Considering there is now enough vacant land in Detroit to cover the city of Boston completely, the place is definitely hurting for some good news.

Remember what I said about car shows going downhill?  Well, a reader alerted me, and I just saw the news today myself so I’ll pass it directly on to you.  The 2010 International Auto Show in Detroit is BOOKED SOLID.

There will be seven hundred different car models on display there, and what’s more, fifty of them will be never before seen models.

I can’t understand for the life of me, however, why Detroit is putting this show on in JANUARY.  January poses one of the biggest chances for inclement weather in the entire year, possibly only matched by February or maybe December.  The key thing is, about the closer you get to mid-January, the more likely you are to get serious snow mixed with ice mixed with a slow frozen death.

There’s an old joke in Michigan, and it’s got two endings.  The joke:

People say Michigan is a four-season state.  Not true; it only has two.  The two seasons in Michigan are winter and road construction (some substitute “road construction” with “winter’s coming”).

And this is why it’s probably a terrible idea for Detroit to have this show in the Russian roulette of horrible weather that is January.

Continue reading...

Here’s a strange bit of news for you–turns out that this year’s Tokyo Motor Show will occupy half the floor space of last year’s.

This by itself might not mean so much, but it joins up with some other, similar news.  The Tokyo Motor Show will only feature Japanese automaker cars.  Seems everyone else is neck-deep in pleading poverty.  The Japanese car makers, meanwhile, wouldn’t go to the Frankfurt show so they’d have something new to exhibit at the Tokyo Motor Show.

A litany of economic horrors followed:  the annual North America International Auto Show (also known as the Detroit Auto Show), lost GM. The New York International Auto Show was less than half its previous size. Italy’s Bologna Motor Show is on the brink of collapse.

Worldwide, car shows are slumping, and facing outright extinction.  In fact, it may be that, someday, car shows will never be seen again.  Maybe they’ll become smaller, regional shows.  Or maybe they’ll go strictly online.  But no alternative meausre bodes well for things as a whole.

Continue reading...

The Middle East is the place to be this April for all suitors of the BMW Z4 Roadster as it is set to be made available by that time. Many people caught a glimpse of the BMW Z4 Roadster at the Detroit Auto Show and apparently, Middle East has been chosen as the lucky destination where this classic model will first be unveiled.

Featuring a new 6-cylinder engine, double-clutch gearbox and BMW M suspension with two damper settings, the new model is expected to outperform its predecessor model in the Middle East.

(Source) Ame Info

Continue reading...

Camilo Pardo, best known for designing the Ford GT Supercar is leaving the automaker after a 24-year tenure. Pardo has been known to be passionate about his work and his departure from Ford Motors leaves a big void as far as designing the fleet of models is concerned.

Outside of Ford, Pardo is known as a fine artist, sculptor and clothing and furniture designer. He also has played host to the worldwide design community during the Detroit auto show with his annual Designer’s Night party — an “A-ticket” event during the show.

(Source) Automotive News

Continue reading...

The Detroit Auto Show, one of the most prestigious and anticipated annual automotive events in the world, opened on Sunday, January 11th in the midst of a critical industry-wide slow-down. Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Ferrari, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Porsche are all missing from this year’s line-up, a testament to how serious the worldwide sales crisis has become. The missing companies all pulled out of the popular event as a last-minute measure meant to conserve cash and thereby outlast the economic downturn.

Most auto companies saw a severe drop in sales for 2008 that looks likely to continue at least into the third quarter of this year. In spite of all the bad news, this year’s auto show may be one of the most exciting and important ever, as American manufacturers scramble to present the ecologically sound new models to reverse their sales problems in the American market.

Continue reading...

In case you missed this model at the Detroit Auto Show, GM Daewoo has announced that it will be unveiling the Chevrolet Spark mini-car by 2011 to the U.S. market. This development is actually a form of help from the South Korean arm of General Motors in trying to help push the growing demand for smaller but fuel-efficient models.

The three-door hatchback was manufactured by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. and will hit showrooms in South Korea in the second-half of this year ahead of the U.S. launch, GM Daewoo said in a statement.

Add to the fact that General Motors has to keep the ball rolling, the addition of these mini-cars is sure to expand their options and means of generating income to boost sales in the car buying sector, something that has been affected by the turn of events of economic issues today.

(Source) Trading Markets

Continue reading...