DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Auto Show announced the schedule for 2025 as it returns to its winter date at Huntington Place.
According to officials, the 2025 Detroit Auto Show will take place Friday, Jan. 10 through Monday, Jan. 20 at Huntington Place, celebrating mobility and the city's automotive heritage.
Earlier this year, officials announced the auto show would take a break in 2024 and return in January 2025 to provide automakers with a flexible schedule for product and technology debuts, plus other opportunities.
Hear more from DADA co-executive director Sam Klemet in the video below:
It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and then took place in September 2022 and 2023.
“As we reimagine the show, we’re being agile about scheduling events to meet the needs and preferences of key stakeholders,” Detroit Auto Show Co-Executive Director Rod Alberts said in a statement. “OEMs and show partners will have the opportunity to directly reach out to customers with product announcements during the public show or have media- and industry-focused events as in the past.”
Now that the official schedule is out, car lovers are gearing up.
“It's an exciting event," Detroiter Julie Long said. "It is the Motor City.”
Long is a former General Motors employee who estimates she's been to the show about 15 times, but hasn't been since COVID-19. Detroiter Brooke Weems estimates she's been about 20 times. She goes with family and brings her kids along, and prefers the January dates.
“I think that's a lot better because in September, it's still hot and there's still a lot of stuff going on downtown," Weems said. "With it being in January, I think they'll get more people and more business having it in the colder months.”
“I think there’s a certain excitement for the city when you have that January right after the new year, after the holiday season. To have something to really look forward to to celebrate our city, celebrate the auto industry,” Klemet said.
When the move back to January was first announced earlier this year, we spoke to downtown business owners who immediately expressed support.
“September is generally pretty busy anyway," Olin Bar and Kitchen Owner Holly McClain said back in January. "That's going to be a great switch to see it come back in January where we can really use the traffic down here.”
With the show back to its original schedule organizers and businesses are hopeful, while fans of the show are ready.
"I'm excited to see what they got in store this January for us,” Weems said.
Media Day for the show will take place Friday, Jan. 10 with media access to the show floor and other events, plus the winners of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year.
Friday night will be the return of the Charity Preview. WXYZ is the official television partner of the Charity Preview. Tickets will be $400 each or $700 for a pair and support several children's charities across metro Detroit.
Industry Days will move to the second week — Wednesday, Jan. 15 and Thursday, Jan. 16 — and include exclusive industry hours with AutoMobili-D, a new future innovators program and a mobility global forum. The forum in 2023 hosted 32 presentations and a Malcolm Gladwell was the featured speaker.
The public show will take place Saturday, Jan. 11 through Monday, Jan. 20 with 10 days of car and vehicle experience.
On Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there will be an emphasis on celebrating acts of service to honor Dr. King's legacy.
Tickets for the show will go on sale Oct. 14, 2024 at detroitautoshow.com.
