are about 6,000 on the show floor instead of 100,000 people going every which way. The schedule is a hectic one that keeps journalists on the move from one press conference to the next, quickly turning rested feet into painful mush. This is a direct result of the fine people who determine the schedule obviously not taking walking distance into consideration. They have us stampede to one corner of Cobo to see GM and then allow five minutes to run with the rest of the bulls to the next conference a quarter mile away on the other side of Cobo. Good shoes quickly become your best friend during the show.
Upon our arrival at Cobo on Sunday for the first day of the preview, we are assaulted by college age kids hired by GM to hand out a schedule of the automaker’s events. Within minutes our pockets are full and we have yet to move out of the entrance. Nice idea, but one is enough. The next stop was a new one this year, finding a credential activation station to check in at. Security was slightly tighter this year to say the least. Photo ID was required and then you had to wear your credential and a wrist band or you were promptly removed from the premises by large, rather intimidating men. When that hurdle was cleared the watch indicated 10am and the show floor wasn’t open until 10:30. We decided to head upstairs to the media center for the latest schedule, a drink and a stop at the bathroom. After being confronted by more college kids looking to unload their quota of schedules at the top of the escalator, we not surprisingly, find more looking to do the same at the bottom of the escalator. We take our place at the end of the line and wait patiently for the bomb sniffing dogs to go through each bag one by one. 10 minutes later, patience are wearing thin, we are eager to get in, and if the line has moved at all, it has gone backward. Once through that mess and among the cars, smiles start to appear. We absolutely love the auto show. With an hour to go before the General kicks things off, we wander the floor and wonder how they ever get this thing put together before the public shows up. Workers seem to out number scribes as people walk by carrying trees and many places are just now getting carpet taped down. Cars are still being brought in and wired up. Somehow, it all comes together and within 24 hours from now on Monday afternoon, the show looks ready for the masses. Senior Editor Muxlow takes it upon himself to assume the duties of photographer. He snaps off pictures of every vehicle between the Ford display where we entered and our destination within the GM Experience. We arrive and kill a few minutes listening to the band GM hired and mingling while trying to decide what we think GM will show for concepts this year. It’s noon and the show gets underway. Word trickles in that the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Nissan Altima were named North American Car and Truck of the Year. We concur, as both vehicles are standouts when it comes to dynamics and style. Lutz and company show the Hummer H2 and Chevrolet SSR and then bring out the very exotic Cadillac Cien, we clap and license endangering visions of speed enter our minds. Next is the Chevrolet Bel-Air, which has all the grace of a John Deere. Then comes the one concept that Bob Lutz has had his hand in from the beginning. The Pontiac Solstice roadster drives out with Lutz himself behind the wheel. It is perfect. The proportions are right, it’s muscular in its stance and could be built for less than $25k. A surprise showing of a non running Solstice Coupe confirm that it looks gorgeous in either body style. Bob Lutz needs to build that car to show that beautiful designs exist within GM. We like it and we aren’t afraid to say so. That’s it for GM…it is on to DaimlerChrysler for an entertaining mockup of a 60’s sitcom in which the DC executives guest star. They roll out the Pacifica, which they claim is a segment buster that doesn’t fit in any existing category. It looks like a wagon to us. It’s on to Ford in the Cobo Arena, which we come to like because seating is great and nothing is in the way of pictures. They roll out the Mighty F-350 (they make it easier on us when adjectives are included in the vehicle name) and that is the best way to explain it. It’s big and bad and it shames everything else on the road. We remember now the down side of holding press conferences in Cobo Arena, it’s outside of the show floor so you have to go back through that line and let the dog sniff your bags every time you go to the media center or the arena for a press conference. It seemed like the dogs and the cops were subjected to as many photos as the cars. Security really was tight. It was almost required with the times we live in but as one jurno put it, “We’re not the bad guys, we love cars, we don’t’ want to blow anything up!”
Once back inside, we watched Honda debut the Pilot SUV, which is sure to be a hit. Then Lexus did it’s thing by debuting the new GX470 SUV. Then it was back up to the media center for some grub and an apple juice. We ran through the press kit line and I weighed down pack mule Mux with 40 pounds of press information. Don’t worry, we soon forked over $2 for the baggage check to relieve Muxlow’s arms. Then it was back through the line again, over to Saab to take pictures of the concept 9x. We purposely skipped Suzuki’s debut of the Aerio to get seat time in other new production vehicles.
Then it was over to Audi for pictures and back to grab a Pepsi from Saab. We then had an hour to kill before Ford’s big showing and cocktail party. Senior Editor cum Photog Muxlow was getting the hang of things now, snapping off pictures left and right, with a camera in one hand and a bagel hanging from his mouth, all while making stern demands for me to provide him with fresh disks for the digital camera and trying to down that bagel. I being free of any photographic duties had time to sit in vehicles and press buttons while making mental notes of this and issuing demands to Muxlow of an elevated front three quarter of that.
