Final Winter Detroit Auto Show A Shadow Of Its Former Self

Detroit, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jan, 2019 ) :As row upon row of automakers' latest models gleam in the bright lights of the Detroit auto show, the exhibitors ready to greet industry insiders and journalists are looking down -- into their smartphones.

They surf social media to kill boredom in a mostly empty convention hall.

Swaths of valuable real estate -- once occupied by sports cars and German luxury vehicles -- are filled with cafe stands and pop-up restaurants.

This is the solution organizers came up with to fill space vacated by automakers who this year skipped what had once been the flagship US auto exhibition.

The Cobo Center, a concrete and glass bubble on the banks of the Detroit River, sheltered exhibitors this week during the final January edition of the auto show.

Starting next year, the show will be held in June, avoiding the frosty Detroit winter.

The transitional auto show this year has been a subdued one, more lightly attended by press and industry than in the past, with fewer new car announcements.