The North American International Auto Show — rebranded last summer as the Detroit Auto Show — has long been a harbinger of innovation within the auto industry, drawing as many as 800,000 visitors to the city in the past.

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But attendance at the Detroit show — as well as other large-scale auto shows around the world — have been in decline in recent years, highlighting the changing dynamics automakers are facing in a post-COVID, largely digital-centric world.

WDET reporter Alex McLenon and Automotive News Executive Editor Jamie Butters joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss some of the reasons behind this decline in attendance and the changes they have seen over the years.

“I think when you think of the auto show, you think of the big different setups, the different flooring, different levels of cars, the turntables, the lights and stuff,” McLenon said. “That is noticeably less than it was like 15 years ago. But that shouldn’t really be news to anybody at this point. It’s kind of been like that for a while.”

Butters said a big part of the auto show has always been selling cars.

Related: Detroit Auto Show taking ‘hands-on’ approach to lure consumers in 2025

“At the auto show, they’re trying to give people experiences, right? If it’s not about the news, it’s about the consumers,” he said.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation, and other stories from “The Metro.”

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