Detroit Auto Show returning to January time slot in 2025
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Detroit auto show is moving back to its original time in January, only a few years after it had been rescheduled to take place in the late summer.
Sources told FOX 2 the North American International Auto Show would resume operating at the beginning of the year, starting in 2025.
Organizers are "very, very excited to get back to our roots in January," said Todd Szott, the auto show's chairperson. "We tried a few things over the last few years and what the customers have been telling us is 'we love the January show. It was tradition, we knew when it was."
The massive car show and a flagship event for the Motor City was moved from the beginning of the year to September in 2020. However, the pandemic led to the annual show being canceled twice before it returned in 2022.
Attendance has been impacted since the auto show was moved.
"Last year, we were battling with a UAW strike that had just launched – that certainly didn't help," Szott said.
Organizers said the shift back to its original time during the early part of the year is better for the city and better for business.
"It's good for Detroit," Szott said. "Obviously, (January) is a slow period of time for hotels and restaurants. We love to bring people downtown for our premier event for the industry."
Dennis Archer, the owner of Central Kitchen and Bar in Detroit is excited about the auto show moving back to January.
"I love the auto show," Archer said. "Having Central here now for eight years, the economic impact of the auto show is very significant."
The summer show featured less of an emphasis on vehicles inside Huntington Place by incorporating more activities outside.
The summer date for the car show this year will be its last to take place before moving back to the winter.
The 2023 auto show generated an estimated $1 billion in economic impact for the city.