Nissan Driven From Chicago Auto Show By Economy

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Nov 25, 2008 5:35PM

Times are tough for auto makers. High gas prices and tight credit markets have conspired to keep people from buying new cars in recent months. The Big 3 have been reduced to begging for funds just to stay afloat, claiming if they go down so, too, will 3 million American jobs. GM even dropped Tiger Woods as a Buick spokesman to keep costs down.

But it's not just the domestic makers who are feeling the pinch. Nissan announced on Monday that it'll be skipping the 2009 Chicago Auto Show in February. Having debuted it's newest vehicles at the LA Auto show recently, it felt it was wise to bail on Chicago and Detroit to save money.

But is this really the best way to reduce costs? While costly, the auto show gives consumers the opportunity to check out hundreds of cars with less pressure than a dealership. And with new cars like the new 370Z, the redesigned Maxima and the all-new Infiniti G37 convertible, Nissan might be better served letting the public check them out in person rather than running more TV or newspaper ads. Perhaps scaling back their display size -- like others intend to do -- would be a better plan to cuts costs while showing off their new products.

But while Nissan is the first major manufacturer to pull out of the annual McCormick Place event it may not be the only one. The Chicago Automobile Trade Association, who stage the show, plans to try and change Nissan's mind, but it may be a lost cause. A number of other makers have announced plans to skip Detroit's show. We suspect some of those will do the same here, and will likely be joined by others. Chicagoist always looks forward to the Auto Show, but it's beginning to sound like this year's show might be a bit of a downer.