The Detroit Auto Show is a showcase for the future of autonomous transportation. With thousands of attendees and dozens of companies, Mobili-D continues a show trend in which automakers demonstrate the latest in hands-off driving.<\/p>\n
But shows are also increasingly forums for the automobile\u2019s most hands-on application: track racing.<\/p>\n
IndyCar, which holds its \u201cChevrolet Dual in Detroit\u201d on Belle Isle in June, staged a news conference in press week announcing its new car design for the 2018 season. The announcement, from IndyCar\u2019s stand wedged between the Volvo and VW displays, followed Toyota\u2019s unveiling of its new NASCAR racer just two months before Daytona\u2019s 500.<\/p>\n
At the Los Angeles show in November, journalists streamed from \u201cAutomobility LA\u201d panels on autonomous cars to Porsche and Mazda press conferences announcing their new race cars for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in late January. Acura announced its new NSX thoroughbred for the Rolex 24 in New York last spring.<\/p>\n
With thousands of journalists on hand for auto reveals \u2014 and tens of thousands of public attendees to follow during public week \u2014 auto shows are perfect venues for race leagues and manufacturers to be heard. And with their state-of-the-art speed, race cars are brand halos not unlike autonomous vehicles at the other end of the driving spectrum.<\/p>\n
In Cobo Center, IndyCar is at the intersection of media, a ticket-buying public and industry sponsors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing is perfect for us,\u201d said Jay Frye, IndyCar President of Competition in Operations.<\/p>\n
IndyCar\u2019s new, clean aerodynamic design will debut next year and continue until 2021, offering both better racing and more certainty for team budgets. That business certainty, IndyCar believes, will attract more manufactures to the sport in addition to engine providers Chevrolet and Honda.<\/p>\n
For manufacturers, racing and production vehicles are increasingly intertwined.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause our production vehicles are so closely tied to motorsports, auto shows are the ideal venue for us to show off our racing technology,\u201d says Tom McDonald, a Mazda spokesman.<\/p>\n