By Shinoo Mapleton · July 1, 2026

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I’ve been attending automotive events long enough to remember when the Detroit Auto Show was the center of the automotive universe. In the 1980s and 1990s, manufacturers saved their biggest announcements for Detroit, Geneva, Frankfurt, Paris, and Tokyo. If a company had a new sports car, supercar, or important concept vehicle, chances were it would debut under bright lights inside a convention center.

One of my strongest memories from those years was seeing the original Dodge Viper. The car was unlike anything Dodge had produced in ages. It was raw, unapologetic, and completely unexpected. Standing in the crowd, you could feel the energy surrounding the reveal. For a moment, everyone understood they were witnessing something important.

That was the power of the traditional auto show.

At the same time, I’ve been attending Monterey Car Week for roughly twenty-five years. When I first started going, it was primarily an enthusiast gathering centered around auctions, vintage racing, and concours events. Important cars appeared there, but it wasn’t where manufacturers typically introduced their future products.

Today, that relationship has almost completely reversed.

BMW chose Villa d’Este to unveil the Vision BMW Alpina concept, the first major concept since fully integrating Alpina into the BMW family. BMW also used the 24 Hours of Le Mans to reveal the M Concept Neue Klasse, a direct preview of its future electric M3. Goodwood has become a preferred venue for everything from hypercars to limited-production performance cars, while Monterey Car Week and The Quail continue attracting significant manufacturer debuts.

Meanwhile, traditional auto shows have become far less influential than they once were. Geneva, once one of the industry’s most prestigious stages, has effectively disappeared, while Detroit no longer commands the same attention it enjoyed during its peak years.

The question is why?

Traditional auto shows were built around access to information. Manufacturers needed a place where customers, journalists, and dealers could see a new vehicle for the first time. A reveal in Detroit or Geneva could generate months of magazine coverage and television exposure.

Today, every manufacturer can livestream a launch globally and reach millions of viewers instantly. Customers can see a new car on their phone before the presentation has even ended. The convention center is no longer necessary to distribute information.

Once that happened, manufacturers began asking a different question: If everyone can see the car online, where should we unveil it?

The answer increasingly became enthusiast events.

Events like Goodwood, Monterey, Villa d’Este, and Le Mans provide something that a convention center cannot.

They provide context.

A performance car unveiled at Le Mans carries the backdrop of the world’s most famous endurance race. A debut at Goodwood places the car among other significant performance machines while allowing it to be driven in front of enthusiasts. Villa d’Este surrounds a new vehicle with some of the most beautiful and historically important automobiles ever built.

The environment becomes part of the message. Manufacturers have realized that the setting often says as much about the vehicle as the press release.

A new M car revealed at Le Mans simply feels more authentic than the same car sitting on a rotating platform inside a convention center.

Another factor is the audience itself.

When I attend Monterey today, I see collectors, journalists, racers, engineers, designers, industry executives, and some of the most passionate enthusiasts in the world. The crowd may be smaller than Detroit once attracted, but it is often far more influential.

These are the people who create conversations around new products. They write the reviews, produce the videos, purchase the limited-production models, and influence future buyers. Manufacturers have recognized that reality.

Rather than presenting a car to hundreds of thousands of casual attendees, they can place it directly in front of the people most likely to shape its reputation.

That is a very different audience than the traditional auto show crowd.

The Quail may be the best example of this shift.

It is not simply a car show. It is an experience. Manufacturers unveil vehicles in a setting that combines automotive culture, hospitality, networking, and entertainment. Visitors spend the day immersed in the brand rather than simply walking past a display stand.

The same is true at Goodwood and Villa d’Este. The event itself becomes part of the story. The surroundings, the people, and the atmosphere all reinforce the character of the vehicle being introduced.

That is a difficult advantage for a convention center to overcome.

I do not believe traditional auto shows will disappear completely. They still serve regional markets and provide opportunities for mainstream manufacturers to connect with consumers.

However, after watching both Monterey and Detroit for decades, it is clear that the center of gravity has shifted.

When manufacturers want to introduce an enthusiast vehicle, a halo product, or a concept that defines their future direction, they increasingly choose places where passionate automotive people are already gathered. That is why Goodwood continues to grow. It is why Monterey Car Week has become one of the most important automotive events in the world. It is why Villa d’Este generates global headlines and why Le Mans increasingly serves as a stage for future performance cars.

The audiences may be smaller, but they are exactly the audiences manufacturers want to reach.

Traditional auto shows were designed to introduce cars to the public. Modern enthusiast events are designed to connect cars with the people most likely to appreciate them.

After watching this transition unfold over the last forty years, I don’t think manufacturers are abandoning auto shows. I think they are following the enthusiasts. And increasingly, the enthusiasts are gathering at Goodwood, Monterey, Villa d’Este, and Le Mans.

— Shinoo Mapleton

InoKinetic Group, Inc. | Temecula, CA | inokinetic.com | drakancars.com

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