By James Raia
The LA Auto Show is annually held in November, but it’s the first major national showcase for new models of cars, trucks and sometimes campers and motorhomes. The show must go on, but it won’t this year as originally planned for Nov. 20-29.
Like auctions, motorsports events and various regional auto shows, LA organizers have rescheduled the event to 2021.
And like other events, the event was rescheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
LA Auto Show has new dates
The LA Auto Show is now scheduled for May 21-31, 2021. “Memorial Day weekend is a fantastic time for enhanced outdoor activations and product debuts. The LA weather creates exciting new opportunities for a spring show,” said Lisa Kaz, LA Auto Show CEO.
With its rescheduling, the industry’s public showcase of new vehicles will be condensed next year but in different parts of the country.
The New York Auto Show is scheduled for early next April, the LA Auto Show will be May 21-31, and the Detroit Auto Show is scheduled in June.
The LA Auto Show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, has had an increased presence in recent years. It’s all about entry-level cars, top-end luxury vehicles, trucks, the ever-expanding alternative fuel industry, custom-made machines and unique concepts. But unlike visiting a car dealership where the goal of salespeople is to sell, auto shows are public question-and-answer sessions.
Attendees are encouraged to ask manufacturers’ representatives, sometimes called ambassadors or product specialists, about the new vehicles. The consultants aren’t salespeople but have a singular goal to talk about new vehicles.
The practice of hiring attractive women as manufacturers’ representatives at auto shows dates to the 1930s. Books have been written about the subject and the tradition has been criticized as outdated. In recent years, young men have also been hired as manufacturer ambassadors.
But the vehicles are in the biggest spotlight. Some manufacturers keep what’s new until models are unveiled. Other carmakers get a jump start and promote pending new offerings months in advance.
How manufacturers will alter plans for new models next May remains uncertain.
James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, California, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, www.theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.
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