While many automakers are scaling back their presence at the industry’s leading auto shows, Honda showed at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show that it believes these types of events remain very important.
At LA, Honda’s stand was designed to act as a flagship showroom for the company. There were trees, a ‘living wall’ of plants, and a host of different areas that allowed consumers to get an insight into the brand. For example, there was a safety area with a crashed Civic on display and product specialists to talk about the importance of crumple zones and next-generation airbags. Found elsewhere within Honda’s display were areas dedicated to motorsport, eco-friendly models, accessories, and even an area devoted to Honda’s involvement in esports.
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“Generally, the concept was to be very bright and optimistic,” assistant vice president for public relations at American Honda, Sage Marie, told Auto News. “You look around the rest of the hall, and it’s kind of dark and brooding. So, we literally wanted to be like a bright, shining beacon. The main focus of this is to give people an environment to shop for cars.”
Research from Honda indicates that approximately 70 per cent of auto show attendees across the United States are within 12 months of buying a car, so the automaker wants to capture the attention of these shoppers while some rivals increase their focus on online shopping.
“From a consumer standpoint, auto shows are stable and growing in importance,” Marie added. “From a media standpoint, the dynamic is definitely changing. The way automakers leverage auto shows to deploy news is changing.”