The North American International Auto Show that runs Sept. 14-25 at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit has announced its expanded 2022 AutoMobili-D (AMD) program, which will showcase an array of companies focused on mobility technologies, products, and services.
In addition, new Charity Preview activations on Friday evening (6-11 p.m.) will include a Gravity Jet Suit and a drone program that will illuminate the Detroit skyline with hundreds of drones.
New for 2022, AutoMobili-D will be centrally located in Halls B and C on the main show floor at Huntington Place and will feature integrated displays, informative executive briefings, and innovative startup companies. The show is powered by Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Michigan’s Office of Mobility and Electrification.
“We are thrilled to showcase these important technology advancements in the mobility sector, says Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Show. “The entire AutoMobili-D area is sold out, illustrating the key role these companies are playing in the new world of mobility.”
AutoMobili-D exhibitors range from connected and smart car services to those demonstrating e-mobility and electrification products and services. Magna is sponsoring the popular University Community, which will include 12 universities from throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Some of the exhibitors include:
Plug Zen, a new official sponsor of the Detroit Auto Show, is sponsoring the Plug Zen Recharging Café, hosting an exhibit in the AutoMobili-D technology showcase and the concourse. In addition, the Detroit-based company is making a new-product press announcement. Plug Zen is the developer of unique EV charging products in both wired and wireless options and capable of charging up to 10 vehicles simultaneously.
Phoenix Contact is seeking to help create a smart and sustainable world for future generations. The family-owned business, headquartered in Germany, is a global market innovator in electrification, networking, and automation. The Phoenix Contact Group includes 15 German and four international companies, as well as 55 sales companies around the world.
WiTricity creates wireless chargers for electric vehicles, leading the development and implementation of magnetic resonance technology across passenger and commercial vehicles alike. WiTricity expects to help accelerate the adoption of EVs by eliminating the hassle of plug-in charging, enabling always-available wireless vehicle-to-ground charging and setting the stage for future autonomy.
The Massachusetts company will have two reveals at NAIAS: the wireless WiTricity Halo charger and a new upfitted vehicle from an American OEM joining its fleet of EVs that can charge wirelessly, both of which will be on display.
The Shyft Group in Novi will showcase its work-driven design consultative sales and engineering approach and adaptive production systems to unearth opportunities for continuous improvement, resulting in cost-effective product solutions that better meet today’s demands and tomorrow’s needs.
Mumbai, India’s Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) functions as a full stakeholder to businesses, offering a consulting-led approach with an integrated portfolio of technology-led solutions that encompass the entire enterprise value chain. TCS helps automotive and mobility companies formulate strategies and create new-age digital solutions to deliver innovation, agility, and scale to drive business growth.
Eaton, a global power management company based in Galesburg, helps its customers solve power challenges through electrical, aerospace, and vehicle products and services. For more than 100 years, its teams have helped people work more safely, be more energy efficient, and live more sustainably.
Oakland County is presenting the Gateway Café in AutoMobili-D, offering a networking and gathering space for attendees.
A complete list of exhibitors can be found here.
An additional feature of AutoMobili-D is the executive briefings, where companies will highlight their work through presentations and panel discussions. Companies providing executive briefings include:
Sept. 14:
- what3words
- Michigan Economic Development Corp.
- Michelin
- Qualcomm
- DMI
- Tata Consultancy Services
- Planview
Sept. 15:
- Oakland County
- MotorTrend
- S&P Global Mobility (formerly IHS Markit)
- Ann Arbor SPARK
- MICHauto
- S. Army TACOM
- Veoneer
- Center for Automotive Research (CAR)
- Tata Consultancy Services
- Aluminum Association
- Plug and Play Detroit Pitch Competition
Plug and Play is the Presenting Sponsor of the AutoMobili-D Startup Arena featuring 81 startups focused on six mobility trends including in-cabin, autonomous driving, smart city, manufacturing and enterprise, data and connectivity, and electrification.
