Auto Show Blues

Although I'm going to the 2019 New York International Auto Show this weekend, I'm not looking forward to being as wowed and excited as I've been by auto shows in the past.

Auto shows have been in decline lately, largely because the next wave in automotive development is based in ride sharing and in self-driving cars.  Because none of these trends are developing in Detroit, the city that long ago spawned the auto age in the first place, the North American International Auto Show there has gotten quite lame - so lame, in fact, that the 2020 show is scheduled not during the height of the car-model year in January, when previous Detroit shows were held, but in June, when the car-model year is winding down.  Kind of like Detroit itself.  This year's Detroit show was so lame that BMW, Volvo, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mitsubishi didn't show up. The former two brands aren't displaying their cars in New York this year, for that matter, and Tesla is never there.  And several manufacturers have skipped auto shows abroad, as well.  Meanwhile, more car companies are aiming to push their new products through the Internet with 3-D videos.  Although nothing short of driving a new car compares to sitting in one and getting the feel of it, cyber-marketing looks to be the wave of the future.

And then there's the product itself.  More and more manufacturers - especially the domestic ones - are pushing SUVs, crossovers and pickup trucks.  GM is thinning the ranks of its lineup of sedans and hatchbacks, and except for the Mustang and maybe the Lincoln Continental, Ford is getting rid of them altogether in North America.  So I'll be spending a lot less time in the domestic-brand exhibits - after the Fiesta and Fusion are gone, the Focus having already bitten the dust, I likely won't be setting foot into the Ford display at all. I simply don't like Mustangs enough to bother.    

Ahh, who cares?  I'll just spend more time in the German-brand displays, especially Volkswagen.  But even that is problematic, what with BMW a no-show this year and with even Volkswagen promoting trucks these days (it's displaying a compact pickup concept at this year's auto show).  Suffice to say, I'm happy with my Golf, and I hope VW keeps the Golf in its North American lineup.  One of these days I hope to see the permanent VW display at its Autostadt museum in Wolfsburg, the experience of which promises to blow away the experience of any auto show or car museum I've ever been to. :-)

Please note that I never commented on auto show spokesmodels, now known as "product specialists."