Quote:
Originally Posted by mkoesel
While I agree that the Detroit Metropolitan Area is not known for its wealthy neighborhoods, which indeed are few, and certainly American cars proliferate the roadways, European luxury cars, including BMWs are quite common around the region as well. This is not as true of Japanese luxury vehicles, by the way, which seem to be less acceptable, even as Honda and Toyota vehicles are quite popular.
The fact is, when it comes to luxury offerings, American manufacturers still lag behind the Germans when it comes to excitement. Cadillac comes the closest, but one not so obvious cultural nuance here is that if you are, for example, a "Ford Guy", you are more likely to be able to justify a BMW than a Cadillac. And, your gear-head family and friends will largely understand why you have no interest in a Lincoln.
I think that if BMW had thought there were any risk to sales by pulling out, they'd not have made the choice. The reality though, is that auto sales in general in this day and age are less and less dependent on presence at shows. So, I don't think this is a question of the geographical region nor Detroit being a small market for BMW - I just think that trade shows are slowly becoming irrelevant.
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For sure. Auto shows in general seem to have lessening relevance due to the rise of social media, Youtube, etc. You don't need to visit an auto show to see a car, you can learn everything about it for free online.
But I do think location plays some role. BMW and Mercedes didn't pull out of other big shows, at least not yet.
Anyhow, I'm glad I was able to experience the show during its glory days when every manufacturer was there and the concept cars were wastefully extravagant.