I can't car any more. I took some notes, only a couple hundred photos, and walked a few miles at Detroit's 100th anniversary auto show.
→[More:] Pics will be posted eventually.
I stopped picking up schwag at this event a couple years ago (except for Scion's latest mix CD; they're usually good), but for whatever reason I grabbed a few product brochures this time out -- mostly of prospective replacements for cars we don't intend to replace for a few years yet.
Saw the obvious stuff -- the Detroit muscle cars and the concept vehicles which are throwbacks mostly to a kind of Kalifornia Kustom fantasyland version of the 1950s, and the comparatively progressive stuff from Germany and Japan. As
noted before, I'm not a car fan, so what's at the auto show is usually both news to me and all somewhat same-y as well. Thank goodness for the fringe exhibitors.
Best schwag: The Chang Feng musette bag: Black denim canvas lined with cheap satin, with yarn tufts and extensively embroidered on both sides. It put all the glossy printed plastic sacks to shame.
Best print material: The Liebao Motor (Chang Feng) book, with face-to-face pages of the 2005 China Cross-Country Vehicle Tournament winner and a line of open-top Chang Feng ATVs in a Red Army parade. Sure to win the hearts of any American. The product flyers are full of charming writing as well.
Best concept vehicle: The Hunan University project car. The interior is lined with thick-pile towels, the dashboard is made of bamboo, and the undercarriage is a novel 1-2-1 arrangement: One wheel at front, one wheel at back, and two in the middle. On display at the Chang Feng booth.
Chang Feng wins the trifecta, as befits their corporate motto: "Never makes you disappointed". Subcompact manufacturers Geely and Chery were nowhere to be seen, but Chang Feng's SUVs saved my day, even if most of them are Mitsubishis with Chinese frames. If you attend, they're on the lower level because they don't have American distribution. They say they'll be upstairs next year, so keep an eye out for the Fine SUV YZK6481ESR dealer near you. (
cfyzpk.com and
cfmotors.com) Let's conclude this topic with some sentiments from the flyer for the Liebao Black Giant CFA2030: "
Strong power drives the mighty body. You will feel full of momentum and great dignity."