In a surprise move, Nissan has announced that it will not be attending the 2009 Detroit Auto Show or the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. Nissan says both decisions were made due to the current economic conditions. Granted, Nissan wasn’t planning on unveiling anything new at the show, so the company’s exhibit would have effectively been LA show redux anyway.
Nissan is just one of the many carmakers pull out of this year’s Detroit show, with Porsche, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari all planning to skip January’s NAIAS.
“We felt this was probably right now, not the best way to invest marketing money,” spokesman Alan Buddendeck told the Detroit News.
According to Buddendeck, the decision to pull out of Detroit and Chicago was solely based on available dollars and cents and not the merit of venues themselves. Buddendeck added that Nissan, along with its luxury Infiniti division (which won’t be at the Detroit and Chicago shows, either), got its 2009 product message across at last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show.
Buddendeck failed to mention exactly how much Nissan will save by skipping the shows, but did tell Automotive News that auto shows aren’t a “small line item on your marketing budget.”
At that Los Angeles show Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the key to surviving the current economic downturn would be to avoid or significantly reduce burning cash. By skipping the Detroit and Chicago shows, Nissan will definitely keep a few extra bucks in the bank.
11/24, 7:57 PM
posted by:
sakio327
Why don’t they admit that they really don’t want to be in Detroit in January. Especially this year when you might get cooties from the Big 3 and go down in flames.
11/24, 9:55 PM
posted by:
Get Real
To Detroit Rock City and the Windy City:
Ouch
11/24, 10:53 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Maybe they could invite the PBA to add to the festivities because by the sounds of it you’ll be able to roll one down there without hitting anybody.
11/24, 11:19 PM
posted by:
darx_ider
It will be nothing but Ghost auto show LOL
11/25, 12:01 AM
posted by:
planet_drive
I can understand not wanting to show at Detroit. Detroit is a dying city, an open sewer with an extremely high murder rate. Most cities in third world countries are better than Detroit. But why cancel Chicago?? The North American Auto show is practically dead now. The 3 most impressive auto shows I have ever seen were Geneva, LA, and Toronto. I know Tokyo auto show is amazing but I have yet to see that one.
11/25, 4:06 PM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
The Nissan display at the L.A. Auto Show is BIG!, but reviewing the photos I took last year I notice that it’s the same display, they just added a thing or two, now that I thank of it almost every one has the same, Now Ford as always go all out, and Dodge look fairly good, But Porsche was a disappointment, no high performance cars, and a played down display, and $8.00 buck$ a beer, last year they were $5.00, so go 1/2 way buzz, like that you don’t spend as mush, and eat be for you go! $6.00 for 2 tacos! Estan loco’s!