This weekend marks the press days at the Detroit Auto Show, which means that on Sunday and Monday, I'll be wandering Cobo Hall, searching out all the news that's fit to print.
It should be interesting to see how it all unfolds. A couple of manufacturers have already sent out notice that their booths and their displays will be considerably cut back this year. It's a tough line for them to walk, especially the domestics: they need to show their wares to the public, and to put on a brave face, but even so, they can't be too flashy, or people will wonder why they're asking for taxpayer money to keep them going. Chrysler has announced that it's not bringing a couple of cool displays that were bought and paid for many years ago -- a Jeep waterfall and giant Dodge logo -- because not everyone coming through the door knows that these items aren't new. Smart thinking. Too bad the guy who figured that out wasn't asked about the private jet to Washington.
And the future is coming at us pretty quickly. A couple of years ago, I saw the very first Chinese car ever displayed at the Detroit Auto Show. It was in the front lobby, not with the displays, and it was removed before the show opened to the public. The following year, I attended the first-ever press conference by a Chinese car company, very late in the day when most journalists were gone, and on the lower floor where the aftermarket companies are, not upstairs with the regular automaker displays. This year, two Chinese companies -- BYD and Brilliance -- each have press conferences, on the main floor, in the morning, and they're following the presentations by General Motors and Toyota, respectively. The Chinese cars aren't on their way over. They're here.
