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2015 Mercedes-Benz GL450 poised in front of the Northwood Student Union/Bookstore.
52nd Annual Northwood International Auto Show, Midland, MI, October 2-4.
Click on the Thumbnails Below to Enlarge Story and photos by: Eric White, No Limits eMagazine staff 52nd Annual Northwood University International Auto Show, Oct 2, 2015, Midland, MI We have attended over forty new-car auto shows during the past four decades, this particular event stands out as something completely different. The NUIAS is the world's largest student-run OUTDOOR auto show, and perhaps the largest outdoor auto show period. This free event takes place on the campus of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. The men and women of the Automotive Marketing & Management program (part of NU's Bachelor of Business Administration program) are totally responsible for the presentation of this show. From planning to contacting manufacturers for acquisition of vehicles and display materials, to set-up and manning the displays during the show, and finally, to tear down and clean-up, the students are in charge. Students in the Hospitality Management program are similarly in charge of the on-site food services. At this point, the distinction needs to be drawn between the definition of “auto show” and “car show.” An auto show is understood to be comprised almost entirely of current model year cars and concept vehicles, and exists exclusively as a manufacture's sales/promotion showcase. A car show is normally populated by privately-owned, collector-style vehicles and is presented as an entertainment and fund-raising event, normally to the benefit of a private, many times not-for-profit, organization. Roughly 500 vehicles ranging from automobile to truck, commercial to Law Enforcement vehicle, and collector and aftermarket cars make up the show. Each major domestic and foreign North American automotive brand is represented—conspicuous by their absence were Fisker, Bentley and Rolls Royce. Too be fair, the later two makes do not always attend the NAIAS. Each brand is assigned to a group of twelve students. Each group is headed up by a team captain and a co-captain. Each team manages the display and presentation of their respective make as they see fit. Most of the display vehicles are sourced from local area dealerships. Arriving on the mid-Michigan campus is a simple matter of following Google Map directions. Once on campus, finding the show area and public parking was a simple matter of following show signage. Said signage for the public attendees was somewhat lacking, but eventually, we located a convenient parking spot. The show is spread out over a large portion of the beautiful and stunningly tree-covered campus. Trees are nice to look at and provide plentiful shade on hot, sunny days. But, in Michigan they also provide one pain-in-the-derriere for outdoor auto and car shows in the fall season of the year—dropping leaves and needles. This debris descends when and where it pleases; often onto the display vehicles. Prepared teams were armed with dusters to keep their displays presentable. Others were not so diligent with their housekeeping duties. The outdoor setting also brings with it two potentially problematic phenomenon, early morning dew and rain. Both of these natural occurrences bring with them a serious challenge of cleanup and housekeeping. Well-organized teams are armed with buckets of clean water and cloth towels for display upkeep and resultant delightful presentation. Others are not so well prepared. Rain also produces wet and or muddy grass. Fortunately, our visit was blessed with a very pleasant, mostly sunny sky. The calendar timing for this show presents several problems to the organizers. One, the aforementioned falling leaves. The early October timing is not as harsh, falling-leaf-wise, as it would be several weeks later in the season. Cool weather is also a potential headache for the success of this al fresco event. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the early October scheduling of this event results in an inconsistent availability of the new crop of 2016 cars. This early in the sales year, local dealers have not yet received some of the newest vehicles. Thus, the display of vehicles was a mix of '15 and '16 cars and trucks. We are fully into the 2016 model year sales season by October 1. There is no place in a new-car auto show for last season's vehicles. The manufacturers should be fully convinced that it is in their best interest to supply the latest product to this well-established, early-season show. It would really be a feather in the cap of the NUIAS to boast of the availability of ALL NEW, CURRENT MODEL YEAR cars for the consumer's inspection visit. As in most auto shows, there were no stanchions serving to bar the tire-kickers and casual shoppers from trying on a car for size. A few third-party privately owned displays were prudently roped off, and a few, like the Lingenfelter display, were unwisely unsequestered. The big sell of the big show is also missing. No turntable concept cars, no attractive models hyping the latest and greatest features coming your way soon. No world-premier debuts. Most of these limited-availability, extra-special vehicles are already headed for indoor auto shows beginning to open across the country in a week or so in locations like Oklahoma City, Seattle, Anaheim, Sacramento, Miami, and Las Vegas. This open-air-display, new car auto show is fairly unique, at least in our experience. It is a great way for students studying the art of automotive sales and marketing to put their skills and education through the paces; a real world test, so to speak. With Mother Nature throwing the occasional curve ball, the added, and very unpredictable, factor of the elements is incorporated into the already complex recipe for a successful event. The educational nature of this exhibition reveals itself in many ways. This is basically a simple, no frills auto show with a few out-of-the-ordinary displays to make things interesting. The organization of an outdoor auto show is quite rare in the U.S. The vast majority of car shows take place outdoors, although as of late many single-marque “concourse-style” events are beginning to move to indoor venues to circumvent the unavoidable weather related problems. The vast majority of auto shows are conducted indoors, under cover. The lessons to be learned in each type of venue are similar. Overcoming the issues presented by an outside show certainly offers an added dimension to this unique educational exercise. We have to wonder whether or not the invaluable educational experience gained from organizing and running an auto show can not be learned in a venue located out of the weather, thus eliminating many of the uncontrollable environmental difficulties experienced in Michigan during the early fall season. The unexampled uniqueness of this event creates its own drawback, after all, when will these students ever be asked to conduct another outdoor auto show? From the Lingenfelter Collection, a 2015 Chevrolet Z28 Camaro. 2016 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 in blue, and 2016 Cooper S Paceman All4 in silver. Several interesting collector cars were displayed in the vendor displays. This '31 Ford Model A pickup was one of the best. Also in the vendor display area was an extensive group of MI State Police vehicles. This '91 Mustang LX 5.0 is the last agency-owned example. 2015 Lexus RC350 F-Sport. Special “Do Not Touch” platform display of Ford's Mustang GT350 Shelby Mustang. 2016 Chevy Colorado LT crew. Under a semi-protective tent we found this 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T. 2015 Jaguar XLJ Portfolio AWD sedan. Paint was called Caviar, interior was Truffel/Cashew Truffel. Very tasty. Speaking of tasty, here's an Audi R8 sport coupe. The belle of the ball, a 1930 LeGrange-bodied, dual-cowl touring phaeton, 1930 Duesenberg Model J. This beauty was displayed in the rotunda of the Sloan Family Building for Aftermarket Studies. 2016 Volkswagen Beetle 1.8T SE. 2015 Ford F150 Platinum Edition. Nissan's performance coupe, the 2016 370Z Nismo Tech 6 M/T. A portion of the Cadillac display. This is a police-spec Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD truck. In the foreground: 2016 Fiat 500L Trekking, background a 2016 500L Lounge. Another of the Lingenfelter display vehicles, an enhanced Camaro, the Lingenfelter 427 S/C. Volvo covered dumper. From the commercial display is this Chevrolet 2500 HD Utility Box truck.