DETROIT — An auto show is coming to suburban Detroit this week. You can expect it to be more like an amusement park for cars than the familiar indoor format that has defined Detroit’s primary auto show for decades.
The new event, called Motor Bella and scheduled for Sept. 21-26, is not a replacement of the North American International Auto Show, organizers are quick to point out. But it is very much a pilot for auto show 2.0 — experiential, outdoors and more than just static vehicle displays.
Test-riding opportunities will be center stage during the event, spread across 87 acres at the M1 Concourse racetrack in Pontiac, about 25 miles north of Detroit, said Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association. His group produces the NAIAS and is also putting on Motor Bella.
Around 350 different vehicles will be on-site throughout the event. The main track will be used to whip people around in performance cars and electric vehicles. A second, off-road track will be devoted exclusively to Jeep and Ram rides.
