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I’m back from Detroit and after a world wind tour of shows and displays I’m dead tired. I’ve never been to the Detroit show before and having a press pass for the event was a treat I will never forget. The first time is always the best……. right?
I’m going to attempt to give my impressions and a virtual tour of the show from my vantage point starting Sunday January 8th 7:00am eastern and ending Tuesday January 10th around noon. If you plan on attending the public days in the coming weeks, this could be helpful to steer you in all the right directions.
Sunday was the first and the busiest day by far of the show, 17 cars were unveiled leaving no time for rest as I ran from event to event looking for a good spot for a photo. Luckily I did not have to cover all 17 of those unveilings! I attended 5 unveilings and missed a few great shows, like the Audi and Mercedes-Benz shows unfortunately, but I certainly was treated at the Honda and Chrysler Unveilings.
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As I walked into Cobo Hall I was greeted by a marvel of automobile goodness. The first vehicle I set my sights on was the Mercedes-Benz SLR, as I was making my way towards the first unveiling at the Infiniti display. I was star struck a little by this vehicle, being allowed to crawl all over it was exciting. I began to walk around to get a feel of the area and ended up at the Ferrari booth. Well no man alive could resist the Ferrari booth. So a quick pause to take some snap shots of the FXX and back on my way. Next up was the Ford Unveilings, I was informed that Ford always puts on a huge show in the Cobo Arena which was just across the hallway from the main festivities. Among the vehicles unveiled at the 45 minute Ford show, was the new Edge, the SuperChief concept, the Reflex concept and the Mustang Cobra, including Carol Shelby himself in the passenger seat. Great first event…. on to the next. |
| Next on my list for the day was the Infinity reveal, I wasn’t sure what was to be unveiled, but after the glitter and power of the Ford show I was looking forward to more entertainment. Well it wasn’t an exciting or powerful presentation but it was a beautiful coupe concept aka the next G35 coupe that was shown. The Infinity area was a nice place to wait for the presentation as the served cocktails and deserts while I waited. |  Click image to enlarge |
Chrysler was next on my list of activities and this one was no secret. Chrysler was to unveil the Challenger concept as well as the Imperial. Talking with some other people while waiting around suggested that Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives was going to be present as well. This was getting better and better! Click image to enlarge Well Eva did show, but stumbled on her line. The hit of the show no doubt was the Challenger let’s hope they produce it! |
My next adventure was to be over at Honda where the Fit was going to be unveiled.
After a bunch of numbers and talk by the CEO of Honda, the 5 Fits crashed through a barrier stopping inches from my camera as I sat in the front row.
My next scheduled stop was Lamborghini and the unveiling of the Miura concept, I got there early….. really early, I stood for about 1 hour in the front row to get that perfect shot as they pulled the wraps off the concept.
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The wait was worth it for a perfect photo of the wraps coming off.
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Monday January 9th was Day #2 for me, after spending the entire night processing photos I wasn’t as keen to kneel and wait to presentation of presentation. With no official plan for the events of day I headed for Nissan and got myself a spot on the risers for an unobstructed shot of the Urge. I started to notice a trend, the Japanese didn’t really give you that great of a show, kind of ho-hum with a nice car, where as the American manufacturers really knew how to wow you in the entertainment value department.
I attended the Chrysler Jeep unveilings, another great show by Chrsyler but this was to be trumped on Tuesday!
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Tuesday was the final press day and the much ancipated Chrysler reveal….. rumours around the hall were that something BIG was going to happen at the Chrysler reveal, the must attend event of the show. The rumours turned out to be dead on!
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They started the show with Critically Acclaimed Slava’s Snowshow, a small act and the reveal of the Dodge Caliber. Followed by David Spade! So far the show was excellent. But it did not end there. Chrysler was pulling out all the stops on this one. |  Click image to enlarge  Click image to enlarge |
The Cast of Slava’s Showshow returned once again as snow fell from the roof of the Cobo Hall. A quick routine which was a dramatization of a man taking a train to Aspen. As I readied my camera for a shot of the reveal, music started to blare and the next thing I knew I was being COVERED in paper snow as I was bombared with HUGE spot lights. This was an adrenaline rush and Chrysler certainly new how to put on a show!
As the Aspen was revealed and the snow began to subside I looked down to see my feet covered in paper. Certainly the highlight of the show and Chrysler picked a great way to end 3 long days of excitement. A short video clip is available here It requires the quicktime plug-in and is courtesy of Alain McKenna.
All and all a great experience and I am looking forward to next year!
If you are attending the public days, the official website can be found here
Map of the Show(courtesy naias website):
to our site.