You’re likely to miss the nondescript escalator tucked away off expansive North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) floor at Cobo Center, at the south corner of Hall D — on “Level 200,” to be more precise. [1,2]
Back in the day, organizers actively promoted this with large, colorful signs and bright lights as means of access to “more” exhibitors, below. The main floor was where visitors went would see promising innovations such as the 2001 Buick Bengal concept car. Industry Preview visitors could explore its technology further on the upper deck of a General Motors pavilion where a groundbreaking front-mounted automatic transmission identical to the one in Bangal was accessible. [3,4]
That same year, fantasies of possible VW Microbus return never made it higher than Level 100. [5]
AutoMobili-D may not have defied that gravity, its third year now in 2019 looks to have created a more level playing field. With a magnificent cascade of banners flanking a grand stairway and open escalators highly visible just inside the doors from curbside drop-off, the central stage on Level 100 beckoned all who arrived for the first day of Press Preview to start here as gateway to latest and greatest. [6-8]
It clearly caught the attention of United States Senator Gary Peters as well. This is where Saline Journal first spotted him, in the aisles of Automobili-D, not far from the May Mobility shuttle. We then asked for his impressions and to share his thoughts on where he believes that Washtenaw County fits into priorities as he advocates Michigan constituent interests in Washington DC. [9,10]
Self-driving cars will transform the way we get around, and Michigan is already leading the way in developing these life-saving technologies. Washtenaw County is home to the manufacturers, institutions, and testing sites — including the American Center of Mobility, Mcity and the Chelsea Proving Grounds — that will keep Michigan as the center of future mobility. [11-13]
As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, I’ll continue working to ensure a federal framework is in place to maintain this innovation and ensure these technologies can be deployed safely. [14]
Providing both efficiency for attendees with an agenda and an easy way to identify the pieces that make up this unfolding route to “transportation industry disruption,” Automobili-D exhibitors have been grouped into discrete areas.
- Autonomous Driving
- Connected Car
- E-Mobility
- Mobility Services
- Universities & Associations
- Smart Cities
Once again, our own Washtenaw Community (WCC) college was a standout, in both the academic section and overall. One of the areas they are highlighting here is “hacking.” More particularly, as Professor Michael Galea explained to Saline Journal in his role as WCC Business & Computer Technologies faculty, ethical hacking. [14,15]
All companies are required to have someone in place to try and hack into their systems, or to contract for it. Autonomous cars will have sensitive information processors and exchange buses that must be protected.
Teaching ethical hacking to students — our ‘GRIMM’ workbench is unique to Washtenaw, supporting this — that’s part of how we prepare them to go out and protect against these threats. [16]
Think of it being like when automakers crash test their own cars. [17]
Another exhibitor that wouldn’t have traditionally come to mind for a NAIAS is the professionally staffed Tank Automotive Research Development & Engineering Center, or “TARDEC.” When Kirk Steudle, then director of Michigan Department of Transportation, spoke at a smart cities conference last April, his report on real world progress was steeped in proofs through collaboration with TARDEC. [18-21]
TARDEC Technical Advisor Scott W Schramm told =Saline Journal that it is important for his Warren-based outfit to exhibit in AutoMobili-D a mere two months after their own Association of the United States Army symposium because of the extreme speed with which developments are moving and the new cast of expert contributors it is attracting.
Many of the innovators in this segment are startups. We couldn’t possibly know who they are, the non-linear solutions they are developing for problems that we are facing, problems we need to anticipate. They might not appreciate the degree of overlap that we have in mobility, data sharing, AI [artificial intelligence], or how we have enough of an overlap to benefit from working together on our further challenges in durability, operation outside of network connection, and trust in-theater.
The constituents of Cobo Center Level 100 are anything but afterthought. And they portend not just disruption of the industry, but the premier industry exposition. Gone are the days when a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept would continue to be relevant six decades after unveiling. [22,23]
And yet, the future of this North American International Auto Show isn’t something that the vast majority people are likely to have seen in person. Yesterday, after Press Preview closed and gave way to Industry, the Toyota Research Institute Platform 4 vehicle was removed from the Lexus exhibit. Tomorrow after closing, AutoMobili-D will begin moving out — only traces of its existence to be found when Charity Preview and Public Show attendees come to see what they may of “new” here.
You may still see that “nondescript escalator,” of course, at the south corner of Hall D on Level 200. But it won’t take you anywhere, past, present, of future. By design, the biggest reveals of 2019 won’t be around.
References
- Cobo Center (home page).
- “Cobo Center Floor Plans” Cobo Center.
- “Industry Preview – January 16-17, 2019” North American International Auto Show.
- “2001 Buick Bengal Concept” Mike Rosa (January 4, 2013) Autos of Interest.
- “2001 Volkswagon Microbus Concept” Conceptcarz.
- “Automobili-D” North American International Auto Show.
- “‘PlanetM’ Is Key Element Of Michigan Strategy To Shape Its Own Destiny Through Public-Private Partnerships, Part 1” Dell Deaton (December 27, 2018) Saline Journal.
- “Press Preview – January 14-15, 2019” North American International Auto Show
- Gary Peters: United States Senator for Michigan (home page).
- May Mobility (home page).
- American Center for Mobility (home page).
- Mcity (home page).
- “Chrysler gives us the keys to their proving grounds & their most fun cars” The Fast Lane Car (September 10, 2013) YouTube.
- Washtenaw Community College (home page).
- Additional coverage of Washtenaw Community College presence at AutoMobili-D is scheduled to run in Saline Journal next week.
- GRIMM (home page).
- “How Crash Testing Works” Karim Nice, How Stuff Works.
- TARDEC: Tank Automotive Research Development & Engineering Center (home page).
- “Kirk T Steudle” American Center for Mobility.
- MDOT: Michigan Department of Transportation (home page).
- “It’s Important to Understand What Being a ‘Smart City’ Means to Saline, Part 3” Dell Deaton (April 20, 2018) Saline Journal.
- “1955 Lincoln Futura Concept” Conceptcarz.
- “Driving the one and only, original Batmobile” CNN Business (October 14, 2015) YouTube.
- “Toyota leverages North American International Auto Show to display car with unique self-driving capabilities” Dell Deaton (January 14, 2019) Saline Journal.
- “Charity Preview – January 18, 2019” North American International Auto Show.
- “Public Show – January 19-27, 2019” North American International Auto Show.
