NAIAS 2022 RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN DETROIT

The 2022 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) will return to downtown Detroit from September 14 to 25 at Huntington Place. The iconic auto show hasn’t taken place in Detroit proper since the last official edition wrapped in January of 2019.

Before the world was plunged into the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, NAIAS organizers had already planed to change the format of the show, moving it from its traditional bone-chilling date in mid-January to a more California-friendly date in June 2020. The hope was to create more of a street festival atmosphere that would hopefully help spike slumping attendance figures and vendor lists.

Like everything else in 2020, NAIAS was canceled, but it unofficially returned in 2021 during Motor Bella, an event hosted at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. Unfortunately, the weather was extremely uncooperative during the mostly outdoor 2021 event, with the scheduled media days all but completely rained out. It was thought Motor Bella would permanently replace the traditional NAIAS format, with shoppers allowed to test-drive vehicles and get more hands-on than NAIAS had traditionally allowed.

For NAIAS 2022, Media and Tech days will take place during September 14 and 15, with a Charity Preview on September 16, before the show opens to the public from September 17 to 25. In addition to the main show at Huntington Place, organizers say there will be additional city-wide activations throughout downtown Detroit designed to highlight a range of vehicles, technology, and Michigan’s position as a mobility, electrification, and technology incubator.

“We are proud to return to downtown Detroit and to work with Mayor Duggan and the city of Detroit again,” said Rod Alberts, executive director, DADA. “Capitalizing on everything we’ve learned over the past two and a half years, we are uniquely positioned to bring a dynamic, engaging, experiential show to Detroit in 2022.”

You can count on MC&T to be out in full force during NAIAS 2022, bringing you the latest vehicle debuts, along with the exclusive content you’ve come to know and love from our small editorial team.