Duggan Tours the North American International Auto Show
The Detroit mayor spent some of his time at a Ford test-drive simulator.
.@MayorMikeDuggan in the driver seat for a preview of the auto show #NAIAS @wdet pic.twitter.com/bjVg7Z6uYN
— Eli Newman (@other_eli) January 6, 2017
As construction workers made the finishing touches to the show’s displays, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan met with representatives from several automakers to discuss their plans for the event next week at Cobo Center. Detroit is poised to gain $450 million in revenue from the auto show, according to Duggan. He said the AutoMobili-D showcase gives a glimpse of the road ahead.
“Self-driving vehicles are going to be on us before we know it and Detroit’s positioning also plays a role. We just hired a full-time mobility director. That was a job that didn’t exist three years ago. Pittsburgh is doing a nice job with Uber, you’ve got some southern climates that are ahead. I think you’ll see Detroit with some partnerships very shortly.”
Mayor Mike Duggan
“It’s good to have Detroit be at the center of designing the next generation of cars,” Duggan said. “We want more and more to go back to the business of making the cars.” The mayor said Detroit is experiencing an automotive revival with the arrival of a headquarters from car-seat manufacturer Adient, a Flex-N-Gate bumper plant, and a Lear Corporation innovation center. He says there are 11,000 more Detroiters working now than there were a year ago.
