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GM Proposes Moving NAIAS To June, Show Could Run Alongside Grand Prix

The organizers of the North American International Auto Show have big decisions to make. To keep relevant, show organizers have been mulling a switch from a January show to a warmer month. The first proposal is allegedly October.

However, General Motors has reportedly pitched its own solution: hold the show in June and anchor it alongside the Detroit Grand Prix and Belle Isle. Autoblog reported last Friday that any date move is still under consideration and nothing is final yet. GM Senior Vice President of Global Communications Tony Cervone said the June outing could be a “massive automotive festival.”

A lot still stands in the way of moving the show to any month, especially a summer month like June. Foremost, organizers have to consider a crowded calendar of other events that take place at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. Secondly, the show could be costlier. Cooling the massive expo center would rack up big bills during the month of June as hundreds of thousands of people roam the hall.

Holding NAIAS alongside the Grand Prix also poses potential parking issues as well.

Despite the dream of warm weather for the Detroit Auto Show, the 2018 outing actually produced positive results. Media coverage expanded and outdid other major auto shows, including the rival Consumer Electronics Show. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep two major anchors from vacating the show; Mercedes-Benz and BMW both announced they will not show up for NAIAS 2019.

Any move would happen for the 2020 show, though we’re far from knowing where and when NAIAS will take place. It’s quite possible nothing changes, but we’re all for warmer weather in Detroit.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comment

  1. So, Cobo hall charges their tenants more in Summer because the cost of cooling is so much greater than the cost of heating in January? Seems highly unlikely that they have weather based pricing, and if so I doubt that’s a major factor in the decision making process for the date of the show. I would think the timing relative to other major shows would be more significant.

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