Local and national automotive press are asleep at the wheel...again

[MWmetalhead]

I mentioned the staleness of, and decreased interest in, the NAIAS auto show many months before anyone in the local press dared to mention it. I (correctly) mentioned the diversion of attention to CES in Las Vegas, and a well known journalist actually posted here to dispute my assertion. The truth eventually came out that indeed hosting both events at nearly the same time in February was indeed hurting the NAIAS.

Now, Honda seems to be at least several weeks behind its originally announced rollout of the redesigned CR-V. What do we hear from the local auto media? Crickets! No mention of whatever the hell is going on. They're not alone, I might add. Car and Driver, Edmunds, and the handful of widely watch YouTubers who review new cars are all eerily silent.

Driving impressions were supposed to be unembargoed August 30. That date has now slipped to September 19. Bear in mind the cars were supposed to be on dealer lots of available to order online "this summer."

Supply chain issues? Quality control issues? Regulatory issues? Bueller? Bueller?

By the way, neither Honda, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and several other foreign automakers will be participating in this September's auto show.

[Majik]

I mentioned the staleness of, and decreased interest in, the NAIAS auto show many months before anyone in the local press dared to mention it. I (correctly) mentioned the diversion of attention to CES in Las Vegas, and a well known journalist actually posted here to dispute my assertion. The truth eventually came out that indeed hosting both events at nearly the same time in February was indeed hurting the NAIAS.

Now, Honda seems to be at least several weeks behind its originally announced rollout of the redesigned CR-V. What do we hear from the local auto media? Crickets! No mention of whatever the hell is going on. They're not alone, I might add. Car and Driver, Edmunds, and the handful of widely watch YouTubers who review new cars are all eerily silent.

Driving impressions were supposed to be unembargoed August 30. That date has now slipped to September 19. Bear in mind the cars were supposed to be on dealer lots of available to order online "this summer."

Supply chain issues? Quality control issues? Regulatory issues? Bueller? Bueller?

By the way, neither Honda, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and several other foreign automakers will be participating in this September's auto show.

It seems as if we have reached a point to where the whole range of media is a shit show of incompetence from top to bottom. I’m not sure if it is media outlets not letting journalists report the truth or if the journalists are unable to get the facts out to the public. It could be a case of not wanting to rock the boat or even a concerted effort to hide what it truth. But what do I know? I’m just an observer in the wilderness.

[km1125]

You mean the Carr Report didn't cover these things??

[MWmetalhead]

Does Loco 4 even do that gimmicky segment on its morning newscast anymore? I honestly don't know.

[Mega Hertz]

I know Jeff Moss isn't exactly a fan favorite around here, though this was a point he made about sports journalists, but Majik also nailed it in the above post. It's kind of a combination of two things. The first one is, yes, some kind of fear of rocking the boat. You don't wanna become a pariah. So you toe the line, not upset advertisers or something big tied in above your pay grade...and other conflicts of interest. Everybody is friends now. Then you add to that the people that are doing these jobs. They work cheap. They're doing three or four things at once. They're always looking to jump to the next stone. And let's not forget the downsizing and outsourcing happening in the field.

News needs to get away from the whole "Trump farted and AOC doesn't agree what it smells like" format and get down to stories like this. "Investigative reporting" is harassing the local burger joint because they're not giving enough fries with a value meal. We don't want to lose the Toyota or Ford dealership advertising dollars, now, do we?

[Colonel Flagg]

Personally, I enjoyed the auto show being held in the winter. It provided people with a reason to get out, and it juiced the economy downtown during an otherwise cold, dark time of year. All of the pantywaist types saying "At least we won't have to carry around our winter coats anymore" just makes me SMH...

As to the auto show in general, all of these little SUV's look alike to me, and I have zero interest. I also have zero interest in seeing a cramped, compact sized Cadillac (the entire Cadillac line looks the same) or an all electric monster truck

Bottom line, we moved the show to accommodate the overseas car companies, because they didn't want to come here in the winter...sounds to me like they're still not coming.

[radioandtventhusiast]

According to the auto show's website, Honda, Mazda, Hyundai/Kia and a few others are listed on the floor plan. I wonder if it's the dealers on behalf of the manufacturers. They do appear to have smaller displays than the bigger ones.

[tivoking]

I saw an ad for a Jeep Compass that used to advertise for $199 a month, now it's $289 a month. No one is looking to buy cars right now, unless they have to. Ford trucks are in demand and on backorder just because they are write-offs for businesses. A couple of coworkers extended their lease, hoping that prices will fall at some point. Getting the same new car was raising the monthly payment $65 on one of their vehicles.

[MWmetalhead]

The Jeep Compass is little more than a rebadged Fiat. Stay away, is my advice.

Radioandtventusiast - you are indeed correct. Vehicles from those nameplates are being provided by local dealers. The manufacturers themselves will not be here.

[MWmetalhead]

Well, updating my OP to this thread, within the last 48 hours, some news has been released regarding the new 2023 Honda CR-V:

- The all-gas model will begin arriving at dealers September 22.
- Pricing has been announced for all trims.
- Fuel economy has been announced for all trims (little to no change from the outgoing models).
- The hybrid supposedly will begin arriving at dealers prior to the end of October.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2023-ho ... l-economy/

https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/al ... -bar-again

It will be interesting to see how this stacks up to the RAV4 in terms of creature comforts. If the CR-V actually provides a height adjustable passenger seat in most or all trims, then it will immediately have a leg-up on its competition.

I have to recline the passenger seat in any non-Limited trim RAV4 to prevent my hair brushing up against the roofline because there is no friggin' height adjustment! Dumbest thing ever.

While the cheapest trim of the CR-V will certainly be a few thousand dollars pricier than the lowest trim of the RAV4, the highest trim of the CR-V will be less expensive than the RAV4 Limited (which in most cases exceeds $40,000 MSRP; I've seen MSRP as high as $42,000+ depending on options and color).

[billmich88888]

I have always thought the name was stupid.

North American International? - which one is it, is it "North American", is it "International"? - why is it BOTH, International is bigger,
Call it the DETROIT International auto show......as it is being Held in Detroit, and it includes an international array of automakers.... what does the North American part mean?

I'm sure its something simple and straight forward, but this is something that has irked me for decades

[Editorcj]

At one time it was one of the premier auto shows in the world on par with the Tokyo and Munich International auto shows.

[MWmetalhead]

I agree with Bill. The inclusion of both "North American" and "International" in the name makes little sense to me. Use one or the other in the name, not both.

[paul8539]

There are several 'international' auto shows. 'North American' means that this is the big one held in North America, versus the ones held in Germany and Asia.