Porsche Pulls Out Of NAIAS

Organizers of the North American International Auto Show are not pushing Porsche Cars North America Inc. to reconsider its pullout from the 2008 event in Detroit.

“It was a marketing decision,” senior co-chairman Carl Galeana says of the auto maker's move. “It is what it is.” Nor are there any talks to lure a replacement for Porsche. In recent years, China-based auto makers have aggressively targeted the Detroit show.

“We certainly can use that floor space,” Galeana says, adding show organizers are going to “reallocate” Porsche's allotment among existing exhibitors.

Porsche's decision not to exhibit in Detroit next January is based on the auto maker's market position in the Detroit area. “It's not that the market isn't significant — it is,” a spokesman says, adding Porsche will remain a presence in Detroit by targeting a performance-oriented demographic.

Porsche will be featured prominently during the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on Labor Day weekend, he says. The brand also will be represented on the track because it is a major player in the American Le Mans racing series, which will stage an event at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.