Metro Detroiters proved this month that digital product reveals can’t replace the wheels-on-carpet approach to auto shows.
Held in January for the first time since 2019, the Detroit Auto Show returned to its roots at Huntington Place to focus on the automotive industry’s future — one focused on the region’s prospective employees, salespeople and car buyers.
Karl Zimmermann, chairman of the Detroit Auto Show, said this year’s event may remain smaller than previous iterations, but it’s a return to form for the industry’s key player: the Detroit community.
“Success looks different to a lot of different people,” he told the Free Press. “We’ve really identified — as we’ve gone through this process post-COVID — how to step back and assess who are our customers, who are our stakeholders, and how do we make them happy.”
Auto show visitors are shopping
The show’s public days ran Jan. 11 through Monday, concluding on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Showrunners did not disclose attendance figures on Monday.
Past January shows regularly drew 700,000 to 800,000, though attendance plummeted in post-pandemic events held in the summer in 2022 and ’23. The Detroit Auto Dealers Association, which puts on the show, never announced official attendance for those years.
Automaker involvement is crucial, and the show featured 22 brands this year, including corporate-supported vehicle displays from the Detroit Three and other automakers including Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Ram, Toyota and Volkswagen.
Dealer-backed displays with BMW, Honda, Hyundai, INEOS, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz also allowed more visibility for showgoers, who consistently prove to be future shoppers. Zimmermann, who is also CEO and owner of the Matick Automotive Group, noted that Detroit dealers see consistent gains thanks to customers who attended the show.
“We hear it in the showrooms all year long. Six months ago, nine months ago, I saw this vehicle at the show and I’m here to talk about buying it,” Zimmermann said. “That’s why dealers volunteer. If we don’t sell, the factories don’t run, and the whole supply chain backs up.”
The public explored four indoor tracks, the Ford Bronco Built Wild Track, including new rock crawl and tilt ride obstacles; Camp Jeep; a Detroit Grand Prix-themed track, and the Powering Michigan EV Experience track, with electric vehicles from BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Rivian. Two Corvette E-Rays raced along the Grand Prix-themed track on Racing Day, which was Friday.
In addition to the show itself, organizers did not disclose attendance figures for the annual Charity Preview gala, held Jan. 10. The event has raised more than $125 million for children’s charities in southeast Michigan since 1976.
Though automakers dislike sharing the spotlight at in-person events, Detroit car buyers prefer to view comparable vehicles early in the year before making purchasing decisions.
Sam Klemet, first-time director of the Detroit auto show and the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, said he’s already excited to get to work on the 2026 show, particularly since predictions about an increase in younger attendees after returning the show to January came to bear, he said. Area schools made a concerted effort to bring students for field trips, Klemet said, and 16 universities presented at the AutoMobili-D technology showcase.
“We have to think about how we engage with the next generation of engineers and designers,” he said. “We have more automotive talent in the metro Detroit area than just about anywhere else in the world.”
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Detroit Free Press. Reach her at [email protected].