LOS ANGELES — A funny thing happened on the way to the debut of the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Eos at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
It was 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, the first of two media days at the show, and hundreds of media were packed into the Volkswagen booth, pencils poised to paper and video cameras rolling, awaiting the hard sell of the hard-to-sell Eos. About 9:16, the model Heidi Klum was invited to the stage for a prepared Q.&A. to discuss how much she liked convertibles and, especially, VWs. At around 9:18, a photo op was announced, and photographers rushed to the stage, leaving other members of the media holding notebooks, clueless about what to do next.
9:20… 9:25… With Ms. Klum now posed behind the wheel, the Eos became engulfed in photographers. Many of the waiting journalists left. Others, like myself, continued to mill around, thinking, Surely, there will be a vehicle presentation. But by 9:30, I, too, departed. I can only assume Ms. Klum eventually gave the Eos her trademark kiss of death, “auf Wiedersehen.”
The frenzy was an awkward start to the show, but also encouraging. “Media presence is up 50 percent from last year,” said Brendan Flynn, a spokesman for the show. Not only was the media in full force, so were the automakers, who held more than 20 world debuts and flew in top executives to reveal them. Brands and products were being feted in a way more reminiscent of the years before the industry’s financial struggles: namely, swanky parties and events for the media.
Hyundai threw a soiree in honor of the new Elantra’s debut. It was held at a historic downtown Los Angeles hotel and included performers on stilts, mermaids and fire-eaters. The actor Jeff Bridges rocked the house with the musician T-Bone Burnett. The off-site party thrown by Range Rover was apparently so unexpectedly well-attended that the company’s reps, who were the hosts paying the tab, had a difficult time getting in. The Jaguar invite was a trip to Jay Leno’s garage, and Mazda took the media to dinner and a hockey game. Other automakers offered their own delights, including a cigar bar.
During the show, the celebration continued. Mercedes-Benz revealed the CLS63 AMG and F-Cell, and brought forth a MotoGP champion, Nicky Hayden, for a special announcement. The media was then invited to take a closer look at the cars and, presumably, Mr. Hayden. Unfortunately, these offerings were competing with free cupcakes, which got the closer look.
Champagne flowed at Kia’s press conference, and Porsche offered a catered lunch. Over at Lotus, there was more star power: the actors Sharon Stone and Billy Baldwin, as well as Paul Stanley from Kiss, took the wraps off the cars. Jonny Moseley, an Olympic gold-medalist, was the face at Ford.
Fiat’s press materials were packaged in a box containing an espresso cup, and Chevrolet brought limited-edition Hot Wheels Camaro Convertible cars, although those were actually for the public to receive during the show.
Sure, being a part of a media circus sounds glamorous — and fattening. But the real takeaway here is that the sweet smell of optimism regarding the future of this industry was wafting through the air.
Or it could have been the cupcakes.
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