Porsche Out of Detroit Auto Show
 

Looks like Porsche is starting to be more selective in what auto shows they will participate in, based on their sales statistics. Interesting article.

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/porsche-will-skip-2008-detroit-auto-show-ar37560.html

i wonder jsuthow much money they will save with that move...

sidenote: how much does it cost a company like Porsche to bring cars to the autoshows?

I've always noticed that Porsche seemed to have the lowest key presence at Auto Shows. Here at the NY Auto Show they rarely displayed the Carrera GT. Meanwhile Merc and BMW had all this fanfare like the McLaren SLR on some giant revolving carousel.

My guess is Porsha is trying to isolate the brand and push it closer to the Maseratis and Aston Martins and farther away from the Mercs, Audis and BMWs.
Porsche are probably in their most exclusive and profitable position ever in their history they probably feel they have to stay above the competition by not sharing space with them.

@p/l..I agree with you. the last car show here in SF, the Porsche is sitting next to Audi , VW, Mini and BMW and right across from them is Toyota, Acura, Honda and Mazda.

My brother in law actually made a comment that Porsche is a very common cars now that they are lined up next to the regular cars that you see everyday :eek: w/c is kinda tru but still.....

Plus they don't have any of the GT's lined up...they have the Caymans, Cayenne, Boxsters and few 911 :(

"Of the North American trade fairs in 2008, Porsche will among others be attending those in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Toronto."

Well, jeez. In the days of digital photography and websites dedicated to new/future models, how many shows do you need per region?

If a car shows up for the first time at the Frankfurt show... everybody from Paris to Detroit knows about it two months in advance, has spy shots two weeks in advance, and by the time its actually at the first show, its being replaced in the headlines already by the design announcement of the new next best thing.

We're a lot more mobile and informed these days and perhaps the idea of the traveling circus hitting every town is a bit of a dinosaur.

[QUOTE=fishage
We're a lot more mobile and informed these days and perhaps the idea of the traveling circus hitting every town is a bit of a dinosaur.[/QUOTE]

ahhhhh, those we're the days when we get excited everytime we hear the circus in town...now we get excited on car shows and mods :D

Porsche actually has its OWN HALL here in Los Angeles @ the Convention Center. They do not share! Every car is on display but you are only allowed to sit in the Boxster and Caymen.

you can only sit in the Cayman/Box?

that's sooooo L.A.
Even if you tell the bouncer you want to buy a bottle?

Here at NYC auto show they keep all Pcars locked. I bet you they don't come back next year.

3 bottle min. if you even want them to look at your face.

Let's be somewhat fair here.. Most folks already know what a Porsche is and know they can go to a dealer to get a close up and buy one. Also consider that at many of the "smaller shows" it is the local dealer group, and not the factory, that participate and Porsche has been able to reign in the non factory owned dealerships to do what "they" say and not the other way around.

Also realize that Detroit is no longer the automotive center of the world. So.. neither is their show. The big "$$" that buys porsches is on the coasts.. not the midwest. Sure, for the "locals" it is another slight. But beyond those in Detroit or who would go to Detroit, in January, in doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

for journalists the Detroit show is still the top show. I think its more a slight to the jounos than the locals. This is Porsche's biggest market it will be interesting to see what the writers have to say. Guess Porsche no longer needs all the publicity it can get.

I'm more interested in seeing how Porsche will do this weekend at the 24 Hours LM. They've been getting drilled by Ferrari in FIA GT2 so far in 07.

The Detroit Auto Show is HUGE and draws from Michigan, Ohio and a large portion of Southwestern Ontario (where I live). Hey...its cold here in January and we have nothing else to do! Most manufacturers are represented there, but anyone who has walked the show knows that American Big 3 takes front and center. You are right though....this area does not buy many Porsches relative to the US coasts, as the figures they published for Michigan sales shows. It looks like Porsche is taking the money saved from this and other shows they intend to pull out of and directly target the potential customer/repeat customer through other means.

I guess I will need to travel to Toronto now for my winter fix of Porsche's auto show offerings!