![\"2017-0104-dm-me-autoshowpreview0292\"](\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/1ebcaf2da0a8ccedadbe0b0e4488f8efe1c48f9e\/c=194-0-4137-2957&r=x404&c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/01\/05\/DetroitNews\/B99483676Z.1_20170105184608_000_GJ51A4FG1.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>The Detroit auto show rolls into town Sunday for a two-week stay that promises something for everyone: futuristic self-driving cars, Detroit classics, the latest sport utilities, state-of-the-art sports cars … even a life-size version of \u201cCars 3\u201d star Lightning McQueen<\/a>.<\/p>\n The McQueen racer will be a lighthearted kickoff to the high-tech AutoMobili-D \u2014 a showcase for speakers and startups on the cutting edge of autonomous and ride-sharing technologies, AutoMobili-D will commence Sunday on Cobo Center\u2019s Atrium Stage.<\/p>\n Some 5,000 journalists from around the world will attend over 40 new-car reveals on Sunday and Monday. On Jan. 13, the show will roll out the red carpet for the glitzy Charity Preview ball, which has raised over $41 million for children\u2019s charities in the last decade. While party-goers sleep off hangovers on Jan. 14, the show opens its doors to the general public until Jan. 22. Last year, the Detroit Show recorded its biggest gate since 2003 with 815,575 attendees<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now in its 28th year, the North American International Auto Show<\/a> has weathered industry cycles \u2014 including the devastating recession of 2008 \u2014 to remain one of three premier auto shows on the planet along with Geneva and Frankfurt\/Paris.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the number of press here, this is a great show to launch things,\u201d says Sam Slaughter, NAIAS chairman and CEO of Sellers Subaru and Sellers Buick and GMC dealerships in the metro area.<\/p>\n Now, as the industry faces an \u201cinflection point\u201d (in the words of AutoMobili-D speaker John Krafcik, CEO of Google autonomous car spinoff Waymo), Slaughter says NAIAS organizers recognized the need to make the show a display case for the technologies that are transforming the industry. Automakers this year have used the CES technology show in Las Vegas to introduce high-tech vehicles like Chrysler\u2019s self-driving Portal EV concept<\/a> and Toyota artificial-intelligence driven Concept-i<\/a>. Those vehicles \u2014 and the creative talent behind them \u2014 will also be in Detroit.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the brains behind the behind the autonomous future,\u201d says Slaughter. \u201cWe have an amazing story to tell with over 50 startups in Cobo.\u201d<\/p>\n Those startups will join establishment pillars in presenting their visons of a new auto mobility. . The startups , meanwhile, will be among 100 companies to populate nearby Hall E \u2014 aka \u201cCobo\u2019s basement\u201d \u2014 that in years past has been outfitted for everything from tree-lined, electric-car demonstration courses to displays for Chinese automakers.<\/p>\n This year, a Chinese company will graduate to the show\u2019s main floor as Guangzhou Automobile Group<\/a> looks to follow Japanese and Korean companies as a successful, Pacific Rim export to the U.S.<\/p>\n All eyes will be on Japanese giant Toyota as it reveals an all-new Camry sedan, the best-selling car in America. For all the talk of self-aware EVs, the bread-and-butter of American manufacturers remains gas-powered cars and SUVs.<\/p>\n The Camry is promising an extreme makeover as it tries to remain relevant in a market that\u2019s crossed over to crossovers. Camry sales, echoing all sedans, were down 10 percent in 2016. Since the recession, ute sales have exploded to 60 percent of the market and NAIAS offerings continue the trend. SUV reveals from automakers as diverse as Chevrolet (Traverse), Ford (Expedition), Audi (Q8), Infiniti (QX50 concept), and BMW (Concept X2) will debut on the menu.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will be a meat and potatoes show,\u201d IHS Automotive analyst Stephanie Brinley says of the core offerings coming from automakers including a new version of Honda\u2019s best-selling Odyssey minivan.<\/p>\n \u201cAuto product is still the most important part of NAIAS,\u201d shrugs Brinley in reference to the tech buzz in the air. \u201cWe went through a phase when every show had to be green. Now every show has to be high-tech. Soon tech will just be part of the auto landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n Showgoers will feel, however, the absence of several brands on the show floor. Past exhibitors Porsche, Tesla, Mini Cooper, Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, Ferrari and Maserati are AWOL this year.<\/p>\n The reasons are many.<\/p>\n Exclusive brands prefer more intimate venues where wealthy customers can be wooed one-on-one \u2014 like The Gallery event at the MGM Grand Casino<\/a> that officially opens the show on Saturday and where beautiful Ferraris and Lamborghinis will be on display for $500 a ticket. In a multi-media age some automakers also aren\u2019t as dependent on auto shows for attention.<\/p>\n But even some major exhibitors are turning away from press conferences to show new wares \u2014 brands like Buick, Cadillac, Dodge, Mazda and Acura.<\/p>\n Brinley blames this dearth of glitz on automakers taking a breath from frantic new car development.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen since the recession is a big increase in new offerings to meet new product directions,\u201d says Brinley. \u201cA little slowdown in product cadence is natural.\u201d<\/p>\n