North American International Auto Show facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Detroit Auto Show

Genre	Auto show
Venue	Huntington Place
Location(s)	Detroit, Michigan
Country	United States
Inaugurated	1907
Previous event	January 10–20, 2025
Next event	January 14–25, 2026
Organised by	Detroit Auto Dealers Association

The Detroit Auto Show is a big yearly event held in Detroit, Michigan. It used to be called the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). This show takes place at Huntington Place and has been there since 1965. It's one of the largest auto shows in North America and is very important for the automotive industry.

The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) organizes the show. For many years, it was held every January. The public can usually visit for one to two weeks. Before that, there are special previews for people who work in the car industry and for the media. There's also a fancy "charity preview" party. This event raises money for local children's charities.

History of the Detroit Auto Show

How the Show Started

The first auto show in Detroit happened in 1907 at Beller's Beer Garden. It was only the second car show ever, after the one in Paris in 1898. William E. Metzger helped organize it. Since then, the show has happened every year, except from 1941 to 1953. For many years, it was mostly a local event. But in 1957, carmakers from other countries started to show their vehicles there.

Becoming an International Event

In 1987, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) wanted the show to become international. They traveled to places like Europe and Japan. They convinced car companies to bring their new cars to the North American Auto Show. This plan worked! In 1989, the show was renamed the North American International Auto Show. It was the first car show in the United States approved by the OICA, a big international car organization.

Where the Show Takes Place

Since 1965, the show has been held at Huntington Place. This building used to be called Cobo Center. The show uses almost one million square feet of space there. Before Huntington Place, the show was held in other famous spots around Detroit. These included the Light Guard Armory and the Michigan State Fairgrounds.

Show Attendance and Impact

The show has seen many visitors over the years. In 2003, a record 838,066 people attended. In 2016, there were 815,575 ticketed attendees. The charity preview is also very popular. In 2004 and 2005, it attracted 17,500 people and raised $7 million for charity. The auto show brings in a lot of money for Detroit, estimated to be over $500 million for the local economy.

Changes and Cancellations

Some luxury car brands like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz stopped attending the show in recent years. In 2018, there were plans to move the show from January to June starting in 2020. The idea was to attract more visitors and add outdoor events. An outdoor festival called "Motor Bella" was planned to show off European supercars.

However, the 2020 show was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Huntington Place was even used as a field hospital during that time. The 2021 show was also canceled. Instead, the organizers held a smaller outdoor event called Motor Bella in Pontiac, Michigan. This event took place from September 21–26.

For 2022 and 2023, the show returned to downtown Detroit in September. For the 2025 show, it moved back to January and was renamed the Detroit Auto Show again.

The 2007 North American International Auto Show
A view of the 2009 NAIAS, showing the Volkswagen exhibit

Recent Auto Show Editions

The 2025 Show

The 2025 Detroit Auto Show returned to its usual January dates. Because of this, there was no show in 2024. The public show ran from January 11–20. Media and charity previews were held on January 10. The charity event featured a performance by Flo Rida.

The 2025 show was held completely indoors at Huntington Place. Many major car companies were there, including Ford, General Motors, Kia, Stellantis, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Other brands like BMW and Honda were shown by local dealerships. Ineos made its first appearance at the Detroit Auto Show. Fancy and exotic cars were displayed in "The Gallery" section.

The show also had four indoor test tracks. The "Powering Michigan EV Experience" let visitors ride in electric cars from brands like BMW, Cadillac, and Rivian. The new "Detroit Grand Prix Track" featured both electric and gas-powered cars. Ford and Jeep also had their own off-road courses.

Not many new cars were introduced at the 2025 show. This is partly because other tech shows, like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), now introduce many new vehicles. Ford did reveal a new Mustang prototype and a special edition Mustang GTD.

New Cars Shown in 2025

Ford Mustang GTD Spirit of America (a special edition car)
Ford Mustang RTR (a prototype car)

The 2023 Show

The 2023 public show took place from September 16–24. The media preview was on September 13, and the charity preview was on September 15. Singer Jennifer Hudson performed at the charity event.

This show happened at the start of the 2023 United Auto Workers strike. This strike targeted Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, which are the show's biggest exhibitors. The UAW union held a rally outside, but they did not stop people from attending the show.

The 2023 show was entirely indoors. All three Detroit-based carmakers were there. Kia, Toyota, and Volkswagen also had exhibits. Honda and Hyundai were represented by local dealerships. Smaller displays of cars from other brands were also available.

A new feature in 2023 was the "Powering Michigan EV Experience." This was a large indoor test track where visitors could ride in new electric vehicles from GM, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, and Tesla. Tesla's involvement was notable, as it was their first time at the NAIAS since 2015. The track had a long strip for showing off acceleration and a winding course for handling. Ford and Jeep also brought back their popular off-road demonstration courses.

