It’s usually possible to gauge the mood of a motor show within a couple of hours, but that trick wasn’t so easy at the 2013 Detroit NAIAS.
The media preview days were generally upbeat – hardly surprising after a year in which the US market experienced a 14% increase in sales. Even those brands which fared badly elsewhere, like Volvo, managed single-digit sales improvements in 2012, and forecasters expect another 5-6% rise in US registrations this year.
An 8-9% increase is also expected in the all-important Chinese market. Just don’t mention the E word. No-one dares guess at what to expect in the Eurozone countries – even the German OEMs are braced for a sales decline in their domestic market.
There was no new Ford car to be seen – the focus was entirely on commercial vehicles, led by the new Transit
Most of the European brands that made their excuses and left after the 2008 banking crisis are now firmly back in the Detroit fold. Ferrari and Maserati had prominent displays, even though Michigan could hardly be regarded as their heartland. Maserati chose Detroit, of all shows, for the global debut of its sixth-generation Quattroporte.
But the atmosphere was strange from the outset, with Ford foregoing its usual ‘pole position’ press conference slot, and making everyone wait a day for the company’s top executives to go through their slick routines. It made the event feel unbalanced from the start, especially since there was no new Ford car to be seen – the focus was entirely on commercial vehicles (expected to enjoy a 28% improvement in sales between now and 2017), led by the new Transit, which goes on sale in the US towards the end of the year.
Amidst plenty of diversity on the show floor, of particular note was the abundance of SUVs – or SUV concepts – to pander to a market which can’t get enough of them.
The production version of the CrossBlue concept will be essential if Volkswagen is to reach its goal of 800,000 US sales a year by 2018. Nissan’s Resonance concept paves the way for what is rumoured to be shock styling for the 2014 Murano; the Lincoln MKC concept, based on the Ford Escape, is a pointer to how the brand might try to attract younger buyers; Honda’s Compact Urban SUV concept is chic, and the Acura MDX prototype hints at a model that Honda’s US luxury offshoot could use as an entry ticket to China, Russia and the Middle East.
With the exception of the Cadillac ELR, the low profile of alternative powertrains at the 2013 NAIAS has been overshadowed by a flexing of Detroit muscle
The German premium OEMs, predictably, had plenty to talk about. BMW presented its stylish 4 Series concept; and Mercedes-Benz responded with the equally handsome CLA, which was revealed in a Detroit hotel but not present on the show stand. That car makes its debut at the Geneva show in March.
With the exception of the Cadillac ELR, the low profile of alternative powertrains at the 2013 NAIAS has been overshadowed by a flexing of Detroit muscle, as Corvette celebrates 60 years with an all-new Stingray. European muscle came to Detroit in the shape of the modestly-revealed Audi RS 7 and the US version of the SQ5, whilst Mercedes-Benz showed off the E63 AMG which tops a facelifted E-Class range.
So, an upbeat yet sober NAIAS, with less showbiz and sales patter than we’ve come to expect at Detroit. Trucks and CVs, not much in the way of alternative powertrains, and the Eurozone crisis leaving a nasty dent in the shiny Detroit metal…a strange one indeed.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Automotive World Ltd.
Roger Stansfield is a freelance automotive industry journalist based in London. He covers all aspects of the automotive industry, with a particular focus on future technology.
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