Whatever you've seen or heard about the city of Detroit and what's happened there over the past ten years is still less tangible than visiting the city in person.
Even on the plane, my fellow passengers warned me about safety and avoiding certain parts of the city. However, when I arrived on Sunday afternoon, I decided to leave the hotel and go into the city.
On the way along the highway, I was surrounded by a lot of factories and chimneys. After entering the city, I was surprised, the surroundings were gaping with emptiness. Emptiness after the non-existent legendary buildings, which until recently belonged to the largest corporations not only in the USA, but also in the world. Gradually, I came to a large glass building, the headquarters of the former unit in the global automobile market. It seems that not only the car factory, but also what was once a very nice building, has seen its best days. Next to it is an exhibition center, which is adjacent to the hockey stadium of the Detroit Red Wings hockey club.
The auto show began with a press day on Monday. The Detroit Auto Show, also called the North American Auto Show, is the most famous. It is necessary to state that this auto show is different. Different from any other like it. I will only mention a few of my observations that are unique to the Detroit Auto Show, but at the same time they are a kind of view on the current state of the automotive industry.
The new and largest limousine in its line was introduced by the KIA car manufacturer with the K900 model. A very important parameter for the launch of this limousine on the North American market is the competition, which speaks about where the model wants to go. It is a clear competitor to the Mercedes-Benz E-class, BMW 5-series and Audi A6. However, what is already noticeable in this upper middle-class car is the design approach and especially the incredible price, which is up to 30 percent lower in the USA compared to the competition from Germany. We will see how the possible launch of the model on the remaining markets, including Europe, will turn out.
Another novelty was the introduction of the youngest member of the luxury German car manufacturer Porsche in the small SUV category – the Macan model. The Porsche Macan falls between the already existing large Cayenne and the lower ranks of other daughter models. The technology used gives the driver all the advantages of the large Cayenne, but with the fact that the vehicle is designed for smaller families, or families with children who have a relationship with luxury SUVs. To my surprise, there was really very little space in the rear seats and I am convinced that the vehicle, when fully occupied, will only be able to be used for two adults and their children or only for short distances in cities.
Another German automaker with sports roots introduced not only a concept, but also a fully functional electric vehicle, the BMW i8, which, as everyone believes, will soon be offered by the Bavarian automaker, which is not lagging behind its competitors in this segment.
But what was the biggest highlight of the Detroit Auto Show? I can say with certainty that the automotive industry as such has overcome the consequences of the crisis and it seemed that the auto show was completely flooded with new products not only in the lower and middle class. The German automaker Audi is also reaping success in the USA, where for the first time in history it sold a total of 158 thousand vehicles and in December 2013 it can boast of record sales of more than 17 thousand vehicles. Globally, total sales also increased to 1.5 million vehicles.
At the auto show, car manufacturers are interested in presenting not only new models, but also concepts. I didn't sense any hint of concern about further developments here.
A very interesting observation was also the large number of Asian-looking young people who were running from car to car, constantly taking notes and taking pictures of everything. The interesting thing was that they were taking pictures of details that an ordinary person would not notice. Small welds, handles and other specific parameters on new cars and studies. Looking at them, the only and one hundred percent correct answer came to my mind – industrial espionage.
In the past, however, it has been secretive and much more sophisticated than this one I had the opportunity to see in Detroit. However, I believe that this time it will benefit consumers and the largest automakers will be able to defend their technological leadership in the near future.
Vladimir Orth