New Cars Shown in 2023

2025 Cadillac CT5 (an updated version)
2024 Ford F-150 (an updated version)
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (first time shown at an auto show)
2024 GMC Acadia
2024 Jeep Gladiator (an updated version)

The 2022 Show

The full NAIAS returned to Huntington Place in 2022. The public show ran from September 17–25. The media preview was on September 14, and the charity preview was on September 16. Then-U.S. President Joe Biden visited the media preview. Nile Rodgers & Chic performed at the charity event.

The 2022 show had a new layout. The main exhibits were indoors at Huntington Place. Other events were held outdoors in nearby Hart Plaza. Stellantis, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, and Subaru had large exhibits. Volkswagen had a smaller display. Many other car brands were shown by new vehicles on display, even without their own big exhibits.

Interactive test tracks were back from the Motor Bella event. These tracks offered rides in Ford and Stellantis vehicles. Ford's track showed off the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Ford Bronco's off-road skills. Stellantis had two tracks: "Camp Jeep" for off-road Jeeps and another for Ram pickup trucks. To celebrate "Jeep ducking" (a fun trend among Jeep owners), Stellantis even rented the World's Largest Rubber Duck for the show!

New Cars Shown in 2022

2023 Chevrolet Tahoe RST Performance Edition
2023 Chrysler 300C
2024 Ford Mustang
2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe 30th Anniversary Edition
2023 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe
2023 Lincoln Corsair (an updated version)
2023 Toyota Crown (first time shown at an auto show)

New Concept Cars Shown in 2022

Lincoln Star (first time shown at an auto show)

The semi-finalists for the 2023 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards were also announced at the show.

The 2021 Motor Bella Event

The full NAIAS for September 2021 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the organizers held an outdoor event called Motor Bella. It took place at the M-1 Concourse in Pontiac from September 21–26.

New Cars Shown in 2021

2022 Toyota Tundra

The 2020 Show (Canceled)

The 2020 show was supposed to be held from June 13–20. It was canceled in March 2020 because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 Show

The 2019 show ran from January 19–27 at Cobo Center. It started with a 2020 Shelby GT500 being lowered from the ceiling! About 30 new cars were launched during the previews. This was fewer than the 69 cars launched in 2018. New versions of the Kia Soul and the 2020 Shelby GT500 were big attractions. USA Today noted that many carmakers were bringing back older models, like the Toyota Supra and the midsize Ford Ranger. Some carmakers used virtual reality displays. There were also protests outside the event about Ford's environmental record and GM layoffs.

The show included:

January 12 – Gallery (special display)
January 14–15 – Press preview
January 14–17 – Automobili-D (a show about future car technology)
January 16–17 – Industry preview
January 18 – Charity preview
January 19–27 – Open to the public

At the show, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group announced they would work together on commercial vans and mid-size pickup trucks. They also planned to share electric vehicle and self-driving car technology in the future.

The Porsche exhibit stand at the 2012 NAIAS

Awards at the Show

Two main awards are given out at the Detroit Auto Show. These are the EyesOn Design Awards for Design Excellence and the Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year Award. The Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year Award started in 1994. About 55 car journalists judge these awards. They look at things like value, new ideas, design, performance, safety, technology, and how much drivers enjoy the cars.

EyesOn Design Award Winners

2004: The Mazda Kabura concept won for "Aesthetics & Innovation." The Ferrari FXX prototype won for "Functionality." The Chevrolet Camaro (fifth generation) won for "Concept Implementation."
2007: The 2007 Chrysler Nassau concept won for "Aesthetics & Innovation." The Kia Kue concept won for "Functionality." The 2008 Cadillac CTS (second generation) production model won for "Concept Implementation." The Jeep Trailhawk concept won for "Spirit of Industrial Design."
2008: The Cadillac CTS concept and the Chrysler ecoVoyager won for concept car and truck. The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V and the BMW X6 won for best production car and truck.
2009: The Audi Sportback and the Cadillac Converj (ELR) won for concept vehicles. The Audi R8 V10 and the BMW Z4 (E89) won for production vehicles.
2010: The GMC Granite won for concept vehicles. The Audi A8 won for production vehicles.
2011: The Porsche 918 RSR won for concept vehicles. The 2011 Audi A6 won for production vehicles.
2012: The Lexus LF-LC won for concept vehicles. The 2013 Ford Fusion won for production vehicles.
2013: The 2014 Cadillac ELR won in the "Production Category." The Nissan Resonance concept and the Ford Atlas concept tied for the "Concept Category" award.
2014: The 2015 Ford Mustang won "Best Production Vehicle." The Volvo Concept XC Coupé won "Best Concept Vehicle" and "Best Use of Color, Graphics, and Materials."
2015: The Ford GT won "Best Designed Production Vehicle." The Buick Avenir won "Best Concept Vehicle" and "Best Use of Color, Graphics, and Materials." The Audi Q7 won "Best Designed Interior."

Images for kids

The 2007 North American International Auto Show
A view of the 2009 NAIAS, showing the Volkswagen exhibit
The Porsche exhibit stand at the 2012 NAIAS

External links

Official webpage: http://detroitautoshow.com/