Varad More     5 Jan 2009

Every year, Detroit hosts the largest automobile show in North America, which also happens to be one of the oldest in the world. ZigWheels takes a precursory look at this year's edition of the show.

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has been the highlight of the American automobile industry for over five decades. It is the largest auto-show in the USA and it is held every year in Detroit, Michigan. Commonly known as the Detroit Auto Show, it is of particular importance since all three major Amercian car brands - Chrysler, Ford and General Motors have their headquarters located in the city. All major car-makers around the globe who want to make an impact on the American market, guarantee their presence at the Detroit Auto Show.

But the recent economic slowdown has thrown a few ugly surprises just before the big show is about to begin. Major auto-makers like Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover, Ferrari, Nissan and Infiniti have decided to pull-out of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Porsche had already withdrawn its participation in 2008 and since then it hasn't shown any signs of return. The reason behind the pull-out from these major automobile companies is clearly the fund crunch being faced by these big organisations.

Since most of these car-makers do not have any significant revelations to display at the Detroit Auto Show, most of them may hold the belief that all that money can be saved in the time of existing monetary slump. Out of the Japanese giants, Honda and Toyota have confirmed their presence but both of these companies will be highlighting their hybrid concepts, the Insight and the battery-powered Prius, respectively.

The big surprise comes in the form of Chinese automobile manufacturers BYD Auto Company and Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Company who will for the first time get the 11,000 square feet main floor space to display their range of models. The space was earlier allotted to Mitsubishi Motor Corporation but after the Japanese car-maker pulled out, the space was given to the two Chinese companies.

From the local boys, Ford will unveil the Shelby Mustang GT500 and the Taurus at the Cobo Centre while Chrysler will have a rather low-key appearance. From the Europe, BMW will showcase the new 2009 Z4 while the Mercedes Benz hall will have three BlueZero low-emission concept models of display emphasising the environmentally conscious thought that seems to have become the major theme at recent auto shows.

As for the entries from the land of the rising sun, apart from the hybrids from the Honda & Toyota stables, the latter company may debut an all-electric concept vehicle at Detroit. And while Subaru may have pulled out of rallying, rumors are abound about a new rear-wheel drive sports car concept from this Japanese car manufacturer which specializes in 4-wheel drive saloons.

Chinese manufacturer, Brilliance, is no new-comer to the Detroit Motor Show, having first appeared there last year. This year though, they're ecstatic to be in the limelight and will likely display their line of cars which are sold under the Zhonghua brand in China, which they expect to introduce in the North American market in the next couple of years. The other Chinese auto maker, BYD, is a debutante this year. But being the biggest manufacturer of cellphone batteries in the world, we can expect some interesting electric vehicle concepts from them at the NAIAS.