Nissan Pulls Out of Detroit and Chicago Auto Shows

Detroit, November 24, 2008: According to Lindsay Chappell, writing for Automotive News, Nissan North America has canceled plans to participate in the annual Detroit and Chicago auto shows, citing depressed economic conditions.

The decision puts Nissan and Infiniti brands onto a growing list of automakers that are skipping out on the major Detroit international marketing event in 2009. Also withdrawing from the January show are Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari.

The Chicago auto show is scheduled for February.

Both shows draw media attention to new products from all over the world, in addition to displaying the product line-ups to local consumers.

Nissan corporate spokesman Alan Buddendeck said the decision reflects the current state of the industry and not the Detroit and Chicago shows themselves.

Buddedeck said Nissan believes it effectively got its new product messages for 2009 across at the Los Angeles auto show earlier this month. The company unveiled its new 370Z roadster and the upcoming Cube in Los Angeles.

'Not a small line item'

Automakers across the industry are tightening budgets to conserve cash as new vehicle sales plummet to recession levels.

In comments to reporters at the Los Angeles show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said he is no longer interested, at the moment, in creating a new affiliation with a North American automaker, as he has been over the past two years. Instead, he said, he is focused on conserving cash.

Buddendeck declined to say how much a full-blown presence at the Detroit or Chicago show would cost Nissan.

He added: "It's not a small line item on your marketing budget."