Usually the premiere event for showcasing their new vehicles and courting new customers, several automakers are cutting back in this year's Los Angeles and Detroit Auto Shows; some aren't showing up at all.
"Clearly, we're affected," said Andy Fuzesi, general manager and co-owner of the Los Angeles Auto Show. "Everybody is clearly reassessing where they spend their money."
GM's offerings at the LA show are expected to be somewhat limited, as it's postponed launching the new Cadillac CTS Coupe and Buick LaCrosse sedan. Though we'll see the Saab 9-X Air concept and possibly the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, we hear we'd have to wait until the Detroit show in January (if not later) for a new product launch.
Things aren't much rosier for Chrysler, which is making local dealership owners pay for the company's exhibition stand at L.A. and possibly even in Detroit. We're expecting no new reveals here, either.
And while we'll see their wares at the L.A. show, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover, and Suzuki have all announced they won't attend this year's Detroit show in any form. Excluding Suzuki, we're not too surprised - Porsche, citing poor sales in the Midwestern region and Michigan in general, withdrew from the Detroit show for 2008.
Source: Los Angeles Times