The 2017 North American International Auto Show got under way—for press and suppliers, at least—around the time of the DVN US Workshop. The Detroit auto show has skidded quite a ways downward from its heights in the 1950s and ’60s when it seemed everyone in the world wanted an American car (and that was the only type shown).
Despite heavy promotion of the show as roundly international and all-inclusive, makers who did not display at the show included Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, Land Rover, Jaguar, Porsche, MINI, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, and America’s own Tesla. These makers, amongst others, increasingly see the Detroit show as simply not relevant in a current-day automotive world where the North American innovation hot spots are in Silicon Valley.