Changes at Detroit auto show mean little to consumer shows like Philadelphia’s

Much of the news out of this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit focused as much on what didn’t happen as what did.

The absence of many nameplates — BMW and Mini among them — left many questioning the future of auto shows. And moving Detroit from January to June for 2020 also set tongues wagging.

When those two makes and Cadillac bowed out of Philadelphia’s show — which runs through Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center — questions naturally arose about its future as well.

But industry experts and Philadelphia Auto Show organizers agree that the future of the show remains as strong as ever, even in the internet/Instagram age.

Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst for the car site Edmunds, said the focus of auto shows is changing.

“I think what we’ll see is they become more of a consumer event,” Caldwell said. “Before, auto shows did a lot for the media to drum up attention, but now it’s easy to engage the media in different ways.”

The changes in Detroit underscore that. The Detroit show will move from January to June, allowing attendees to enjoy better weather along the Great Lakes, and taking it out of the hot midwinter debut cycle. Whether the many brands that skipped — Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Mini, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Porsche, Jaguar, and Land Rover — make a return remains to be seen.

And rather than compete with the Consumer Electronics Show, Detroit will likely change focus — to consumers.

Auto shows "always have been more popular with consumers,” Caldwell said.

In Philadelphia, the numbers back up that idea strongly. Annual attendance has run right around the 250,000 mark since 2015.

Ian Jeffrey, chairman of the Philadelphia show, says the show is the perfect place to comparison-shop.

“The auto show is 750,000 square feet of almost every car imaginable there,” Jeffrey said. “People shop multiple cars at one time.”

He gave the example of minivans. Say there are 10 available on the market right now. At the auto show you can sit in all of them without sales pressure, while otherwise it might take weeks or months to research them at dealers.

Auto industry experts agree.

Jack Gillis is executive director of the Consumer Federation of America and author of The Car Book, an annual look at models available to U.S. consumers, now in its 39th year. He’s more of a car-industry watchdog than a cheerleader, but he’s all for consumers heading to the show.

“I strongly recommend consumers spend a good afternoon at the auto show and sit in them, check out the backseat,” Gillis said. “When you’re in a dealership, you feel like the dealer is breathing down your neck.

“There’s no test drive, but it can help you narrow your choices down.”

But even the “no test drives” idea has been cast aside over the last few years. This year, the Philadelphia Auto Show will have ride and drives in models from Toyota, Volkswagen, and Mazda.

Because people don’t buy cars frequently, it can be easy to lose track of the latest technology. Cars may look the same but have drastically improved features.

For instance, the average buyer will not see much obvious new sheet metal differences between a 2011 Ford Explorer and a 2019. But Mr. Driver’s Seat’s long-ago reviews of the 2011 and the 2016 point out the astounding differences in the two model years.

Ron Montoya, senior advice editor for Edmunds, says that if you don’t know where to start, start there.

“If you’re not sure what kind of car you want, then you’re the perfect kind of customer to go to a car show,” Montoya said.

But there’s more to the show than just the cars themselves. Knowledgeable people can answer questions without a lot of sales pressure, and the displays often feature electronic kiosks and other interactive functions allowing consumers to adjust the configurations and colors of the models and more.

“It’s essentially what you find on the website, but it’s a nice way to see it side by side on the car," Montoya said.

Jeffrey added even more selling points for your visiting pleasure.

“They have the virtual-reality simulations where you can drive cars,” Jeffrey said. “The auto show is more than just your cars; it’s a day out.”

He listed the Hollywood cars, with vehicles like the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, the family truckster from the Chevy Chase Vacation movies, and the customization display with DUB. Camp Jeep takes visitors over a hilly, bumpy, rocky indoor trail simulation.

And there’s more that goes on behind the scenes. Manufacturers visit the region and stay in touch with dealership franchises through the shows. Corporate has meetings with regional teams.

The auto dealers association uses the show to give presentations to introduce young people to careers in the industry, say as automotive technicians or service advisers.

And finally, there’s a lot of giving back to the community through the auto show. Two dollars from every ticket goes to the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation, and the annual black-tie gala the night before opening day raises money for the department of nursing at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.