1998 North American International Auto Show | Retro Review

Plenty of unveils going down in Detroit back in the day...
Show 1719 | Original Airdate 01-14-1997

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[flyjarrett]

Auto shows today are a shell of what they used to be.

[HiFiInsider]

I love these retro auto show coverage. pls. upload more and earlier ones. Been following MW since the late 80s.

[LrulestheworldM]

There are many amazing concepts that never made it to production here, but you can clearly see their design cues in their production models. Theres so much to unpack here. This was an amazing time for the automobile. And, it was all downhill from 2009 to now. Auto manufacturers really used to care about the designs of their cars, and what went into them, and even took the consumer into consideration when designing then so that we could afford them.

Its the total polar opposite now. They throw any old screen, and a few badges, at large jelly bean shaped crossovers, and call it a day. They dont care what it costs us, so long as they make money. Thanks for the look back yall! Really brings me back to when cars were cars.

[Kiss__Kiss]

"Jeep Jeepster" was really cool for the time.

[parknlotp.i.m.p]

I miss those days. I used to look forward to seeing coverage of the NAIAS every year! Between Detroit, Chicago, and NY. And then there was Geneva, Frankfurt/Paris, and Tokyo.

[alexsbikesandmotors]

I went to the 2008 ny international auto show when i was a kid. It was a great experience.

[severinjohn]

I remember attending this Auto Show. Contrast it with the last show I attended in Chicago in 2023. Major names skipped it. I was badgered by sleazy salespeople hawking timeshares and other totally non-automotive crap. Parking/admission/meal was nearly $75. Never again.

[parkdigwig]

I worked on the interiors of a lot of these cars in this period. Certainly was good to see many of these cars again.

[herbiehusker]

I was there. I was 16. It was wonderful.

[gumbie]

Who could have foreseen, back then, that in only ten short years brands like Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Mercury, Saab, Isuzu, etc would be gone! 🤨🤔🤦‍♂️

[jdm]

A group of friends and I go to this show every year. Two of us started going the year of this show video, 1998, and it has grown from there. Heading for opening day tomorrow. It has definitely ebbed and flowed over the years. The 2008 show was the saddest when 2 of the then Big 3 were in bankruptcy. I believe it was the final year of Pontiac as well.

[emilianocruz]

One of the Best years in auto show episodes from motorweek

[HypocriticYT]

Dealerships no longer have color pamphlets of their vehicle lineup. Everything is online only.

[jonathankleinow]

Thanks for sharing this timely clip! Wonder how the 2025 Detroit Auto Show (apparently it's no longer "international"?) will compare. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Auto Show was cancelled for 2025. "As the calendar continued to inch closer to show time (March 13-16), it became apparent that the limited number of brand commitments versus those brands who had opted out or were yet to determine their participation made proceeding with the event impractical and untenable for consumers, exhibitors, and other stakeholders." Ugh.

[Billn]

I don't think I've been to an auto show since 2016 or so. I used to go at least every other year.

[dodgeguyz]

The current Chicago auto show is joke of its 90’s self!
It’s too bad, used to be fun to go to!

[KevinCruz-puue]

I remember I used to love reading coverage of these and seeing what innovations automakers were coming up with in style and technology. Now these shows are just shells of what they used to be and are more about promoting current models and vehicles that are already slated for future production then being a real sign of things to come. Nobody rolls out concepts for feedback and all the inventiveness that used to be at these shows is now greedily regulated to industry insiders at SEMA.

[Milo-Emilio]

5:50 that cougar always reminded me of a 2g eclipse

[paulaiello]

I miss the time when car companies took risks and made their own unique looking cars. Now everything looks the same, and they're all crossover vehicles.

[deep_drift]

4:41 Interesting Enough this concept would lead into the 2nd Generation TL. But, even more ironic, when the TL was discontinued, it was renamed the TLX like the concept shown, which is still being produced today.