North American International Auto Show 2019: U.S. and European OEMs

U.S. automakers continue focus on crossovers, utilities and trucks

2019/02/22

Summary

Ford Explorer
Ford Explorer

  The 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) was held from January 14 through January 27, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan, opening to the public starting January 19. There were 774,179 attendees at the show, a decrease of approximately 35,000 visitors compared to 2018. A major snowstorm hit the Metro Detroit area during the show's first weekend, resulting in approximately 33,000 fewer visitors compared to the same weekend in 2018.

  While not necessarily reflected in attendance numbers, NAIAS has seen a recent decline, resulting from CES and automakers unwilling to share attention for product reveals. Automakers unveiled 30 models at the 2019 NAIAS, compared to 69 reveals in 2018. Furthermore, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz were absent, joining other automakers who chose to not attend in recent years such as Porsche, Jaguar and Volvo. In response, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association announced that NAIAS would move to June starting in 2020.

  Following the restructurings announced by GM and Ford in 2018, U.S. automakers continued to emphasize utility vehicles and trucks. Ford debuted the next-generation Ford Explorer, with performance and hybrid versions. GM unveiled the Cadillac XT6, a luxury mid-size crossover highlighting the brand's shift away from sedans. Building on the Ram 1500 which debuted in 2018, FCA revealed the Ram Heavy Duty pickup. In contrast, Volkswagen focused on the sedan segment by launching the Passat for the U.S. market.

  This report is the first of two reports which will highlight notable vehicle models displayed at the 2019 NAIAS. This report focuses on models shown by U.S. and European OEMs, specifically Ford, GM, FCA and Volkswagen. A second report featuring Asian OEM models at NAIAS will be released in the future.

 

Related Reports:
CES 2019: Production models (Feb. 2019)
GM: Halting production at 5 plants in N. America, cutting 14,000 workers (Jan. 2019)
OEM Operations in the U.S. (Dec. 2018)
North American International Auto Show 2018
U.S. OEMs: Automakers focus on pickup truck and SUV segments due to regional demand
European OEMs: Variety of models underline Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen strategies in U.S.
Asian OEMs: Concepts and prototypes from Honda, Toyota and Nissan preview future vehicles

 

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