RealityDriven: Auto Shows

- by Chris Olliff, Senior Editor

As most of you know, we have just come off of the 2007 Detroit Auto Show and most of us have “show hangover” which consists of hurting feet, empty wallets, and the desire never to step foot into Cobo Hall again. We have walked the hall 10 times over, and taken more photos than a Japanese tourist at Niagara Falls. Among my many travels at the show, I stumbled across what I like to call “The Hall of Misfits”….

Cobo Hall has a lower level that has some aftermarket companies, and there even used to be ½ of the VW stand down there…but not anymore……

Like those toys on the misfit island in the old Rudolf Christmas show we used to watch, having a stand down in the lower level is like being a part of a different culture. In the universal order of things, this is where you “pay your dues” until you can graduate up to the “big floor”. Yes, Hyundai and Kia got their start here, and it also is space for suppliers to be seen at the show. Not much foot traffic here, so it is a great place to take your time and have a quiet look around.

This year’s group consisted of Saleen, XM Radio, Michelin, DUB Magazine, Chainfang Auto of China, ect. For the first time since I can recall, VW did not have any space down there this year. Without them, it seemed that this floor was an afterthought or that you had taken a wrong turn….

Don’t get me wrong, if you want to trick out your ride or get away from the hustle of the main floor, then you should have a go on the lower level. It will be interesting to see how this area may change in the future, but for now it seems like a great place for the “Auto Show Misfits”.

- by Atul H. Patel, Editor-in-Chief

As a first time press day attendee to the Detroit North American International Auto Show, I must say that it was an interesting experience, particularly in how we were treated. First of all, the respect you get from the people representing the manufacturers is apparent. We have the power of the pen, (or is it the power of the keyboard?), so they have to be nice to us. Then there are the wonderful cafes with made-to-order cappuccinos and gourmet accompaniments including waiters who walk around feeding you appetizers. I felt like I was at a wedding... only with lots of cars. One other thing that struck me is that I was walking amongst some very powerful, highly paid executives. I could have said anything I wanted to them although mentioning that I was from RealtityDriven.com would have given me no extra credibility. That will take time.

I did have a somewhat press looking digital camera with which I took almost 300 pictures. But I'm of Indian descent, look young and I don't look like a journalist so some people looked at me like I didn't belong there. Little do they know that I used to work for one of the car companies and I have 12 years in the business. I think I know my stuff, (or at least I can write like I do). When it came to picking up press kits, some companies/divisions were very friendly about it, like Dodge, GM, and Toyota while others asked for business cards to mail the kits later. Since we're a new website, I didn't have my RealityDriven.com business cards on-hand, but I still convinced the Maserati guy to give me a kit. My regular job business card helped here. In a way, the more press kits you get, the more of a pain it is. You have carry all that stuff around in a bag with handle straps that aren't very comfortable. Then when lunch rolled around, I had to put the stuff and my camera below a seat while I grabbed food, (which was very good by the way).

One other obstacle we had to continually deal with were the shifting sectioned off areas for various interviews and photo shoots. Usually after the press introduction of a new vehicle, we would leave and come back later after the rush died down, but then you couldn't necessarily get back to it the way you got there the first time. Often the vehicles were moved too. It was great seeing some TV show reporters getting interviewed including John Davis from the PBS show "Motorweek". I've been watching that show since I was 12 and have always respected their seemingly rare objectivity when it comes to the auto industry.

When it was all over, I felt like we had a great day. We accumulated knowledge, photos, and ideas for upcoming posts on RealityDriven.com to make the whole show more real for those of you who cannot attend in person.

Here are a few photos that one can only get on Press Day since they don't let the public close to the really expensive, pre-production, or experimental vehicles. That's just reality.