Tony Whitney Contributing Writer

FOR a dozen years or more now, I’ve shaken off the post-holiday season. blues by drag- ging myself off to YVR early in January and heading for the North American International

Auto Show in Detroit.

The journey usually isn’t much fun and fast year it included a 64-hour bus ride through the worst snow for 25 years. But whatever travel problems the winter may bring, I’m always more than happy to be in Detroit when _ the new year dawns. It’s a

_ great city and the show is now the biggest in North America by far -- appropriate enough for the birthplace of the North American automo- bile industry.

lL attend auto shows all over the world and there aren’t many that can match Detroit. It’s grown so big in recent years that there are now four press days, kicked off by what has become a Sunday tradition — 2 “reveal” of the latest concept

“3 vehicles by General Motors,

. Ford and DaimlerChrysler. ” 3: Journalists from the print a and electronic media flock to ~ Detroit from all over the world with Europe and Asia especially well-represented. I don’t know what the final niedid attendance figure was, but I was told that there were 1,600 more scribes in atten- dance for 2000 than fast year. The press room, which seemed constantly packed “with busy reporters, even has ‘an “imaging centre” com-

“;, plete with a banery of the lat-

_est.G4 Macs and all the film _ Scanners and telephone lines needed to transmit show

/AYLORE

photos worldwide.

Automakers spend vast sums on shows like this and sue of the stands in Detroit were said to have cost mil- lions. Many of the costly dis- plays and stages are only set up for the media events. By the time the public flood in, they've been taken apart and removed for use at another show.

The routine for media in Detroit is fairly straightfor- ward. You just battle your way from one press confer- ence and model unveiling to the next, pausing only ta grab a press kit and maybe a quick coffee. For most events, it’s standing room only unless you skip the pre- vious press extravaganza to stake out a seat at the next.

Besides the vehicles and much upbeat talk from exec- utives, 2 press event might include anything from aerial dance performers to military bands. GM even had TV’s Bill Nye, The Science Guy on hand to talk about a big envi- ronmental display on the cor- poration’s huge section of the show.

Most of the journalists I talk to would prefer the automakers to just give us the

‘facts and show us the car, but

there’s no holding back the intensely competitive nature

3

lOTIV

photo General Motors

CONCEPT cars turned heads at the North American international Auto Show in Detroit in n danuary. GM’ 's SSR cenvertibie pickup may see production.

of the auto business. More than likely, most of us secretly enjoy all the flim flam and it would certainly be a duller world without it.

Naturally, there were highlights, and with more than 50 new vehicles on dis- play, there were lots of them. Standouts for me were GM’s “double whammy” of the Chevrolet Avalanche and Pontiac Aztek SUVs,

Chrysler's cleverly conserva- tive new minivans and Volvo’s new V70 wagon, shown in owo and all-wheel drive forms. Acura’s new SUV looked interesting, too.

The concepts are always exciting and i loved Chrysler's beautiful 300 Hemi C convertible, based on the 300M, and GM’s SSR convertible pickup — which may see production.

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Mercedes showee a small “styling exercise” roadster based on its Eurepean A- Class model, buc fc was upstaged by Jaguar's wonder- fully evocative F-Type sport- ster. This one looked like a re-incarnation of the much~ missed E-Type of the 1960s. Another attention-grabber was a big, V-10 powered ~ pickup truck from, of all peo- ple, Volkswagen.

OF course, many of the new inodels on show in’ Detroit will find their way to Vancouver's Pacific International Auto Show, slated for March 31-April 19 this year. More about what to expect at BC Place Stadium in another column.

Tony Whitney’s column appears courtesy of the B.C.

utomobile Dealers?” Associstion (BCADA).

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