Nissan pulls out of Detroit auto show
Add Nissan to the list of carmakers dropping out of the 2009 Detroit auto show -- and mark it as the first to bail on Chicago’s.
Citing the bad economy and a lack of new products, Nissan said Monday that it would not be showing its vehicles at the January event, known as the North American International Auto Show, becoming the sixth auto company to drop out for the first time.
Suzuki, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover and Mitsubishi also will pass on the show, once considered the most important in the world. Porsche dropped out last January and said it would stay out in 2009.
In addition, Nissan said it would not participate in the Chicago Auto Show in February. No other carmakers have dropped out of that show.
“Based on the fact that we have no major new products to show . . . as well as the current economic conditions, which will impact the shows’ marketing effectiveness, we have decided to cancel our involvement and participation,” a Nissan representative said.
The company declined to confirm whether it would participate in the New York International Auto Show in March.
Nissan is currently exhibiting at the L.A. Auto Show, and last week it had news conferences for its Nissan 370Z coupe, the Nissan Cube crossover and the Infiniti G37 convertible.
The decision to withdraw from Detroit is dramatic. Carmakers without new products still usually rent space at the big auto shows -- New York, Detroit, Los Angeles and Chicago -- for the media and public traffic they draw.
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