Nissan Back on for Chicago

While Detroit's auto show continues to shed automakers at an alarming rate, Nissan has decided to spend the money needed

to be at the Chicago show, or at least the city's local dealers will. Chicagoans and the media shouldn't expect to see any new model launches from Nissan or its premium brand Infiniti, but attendees will be able to get an upfront look at the latest cars to debut elsewhere, such as the new 370Z, Cube and G37 Convertible.

This wouldn't have been big news if Nissan hadn't already announced it wasn't going to attend the Chicago show, although not having a model or concept to introduce at the show is unusual for the Japanese brand. Not having an official national presence at this important event is also strange, but our current economic times have allowed automakers to take such steps without calling too much negative attention. As for Detroit, it's still a no-show for Nissan.

Along with Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand, Ferrari, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Suzuki have pulled out of the nation's number one international auto show in Detroit, a reality that doesn't look positively on the show's future. No doubt, the  thousands of media representatives that attend the NAIAS each year may reconsider next year if a repeat performance occurs, changing their schedules to attend the Los Angeles show instead, where the bulk of new vehicle previews took place.

Chicago, for the most part, appears to still be holding onto the majority of its manufacturer presenters, but there is still time for other automakers to pull out in an attempt to cut costs. Likewise, New York, one of the annual hotspots being the last major auto show of the year in April, has no cancellations yet.