Resurgent Detroit gives cause for optimism

It had a totally different vibe…

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ou can’t guage what’s going to happen during the year from the mood at one auto show. Or even two or three. If you recall the shows early in 2008, including the NADA convention, there was some concern about the year ahead, but there was no inkling of the absolute economic disaster that would lay the industry low later in the year.

So it’s probably not a good idea to read too much into the resurgence of this year’s North American International Auto Show – commonly known as the Detroit auto show, or just ‘Detroit’. But it’s hard not to see it as a very positive sign.

It was such a dramatic departure from the ‘sack-cloth-and-ashes’ atmosphere that dominated the last two editions of what gave every appearance of being a dying show that it’s hard to ignore.

The mood was beyond upbeat. In many ways it was almost giddy – the way one might get having faced a near-death experience and survived it. Indeed, it seemed to reflect the joy of being given a second chance.

Not surprising, perhaps, given the Detroit Three’s significant presence at and identification with that show. But the vibe went beyond those three, for while they bore the brunt of the consequences, the whole industry was severely hurt in the past couple years.

At the very least, there now seems to be a collective sense that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and the players are back in competitive mode, vying not just to survive but to capture their share of what lies beyond.

Perhaps most important, the mood seemed to extend beyond those in the industry to the public – who will ultimately decide whether the optimism is warranted. Attendance was up in Detroit, as it was at the Montreal International Auto Show, which took place concurrently.

That’s no guarantee that we’ve turned the corner. But it’s far better than what we’ve been able to report at this time in the last couple years.

 

About Gerry Malloy

Gerry Malloy is one of Canada's best known, award-winning automotive journalists.

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