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2006 North American International Auto Show Opening Weekend Yields Strong Attendance


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DETROIT, Jan. 16 -- Opening weekend at the 2006 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) yielded strong attendance. Public Days began Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006 with 95,662 attendees and continued to gain momentum with more than 245,000 total visitors by Sunday evening.

"We are not surprised about the tremendous excitement and great turnout for NAIAS 2006," said Robert Thibodeau Jr., 2006 NAIAS Co-Chairman. "The show is bigger and better than ever, with 60 percent new exhibits and more than 60 new vehicle introductions that will drive your senses wild. If you didn't make it to the show during opening weekend, you still have plenty of time to experience everything this exciting show has to offer."

Public Days for NAIAS 2006 run through Saturday, Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 22 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be no admittance one hour prior to show closing.

Just a few of the attractions to be experienced at the NAIAS include the following:

* Free Bumper Car rides are available at the Allstate exhibit. A maximum of 10 people can ride at a time, in five bumper cars. Every time someone rides, Allstate donates to the Boys & Girls Club of America.

* Visitors also can enter a raffle to win tickets to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard NASCAR race. The tickets include two-night accommodations.

  *  Dodge Hemi engine shifting simulator and interactive Dodge simulator
  *  Ford  - Xbox 360 game console available for the public to play.

* Jeep - Get your game on at the Xbox gaming station featuring the "Tony Hawk" game

* Free backpack, CD, iPod cases, key chains and jersey giveaways at the Scion exhibit for signing the mailing list.

* Subaru - Exhibit features "The Real Driving Simulator" PlayStation 2, which is an interactive driving simulator that lets you feel each turn and bump on the course.

* Mini - Exhibit features a DJ spinning hot beats to keep the party and show excitement going; a racecar game where participants sit in an actual racecar that moves around as the screen does; an interactive Ping-Pong game; and visitors can take a picture in a Mini and e-mail it to friends directly from the show.

* Volkswagen - A GTI Powerslider simulation that moves back and forth as you play the game as well as a relaxing hangout full of beanbags and headsets for listening to music.

NAIAS Food Court:

* Comcast has returned this year with an interactive display, which will include their HDTV, Digital Video Recorder, Video ONDemand and Comcast High Speed Internet service.

* Comcast will host SpongeBob SquarePants on both weekends of the NAIAS 2006.

* AAA Motorsports is displaying for the first time in Cobo Arena. They will be marketing their insurance services.

* The US Army Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion will have the climbing wall, a Hummer H2, and for the first time, a Stryker unit, which is a large tank-like vehicle currently used in Iraq to transport US troops.

* Travel Michigan has partnered with the Motor Cities National Heritage Area to promote Auto-related attractions in the Detroit Metropolitan area and throughout Michigan. They will have flyers and magazines available for guests.

* Michigan International Speedway will have NASCAR driving simulators in their display, and will have tickets to their racing series available for guests to purchase.

Ticket prices for Public Days are $12 for adults; $6 for senior citizens 65 and older (must be purchased onsite) and children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a parent and do not require a ticket.

eTickets are available for convenient online purchase at http://www.naias.com/ to help alleviate delays at on-site tickets booths. Orders for eTickets provide a voucher to be redeemed for show tickets at the eTicket window, located at the Oakland Hall entrance of Cobo Center. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ , or by calling (248) 645-6666. In addition, NAIAS attendees can purchase show tickets using the new ticket kiosks located in the Cobo Center concourse near the Detroit and Oakland Hall entrances. Ticket kiosks accept most major credit and debit cards.

To assist show attendees with finding convenient parking, the NAIAS 2006 has partnered with Click and Park, an online parking system that allows visitors to purchase spaces 24 hours in advance of arrival. ClickandPark.com provides access to select Miller Parking, Sterling Group and Park-Rite lots up to 24 hours before each show day and offers personalized directions and routes to each lot.

  The North American International Auto Show
  Rod Alberts - Executive Director

Entering its 18th year as an international event, the North American International Auto Show is among the most prestigious auto shows in the world, and is one of the largest media events in North America. The NAIAS is the only auto show in the United States to earn an annual distinguished sanction of the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, the Paris- based alliance of automotive trade associations and manufacturers from around the world. The NAIAS Web site can be accessed at http://www.naias.com/ . Don't Miss It for the World!