Detroit, Not Chicago, Scores Tractor Unveiling

Lawn tractors rarely are on our radar as auto writers, but we couldn’t help but notice the three shiny black Craftsman CTX riding mowers occupying prime real estate in the lobby of Cobo Center last month during Detroit’s North American International Auto Show.

Truly, a lawn tractor in Detroit in January is about as useful as a snowplow in July. Still, Sears, owner of the Craftsman brand, got some decent coverage from the Detroit outing for the all-new CTX, on sale as of this month at Sears stores.

And the sign at the front of the exhibit explained the connection to the auto show: “With the automotive-inspired elements of the new CTX Series, we thought it only made sense to show it here – the first ever tractor at the Detroit auto show,” the sign read. “Only from Craftsman. Exclusively at Sears.”

I figured the CTX tractor would make the circuit of all the big U.S. auto shows this year, especially in Chicago, home to the Sears Tower. Sears headquarters are in suburban Hoffman Estates.

But I was disappointed that the tractor was nowhere to be found amid the 2.6 million sq.-ft. of Chicago’s magnificent McCormick Place.

I also found this rather amusing because the auto shows in Detroit and Chicago have developed a snarky rivalry, and Chicago show organizers have been more than happy to call attention to Detroit’s shortcomings over the past 20 years.

The pitch from the Chicago folks usually plays up their superior hotels and night life, as well as exhibit space that, after continued expansion, quadruples the room available in Detroit’s tired and outdated Cobo Center.

Those points are valid. Detroit doesn’t have many opportunities to one-up Chicago in just about any competition, although the Motor City draws throngs of journalists from around the world to its auto show while the Windy City does not.

So one might expect the NAIAS crew to rub Chicago’s nose in the fact that Sears chose Detroit as the venue for its tractor unveiling, instead of its hometown.

But no, the NAIAS PR crew stuck to the high road, refusing to speculate as to why Sears chose not to participate in the Chicago show.

Sears spokesman Larry Costello says the Craftsman brand already is well known in its hometown through events such as the Craftsman Experience in downtown Chicago.

The Detroit show was chosen for the CTX unveiling because its January timing aligned well with its arrival at stores the following month, and the media presence certainly was a factor, Costello says.

The “official” count suggests 5,196 journalists from 61 countries covered the Detroit show.

In the meantime, the New York International Auto Show runs from April 6-15 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. No word yet on whether the Craftsman tractor will be on display.