Return of the Auto Show

NEVER STOP DRIVING

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by Larry Webster • 11/28/2025

Even in this era of constant flux, the past few weeks have proven to this scribe that the phrase “the more things change the more they stay the same” is as valid as ever. To wit, the auto show continues its comeback, as I saw last week while strolling the halls of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Until about a decade ago, the global automotive press gathered several times each year in cities such as Detroit, New York, and Geneva in cavernous convention halls filled with elaborate manufacturer displays. Show preview days, open only to the media, were packed with press conferences hosted by automakers. Sometimes the presentations were given by dry CEOs in gray suits droning about sales and production numbers, and other times they were all show business, like the time in Detroit when Bob Lutz drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee through a window. These were fun, exciting industry gatherings, a chance for automakers to promote not just their new products but reveal their forward thinking via concept cars.

The shows were incredibly expensive, with some of the most lavish displays costing tens of millions, but automakers figured it was worth it because of the media coverage and opportunity to display their merch to the consumers who walked the convention hall floors during public days. But with the rise of digital marketing and the supposed ability of marketing analysts to minutely measure the return on investment of every dollar spent, the fuzzy returns of auto-show stands were deprioritized. Then the pandemic hit and with it, we thought, the auto show was dead.

There are strong signs, however, that the glorious future-forward shows, and at least some of their previous razzle-dazzle, are returning. Last month the Japan Mobility Show, which used to be called the Tokyo Motor Show, had not just sober new-car introductions but freakishly fascinating concept cars like a Lexus six-wheeled minivan and a Honda rocket. Yes, a rocket.

Last week’s event in Los Angeles offered only a fraction of Tokyo’s pizzazz, but there were a couple of noteworthy reveals, including an unfortunately named but interesting off-road concept called the Hyundai Crater. Jeep revealed the Recon, a butch off-road EV that I bet will find plenty of buyers when it inevitably adds a gasoline engine. While not new, I also appreciated seeing Chevy’s CX Concept, a potential future Corvette, in the flesh.

This week, I’m especially thankful that many car companies again believe in the power of showcasing visionary products that people can see in real life rather than just computer-generated images in a TikTok video. Carmakers, like all publicly traded companies, are under pressure to produce profits, so I imagine there’s intense debate in boardrooms about spending millions on an activity that cannot be directly tied to sales figures.

I’m thankful to you, too, for reading this weekly dispatch, so here’s hoping you and your family have a wonderful holiday. In between holiday gatherings this weekend, please dig into the latest from Hagerty:

Have a terrific Holiday!

Larry Webster

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