We made our way off the show floor and back to the arena for the last press conference of the evening. Now most press conferences are loud, some are even extremely loud, but you know you’re in for something, when at the door they hand you a pair of ear plugs. By this point of the day Muxlow and I were entering the relaxation phase as we settled down into the theater style chairs of a rapidly filling Cobo Arena. Muxlow was working on putting away his fifth bottled water of the day and I had a tall glass of Coke. This was an important event with even some selected employees in attendance as well as every member of the press within fifty miles. By this time of the day it was no secret that Ford was going to show off a modern version of the GT40 racing legend. It also didn’t help that the white model bolted to the wall of the GT40 stand on the show floor had been uncovered earlier for some last minute cleaning. As a quickly expanding pool of press gathered Ford higher-ups wasted no time in finding those responsible to cover it back up–and find a new job. Ford drove out the new GT40 to thunderous applause and shouts of “Build It!”. Then a orchestra on a moving platform was rolled out playing a very catchy, and eerie tune. They tried their hardest but the unrestricted noise of the original GT40’s screeching through while revving their engines easily trumped the orchestra. Later that evening it’s off to Frudrucker’s for our annual chocolate milkshakes and hamburgers. Then back to the hotel to peel off the Bostonian’s and get some sleep. Monday morning comes and we are back at Cobo by 7am for breakfast, hosted by Land Rover in Cobo Arena. Now auto show food is excellent, but sometimes is gets a bit flamboyant for our tastes. We skip over the things that have unpronounceable names and settle back into our chairs for the unveiling of the ’03 Range Rover. We like the new Rover a lot. And the orange juice wasn’t bad either. On the way out of the arena we grab a press kit and decide to get good seats for Mercedes upcoming 9:10 conference and skip over Volkswagen as seating for Mercedes was as rare as a good Daewoo. When that was over, Muxlow was demanding another trip around the show floor for pictures, so we picked up our pad and pen, given to the media by Mercedes, and turned on the speed. Well, at least as much speed as two well-fed, camera-toting, sore-footed Journalists could muster. We slipped in a couple of trips to the media center during the next two hours, one for food and drink intake, and one for logging some comfy couch time. We glance at the watch, grab some cookies, and return to the floor for even more photos. Muxlow is snapping away deep within the General’s display as I watch the giant TV screen show an automobile that wouldn’t look out of place in a Star Trek movie. We are equally polarized at the sight of the Autotonomy but are relieved to find that it is very much a concept. We decide it’s time for lunch and so let our growling stomachs lead us back to Cobo Arena for Volvo’s debut of the XC90 sport utility and lunch. The XC90 is handsome and looks to be an excellent all-weather vehicle that should provide some stiff competition for the established players in this rapidly expanding segment. After lunch is over, we sift back through the line for the umpteenth time and make a b-line for DaimlerChrysler. We are treated to some “millennials” ,as DC likes to call them, performing down right dangerous break-neck maneuvers on Razor scooters and bikes. Trevor Creed takes the stage to unveil the Dodge M-80, Dodge Razor, Jeep Compass and the previously shown Jeep Willy’s 2. We like all three of DC’s new concepts and would particularly like to see the Razor materialize to take on the Miata and Pontiac’s sexy Solstice. After that it was over to Infiniti for the debut of the G35 sport sedan and Infiniti’s second take on the FX45. We arrived late and so were forced to take up residence on the second floor of Jeep’s display. When the press conference concludes they make the announcement that press kits are available on the stage. Instantly, that immediate area is occupied by several hundred info hungry journalists. With hundreds more forming a crushing wave headed in that direction. I decided to go save seats for Acura’s conference and send Muxlow off to fight for press kits with encouraging shouts of, “Get to those press kits, or die trying!” and “Use your elbows!”. I pick out some excellent seats at Acura and over the next ten minutes try desperately to hold off foreign media from claiming Muxlow’s seat. The language barrier is very visible at the show and sometimes frustrating. With 30 seconds to go before the start of the conference I ponder giving up the seat to Car and Driver’s Editor-In-Chief Csaba Csere, when I make eye contact with Senior Editor Muxlow and wave him down like those guys on the runway directing planes with their cool miniature light sabers. We watch Acura unveil the monstrosity that is the RD-X and then decide to call it a day.
Over the two day period we were in town we had covered countless miles and seen dozens of new products. To say the show is an awesome experience is an understatement. Every year the vehicles get better and better and we remember why we are car lovers in the first place. Automobiles and auto shows are simply cool.