The Plug and Play Tech Center is an open innovation platform. It finds and invests in startups within 18 emerging industries and connect them with more than 550 corporate partners for business development, licensing, and investments.
Plug and Play is hosting a pitch competition on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. Twelve of the industries’ best early-stage and high-growth companies will be showcased and judged by OEM and Tier 1 supplier top executives. Startups will be evaluated based on team, level of disruption, impact of solution, and novelty of idea.
A complete list of startups can be found here.
The black-tie Charity Preview will take flight with a personal mobility display featuring the Gravity Jet Suit and a first-time drone event that will illuminate the Detroit skyline with hundreds of drones.
The Friday, Sept. 16 fundraiser at Huntington Place also will mark the premiere of the auto show’s Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounters.
“This year’s Charity Preview will give guests a chance to preview today’s latest vehicles and tomorrow’s future mobility, while experiencing some great dance music and fun activations, all for the benefit of the children in our community,” says Joe Lunghamer, chairman of the Detroit Auto Show.
Tickets to Charity Preview are $400 each or $700 a pair and are available here. Huntington is the presenting sponsor of the 2022 Charity Preview, and WXYZ-TV Channel 7 is the official television partner of the gala.
Attendees will get a firsthand look at human flight as Gravity Industries helps kick off the evening with its patented 1,000-horsepower Jet Suit that will show Charity Preview guests why it has garnered global audiences and social media attention, generating over two billion video views worldwide.
The Gravity Jet Suit holds the 2019 Guinness World Record for Jet Suit speed reaching an unprecedented 85.06 mph, and it is technically capable of reaching 12,000 feet. The Jet Suit, along with five other pioneers in the air mobility space, are part of the auto show’s new Air Mobility Experience with flight demonstrations and displays.
Charity Preview attendees will also enjoy a new spectacle over the skies of Detroit’s riverfront, featuring 300-400 drones flying 200 feet high with 900 lumens of light each. Sponsored by Visit Detroit, the drone show, which will be able to be viewed from three miles away, is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Charity Preview night, with a repeat performance on opening day of the public show, on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 9 p.m.
The gala, too, will highlight the premiere of the auto show’s all-new Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounters, a Jurassic walk-thru experience featuring off-road SUVs and trucks alongside life-like and life-size creatures from the prehistoric era. Held in the Huntington Place Ballroom, Charity Preview attendees will have the opportunity to preview the exhibit before it officially opens to the public.
In keeping with the philanthropic spirit of Charity Preview, a few dinosaurs will be making extra-special visits to area children’s hospitals, schools, and organizations for children with special needs even before the dinosaurs make their way to Charity Preview and the auto show.
Gala guests will also experience hundreds of vehicles in addition to experiential activations, including Camp Jeep, Bronco Mountain, F-150 Lightning, and Ram Truck rides. Music icon Nile Rodgers and CHIC will entertain on the main auto show floor with their dance-floor hits like “Good Times” and “Le Freak,” while Your Generation in Concert follows up on the Atrium Stage with a variety of hits from throughout the decades.
The event runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m., inside Huntington Place. Outside in Hart Plaza, the public is invited to join in celebrating this special night with a variety of entertainment featured and street food available for purchase.
The Charity Preview has raised more than $100 million for children’s charities in southeastern Michigan over the past 25 years alone. In total, the event has generated over $121 million since its inception in 1976. Beneficiaries for this year’s Charity Preview include:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan
- The Children’s Center
- The Children’s Foundation
- Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
- Detroit PAL
- University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
Dates for the 2022 Detroit Auto Show are:
— Media Day, Wednesday, Sept. 14
— AutoMobili-D and Industry Tech Days, Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Thursday, Sept. 15
— Charity Preview, Friday, Sept. 16 (6-11 p.m.)
— Public Show, Saturday, Sept. 17 through Sunday, Sept. 25
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