Two of southeast Michigan’s signature automotive events will join forces this September to promote their new formats and the beauty of fall in the Great Lakes.
From the riverfront to the Cultural Center, Detroit will be abuzz with everything from the latest electric vehicles and self-driving technology to million-dollar classics as the North American International Auto Show and Detroit Concours d’Elegance share a weekend.
The auto show’s first weekend, including the ever-popular Charity Preview on Friday night, will overlap with the Detroit Concours Sept. 16-18. Other events will include the auto show’s first public days showcasing dozens of new cars in Huntington Place convention center, car collectors gathering near Comerica Park on Saturday and 140 classic cars of all eras on the grounds of the Detroit Institute of Arts on Sunday, Sept. 18.
“Downtown Detroit is going to be incredible,” NAIAS executive director Rod Alberts said. After a 3⅓-year hiatus, the auto show returns, with plans to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather. Details will be announced closer to the event, but expect everything from food trucks to outdoor test drives and tech demos.
Tickets to NAIAS, including the Charity Preview, go on sale July 11.
Driving classics cross-country to Detroit
The auto show took place during winter for decades. Due to the pandemic, this will be the first full-blown show since January 2019, when the Detroit Auto Dealers Association decided more temperate weather would provide a better showcase for test drives, tech demos and new vehicles.
Topping it off, a handful of classic cars will caravan from LeMay-America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, to Detroit, via some of America’s finest national parks and a stop at The Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo.
Called the Drive Home, the event has been part of the auto show since 2014.
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“It’s about America and coming home to Detroit,” America’s Car Museum CEO David Madeira said.
Some vehicles from the Drive Home will also shuttle auto show attendees from Huntington Place on the river to the concours in Midtown.
Previously called America’s Concours d’Elegance, the concours — a term for classic car shows — has been a summertime fixture in suburban settings for decades. New owner Hagerty, Traverse City-based automotive lifestyle brand a insurer of classic cars and wooden boats, decided to move it to Detroit’s Cultural Center because of the city’s rich automotive history.