Nissan dealers to fill corporate shoes at Detroit Auto Show

Despite Nissan's widely-publicized withdrawal from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, a cadre of local dealers will bring cars to exhibit in the hopes of boosting sales. The typical car-show role of flaunting new wares was abandoned this year by the corporate decision makers as a money-saving measure, despite a rather large production at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where the North American Cube and the 370Z were revealed.

The decision to come to the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in the absence of a corporate presence was made collectively by several Detroit metro-area Nissan and Infiniti dealers, reports the Detroit Free Press. One of those dealers, and co-chairman of the NAIAS show, Doug Fox, said, "The ultimate, core purpose of auto shows is to create excitement among consumers and generate sales. That's what we're doing."

Nissan recently reversed its decision to pull out of the Chicago Auto Show, also with the aid of its dealers, but says it will not be changing its stance on the NAIAS show in Detroit.

Though the dealers in Detroit will have cars to show, they won't be the show-stoppers featured in L.A., because those cars are not yet in widespread production. The 370Z and Cube will instead be replaced with Altimas, Maximas and Muranos - or other readily available dealer stock.

The bottom line, according to Fox: "We're trying to sell some cars."