Posts Tagged ‘Frankfurt Motor Show’
Frankfurt is the place to be this week for “auto-ficial intelligence.”
BMW-i8
Frankfurt is the place to be this week for “auto-ficial intelligence.” The massive expo center looks like IKEA on steroids. The displays, some of which are two and three levels, include stages, turn-tables, multi-media signage and more.
Warren Brown, Washington Post; Barbara Pomerance, Pomerance & Associates; Kevin Reilly, 2014 Washington Auto Show chairman
Nothing compares to Frankfurt in terms of the volume of new models, debuts and concept vehicles. This important auto show is better than an iTunes playlist, as every trendsetting manufacturer is represented.
Ray Day of Ford with Hon. David Catania, DC city councilmember
Officials from The Washington Auto Show® were on hand to support their European counterpart and fellow OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles, translated The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers) accredited show. In addition to numerous meetings with a myriad of manufacturers, the DC execs did find time to experience the great restaurants for dinner meetings and networking.
We were happy to entertain Peter Welch, the president of National Automobile Dealers Association, and the chairman, David Westcott and his wife Deb. We ran into the New York Auto Show delegation and had a beer with the Detroit Auto Dealers at their party in the Klosterhof.
Volvo Press Conference
Audi Fashion
The Washington Auto Show will be open to the public from Thursday, Jan. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 2. The show is open from noon until 9:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, from noon until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Sundays. The show will close at 6:00 p.m. on its final day, Feb. 2.
Bentley
For those of you who are planning on attending The Washington Auto Show, we do have one very important reminder … be sure to wear your most comfortable shoes, your feet will be glad you did.
Danke Schoen
You know, it’s impossible for me to write “Danke Schoen” without trilling “Danke Schoen, daaaarling, Danke Schoen” to myself. Hopefully, no one else can hear me.
Anyway, Danke Schoen is meant for all the good people that The Washington Auto Show delegation got to meet and greet at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. Sorry if you’ve been following this blog with eager anticipation for up-to-the-minute reactions about the show. But this is a p.r. agency, not a newspaper. Barbara still has jet lag.
Moving on. The senior delegation from our show, which included D.C. city officials, met with lots of heavyweights in the auto industry, in other words, our movers and shakers met with other movers and shakers. We even had the honor to meet U.S. Consul General Edward Alford at the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt. Our team also reconnected with friends from Better Place, which provides services and networks for EVs, and met up with leaders of OEMs and their major suppliers and partners, like Johnson Controls.
The bottom line of all this shmoozing comes down to this: we’ve successfully amped up our presence to hopefully draw all the right players — the trailblazers and rump shakers (sorry, just seeing if you’re paying attention) — to the 2012 Washington Auto Show. You see, we want to transform this industry to bring about a world where personal transportation is clean and green. At stake is nothing less than our health, environment and national security, not to mention our economic edge. To make that happen, we need political leadership and legislative muscle. And because of our show’s address — ahem, Washington — we are uniquely poised to join policy and industry together to expedite great progress.
That said, here’s a pic with, from left to right, Tom Kowaleski, VP of BMW Group Corporate Communications of North America, D.C. City Councilmember David Catania, Washington Auto Show Manager and dearest friend Bob Yoffe and Councilmember Vincent Orange.
And here’s a shot of that highly-anticipated Ford Evos, we talked about earlier. Remember the one Ford thinks will seduce us?
