Frankfurt: Mercedes-Benz may pull out of the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit next year, according to people familiar with the matter, as carmakers increasingly choose to unveil new products at tech shows or their own special events.
Daimler AG, Mercedes’s parent, is moving toward stand-alone presentations of new models and technology summits like CES in Las Vegas, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the plan isn’t public.
The company has also started experimenting with new formats, hosting the Me Convention during Frankfurt’s auto show in September with South by Southwest, organisers of the annual music and technology festival in Austin, Texas. Mercedes exiting the Detroit event, a fixture on the annual car show circuit, would accelerate the trend of carmakers searching out new arenas for presentation.
A final decision hasn’t been made yet and Mercedes might still stick to its presence in Detroit, the people said. Sofia Stauber, a spokeswoman for Daimler, declined to comment. Automotive News earlier reported the potential pullback.
Last month, Mercedes — the biggest luxury carmaker — made a splash in Detroit unveiling the revamped G-Class sport utility vehicle, drawing on start power of former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
