Detroit Auto Show says so long to summer, is moving back to January

Before it was the show with the giant duck, the Detroit Auto Show was known for many other things — biting winds, slippery roads and driving snow among them. But winter in Detroit gave the show character and in turn, the show gave Detroiters (and the automotive world at large) something to look forward to during the crisp daylight of Midwestern January. That all changed with a foray into summer shows, but it now sounds like we have a date with Detroit winter all over again.

Automotive News reports that the North American International Auto Show is returning to its January time slot in 2025. The Detroit Auto Dealers Association, producers of the show, told the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau that the summer 2024 show is scratched, and the event will return to its original time.

The bureau's President and CEO Claude Molinari told Crain publications, “The Detroit and Southeast Michigan hospitality community, we’re thrilled by this move to have an incredible show during a time of the year that has historically not been the best time to sell major meetings and conventions.”

The Detroit News heard the same thing from two unnamed sources and was the first to report it, and likewise Fox 2 Detroit was told the same thing. An announcement is expected to be forthcoming.

The paper's sources indicated that the decision was made after show organizers struggled to attract families during the frenzy of back-to-school season (the 2023 show was held Sept. 16-24).