Detroit auto show 2021 leaving downtown for Pontiac

On Jan 11, 2021

After years spent trying to reinvent itself as an indoor-outdoor event that would fill downtown Detroit with new cars and automotive festivities, the North American International Auto Show is folding its tent for 2021, relocating to M1 Concourse, a small development made up of a race track surrounded by luxury garages in Pontiac.

The new show, renamed Motor Bella, will be “a bridge to the future” of the auto show, according to a statement by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, which runs the auto show.

The Corvette ZR1 greets attendees as they enter the doors of the 2019 North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit on Jan. 19, 2019.

Motor Bella will have an abbreviated run Sept. 21-26, considerably less than the original plan for events in downtown Detroit from Sept. 24-Oct. 9. The name “Motor Bella” was going to be used for a street fair featuring Italian and English luxury and performance models near Detroit’s stadium district.

“This year will be as fluid with schedules of events as 2020, particularly as the rollout of the vaccine is slower and bumpier than desired,” Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs said.

Sources cited concerns that COVID-19 would still be raging for the move to the smaller venue, which is entirely outdoors. In addition to vehicle displays from automakers, M1 Concourse will allow for events showcasing vehicle performance and technology.

Charity event

The smaller event will still have a charity component to offset the cancellation of the Charity Preview, one of Detroit’s hottest tickets and a multimillion-dollar benefactor to groups across southeast Michigan.

“This all-outdoor venue, with adrenaline-pumping track activities and a full complement of OEM and technology exhibits, is going to offer the sights, sounds and even the smell of all that the new world of mobility has to offer,” DADA executive director Rod Alberts said.

The move is a significant retrenchment from just three months ago, when the show’s organizers announced a fall extravaganza in the TCF Center and surrounding streets, parks and public areas throughout downtown Detroit.

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“While auto shows remain an important platform to promote new mobility innovations and to help people make major vehicle purchase decisions, the traditional auto show model is changing,” Rod Alberts said. “We cannot ignore the major disruptions caused by the pandemic and the impact it has had on budgets. As such, we will be providing an amazing experience to the media, the auto industry and the public in a cost-effective way.”