Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will show a new model at CES in Las Vegas next month, which is the second straight year that one of Detroit’s automakers has spurned its hometown auto show when introducing new cars.
FCA’s plan to show the car first at CES, instead of Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, was confirmed by spokesman Rick Deneau in an e-mail interview. They had been reported earlier by the Detroit Free Press. Deneau declined to say what the model will be.
The approach resembles General Motors Co.’s decision last year to reveal the Chevrolet Bolt electric car at the consumer electronics show, followed by a discussion of the technical details at the Detroit show.
This will be the second time the former Chrysler Corp. hasn’t held a press conference at its hometown show since its 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring that combined it with Italy’s Fiat SpA.
CES has become an important show for carmakers, who tend to debut high-tech models with electric drive, connected features or autonomous driving at that event. In addition to GM, BMW AG, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz unit and Volkswagen AG all presented vehicles with new technology ideas last year.
“It will prove more obvious why specifically we are showing the vehicle first at CES once it’s revealed,” Deneau told the Detroit News.
By Jamie Butters
