Hundreds of shiny new vehicles are on display at the annual North American International Auto Show, which is under way in Detroit. But the highlight of the show is the grandiose product unveiling — something the auto for which the show is famous.
An American cultural phenomenon, the event is a reflection of the country's love affair with the automobile — and its addiction to kitsch.
Hyping Machines
Car makers are employing strobe lights, pyrotechnics, cowboys and even cattle in their efforts to publicize new models — known in industry parlance as the "reveal."
In an arena filled to capacity — mostly with the press — Ford unveiled its newly redesigned F-150 pickup truck Sunday afternoon.
The truck emerged from the back of the stage through a cloud of blue smoke and flickering strobe lights. Then, country-and-western singer Toby Keith talked up the virtues of the new truck.
"It's roomy, the interior is really slick, but it's still roomy for a big guy like me," he said.
Amid more strobe lights and smoke descended Ford's new small, fuel-efficient concept car: the Verve.
The event embodies the dichotomy of this year's show: on the one hand, Detroit's commitment to green; and on the other, its continued reliance on big trucks. But longtime industry observers say this "reveal" is a disappointment.
"It was slightly underwhelming because there wasn't an attempt at something grandiose. There was just, 'Here's a truck, and, oh look, there's Toby Keith,'" says Ray Wert, editor in chief of Jalopnik.com, a self-described Web site obsessed with car culture.
Cattle on the Streets of Detroit
This week's most anticipated reveal was for Chrysler's new Dodge Ram pickup truck. Two brand-new trucks joined a dozen cowboys herding 120 head of longhorn Texas steer through downtown Detroit.
It was a great idea, but in the end, it was just a group of big cows lumbering down the street. Then, when Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press tried to talk about the new truck, some of the steers began to mount each other.
"Well, let's not watch that. This is one show you're not going to forget. OK, look at the truck," he told the crowd.
Industry Pins Hopes on High-Profile 'Reveals'
Auto companies spend millions of dollars on these events — even at a time when the industry is struggling. But with some 5,000 journalists here — and thousands more picking up the images around the world on the Internet — they're a chance for automakers to push their brand.
Micheline Maynard, who covers the auto industry for The New York Times, says Chrysler is known for these spectacles.
"It's dropped minivans out of the ceiling; it's crashed Jeeps into and out of Cobo Center [site of the Detroit auto show], so I guess if you're going to make a point about how tough your truck is, why not round up 120 Texas longhorns and run them down the avenue in front of the convention center?"
But Wert of Jalopnik.com wasn't so sure.
"It was funny to watch. I don't know what it did to sell trucks," he says.
Marketing 'Blizzard' Makes Big Impression
Wert's favorite reveal was two years ago when Chrysler unveiled its Aspen SUV.
"They had a virtual snowstorm that blinded the audience in white to the point that you couldn't see the vehicle in front of you. But everyone remembered it because they were picking pieces of the paper out of their hair and clothes for the next month and a half," he says.
Wert says it's unclear if the fake blizzard helped sell cars, but he says it definitely made an impression. And that is apparently the point.
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