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Re-activateImagine a time when cars are selling at 17 million units per year. Gas prices and unemployment are low. Car companies are falling over themselves trying to sell trucks, SUVs, and sports cars. Autos are consumed at rates that would make McDonald's jealous ("Over a Billion Served…").
Flash forward to Detroit, 2010. Show space at Cobo Hall is going begging. Major car companies don't hold press conferences or don't even show up at all. But perhaps the biggest, most lethal blow is the lack of shrimp. Worry and fear on journalist's faces, while not exactly at boiling-over point, is clearly palpable.
The age of minimalism is upon us. The 2010 Detroit auto show has entered…The Low-Calorie Zone.
In the past, food and drink were everywhere. You couldn't swing a press credential lanyard without hitting an espresso machine. Wait staff worked their fingers to the bone handling out sushi, cookies, pate, and drinks at an alarming rate. Chiropractor visits soared for the food servers after press days concluded.
But everything's changed. Companies that once were relegated to basement levels in previous shows now outmuscle the big dogs of the auto industry for floor space. Michelin, Dow Chemical--apparently, they're serving salads--and Denso ("a supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and components for all the world's major automakers") have prime real estate at the show. Tesla, SMS Supercars (former Mustang modifier Steve Saleen's new venture), and Lotus/Morgan are taking up the equivalent of Boardwalk and Park Place of Cobo.
And a new focus on electric vehicles is showcased in a section called "Electric Avenue," featuring electric vehicles and technology. We can't confirm it, but there might have been an Eddie Grant sighting.
Where have the car companies gone? Who will fill the void? How can journalists survive on a mere stick of biscotti or mixed nuts?
These and more answers can be found from your intrepid CR reporter as we uncover the mysteries of The Low-Calorie Zone.
See our complete 2010 Detroit Auto Show coverage.
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