Nissan Says No to 2010 NAIAS

Nissan recently announced a broader initiative to cut costs in almost every single area of the company, including production and operations around the world. In addition, the Japanese automaker also confirmed it won't be attending several auto shows to take place in the next few years, including the 2010 North American International Show (NAIAS). The reason? Nissan attempts to reduce costs and investing money into a fancy display at the show doesn't make sense given the economic turmoil.

"Nissan by no means was targeting to be, or not to be, in Detroit," Nissan spokesman Scott Vazin was quoted as saying by The Detroit News. However, Vazin explained that dealerships may be allowed to participate into future regional shows but refused to provide more details on the steps they must follow.

According to the same source, Nissan will attend a single auto show in North America - in New York this April, while major events such as the ones in LA (November) and Chicago (February 2010) will be skipped. In addition, Nissan won't show up at the Frankfurt show in September but will take part at events in Shanghai, Tokyo and 2010 Geneva.

But even if Nissan plans to say "fold" to a number of shows, organizers of the North American International Auto Show express their confidence that all the other manufacturer will still attend the conference and won't follow Nissan's example.

"I don't get the feeling it will snowball. I still foresee a high degree of participation," Doug Fox, co-chair of the Detroit show, commented on according to the aforementioned source.

Nevertheless, a final decision is expected to be announced next week as further discussion will take place between Detroit auto show organizers and automakers in Geneva.