The reveal of a new car that will take another year to hit the dealership will inevitably draw buyers into the shop. That’s how everything works. Just seen the GT350? ‘Damn that’s sweet. Too bad I can’t get it now, but even if I could I can’t afford it anyway. What’s that you say? You’ve got a new Mustang GT in red with a black interior? Oh hell yes! I’ll be right there’.
Just like getting rid of old inventory in the Spring would help dealerships bypass heavy discounting, the arrival of new models would help them shift new products early, fulfilling the quotas early on in the year. Dealers and salespeople would be happier going into the holidays knowing that they’ve got at least a little cash to spend over the holidays, and a hell of a lot more than if they’d had to sell the cars at a loss. And Johnny’s happy with his new ‘Stang. Win win.
I know I’m not the first one to bring up these facts. The truth is there has been a series of conversations held over countless years, some of which involved begging – literally – for the DADA to revise its stance on the issue. Moving the show to another time in the year would undoubtedly also allow it to benefit from attracting new businesses and partnerships as well, bringing in additional revenue.
Rescheduling the show might even help Detroit’s fledging creative industry – which includes everything from bespoke jewelry makers to hand-built bike builders, fashion designers and automotive artists such as Camilo Pardo.
Not so long ago, when the Los Angeles auto show was held in January, competing head on with Detroit, the DADA had a chance to say ‘OK, let’s change the show dates’. Unfortunately they were stubborn, forcing LA to back down and move the show to November. That didn’t really matter for showgoers on the west coast – LA is just as pleasant in November as it is in January. As for journalists, I’ll go out on a limb here and say we generally prefer to cruise around in convertibles than to have to look for the de-icer while shoveling a foot of snow off the windshield. Even if the Big Three offer remote start and seat heaters…
While LA now rejoices in welcoming visitors over the Thanksgiving holiday the Detroit Auto Dealer’s Association have continued to remain steadfast in their ways. Call it tradition or obstinacy. Though the show claims to have attracted a record number of visitors to Cobo hall yet again, I still think they could do better.
