Luxury cars make their own show in Detroit
Photo credit: Bradford Wernle
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DETROIT -- Fifteen luxury carmakers showed off their latest vehicles at a glitzy party Sunday evening at the MGM Grand Detroit casino.
Held since 2007, the Gallery gives luxury automakers an opportunity to show their vehicles to customers in an exclusive setting, away from the hustle and bustle of the Detroit auto show floor.
Rod Alberts, executive director of the show, said the one-day event would draw about 500 customers.
"We expect a few million dollars in products to be agreed in sales," Alberts said of the event Sunday evening, noting that many of the customers fly to Detroit in their own airplanes.
Photo credit: Bradford Wernle
American Express offered 400 tickets to holders of the American Express Centurion, card, commonly known as the black card, the highest level of credit card offered by the company. An additional 100 tickets were offered by the auto show to anyone interested in attending.
Super chef Wolfgang Puck, who operates a restaurant in the MGM Grand, prepared a banquet for the attendees, and Neiman Marcus staged a fashion show.
To be part of the display, a car must have a minimum sticker price of $100,000, according to The Gallery Producer Bob Caza .
Caza said American Express customers typically charge $100,000 or more per year on their personal black cards.
Photo credit: Bradford Wernle
The 28 cars shown ranged in price from $100,000 up to $1.9 million, the latter figure for the Aston Martin One-77, of which only 77 production cars were made at Aston Martin's factory in Gaydon, England. The total value of all the cars in the room was 8 million, Caza said.
Last year, seven cars were sold, generating $3 million. Carmakers showing their vehicles included McLaren, Jaguar, Range Rover, Morgan, Lingenfelter, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Corvette, Lexus, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley and Falcon, a newcomer to the event, were on display. A number of the vehicles will not be shown at NAIAS.
Steven Sporich, national marketing manager for Aston Martin The Americas, said the Gallery allows luxury brands to display the products without the expense of showing at the auto show.
"In order to really draw customers to Detroit, the concept of an exclusive event held just for you is a big motivator," he said.
Bradford Wernle contributed to this report.
You can reach Ellen Mitchell at emitchell@crain.com.
