Detroit Auto Show organizers announced attendance numbers for the 2025 show as it returned to January.
According to officials, there were 275,000 attendees over the 11-day event - which took place in the middle of January.
Those numbers are down significantly from pre-pandemic shows. In 2018, more than 800,000 people attended the show, and more than 770,000 attended in 2019.
This show was a return to January for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The show had moved to the fall after the pandemic, but officials didn't host a show in 2024 and moved it back to January in 2025.
“Bringing the Detroit Auto Show back to January felt like coming home; there was a sense of familiarity and community, of being right where we belong,” said Detroit Auto Show Executive Director Sam Klemet. “There was a true energy fueled by the attendees’ excitement of seeing and interacting with over 30 vehicle brands, new activations and fun experiences, which created a momentum that will carry through to the 2026 show.”
The January show returned with a lineup of 34 brands, four immersive indoor tracks, nearly 500 vehicles, unique activations and Ford Motor Company’s kick-off reveal of a pair of special-edition Mustangs. And for the first time in seven years, The Gallery returned featuring more than 50 ultra-luxury vehicles that drew long lines and jaw-dropping reactions.
“It was great to usher in the return of the January show with such a robust lineup of vehicles and experiences for families to see and enjoy,” said 2025 Detroit Auto Show Chairman Karl Zimmermann. “The show gave consumers the opportunity to ‘shop’ their next new vehicle from a sea of brands and hundreds of cars and trucks all under one roof. In addition, the four tracks provided over 100,000 rides to prospective buyers.”
According to officials, the charity preview had 7,000 attendees and raised $1.7 million.
