If anyone had any doubts about the state of the auto industry, a walk around this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) would have clued them in real fast. Although no attendance figures have been released, I didn’t bump into nearly as many people as usual this year, even at the most popular exhibits. It seemed to be a combination of fewer cars, which translated to more walking room, and fewer attendees, which translated to more elbow room. Nissan, Suzuki, Porsche, and Land Rover didn’t even bother showing up for the show this year. Which was quite a disappointment for me, as I was hoping that Nissan, which said they bowed out for a lack of new models to exhibit, would be showing their new Cube—which is a new model that they feature prominently on the internet. Go figure.

2010 Chevy Spark

I also noticed a dearth of brochures. What kid (no matter their age) doesn’t go to an auto show to collect brochures for cars they’ll never buy? I’ve collected a ton over the years—but not this time. Printed material at this year’s NAIAS was scarcer than—well, Nissans and Land Rovers. Yeah, they’re expensive to print, but if people can’t take something with them, they’ll forget you before they get home.

And next time anyone complains to you about winter in Buffalo, send them to Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit. It’s strategically located to freeze the bejeezus out of anybody brave enough to venture out there in the middle of January. If you’re not familiar with downtown Detroit, Cobo, which is right next to the Joe Louis Arena, is located on the frozen tundra known as the Detroit River, where the winds always seem to blow (and so does everything else). And after I paid my ten bucks to park across the street from the Joe, the attendant politely asked that I vacate the premises before 4:30, as the Jonas Brothers were in town for an 8:30 show and he needed to help another whole set of showgoers part with their cash.

The auto show itself was rather anti-climactic this year. First, what I liked. It was great to see the Audi R8 up close. It’s a beautiful design, especially in red, which looks even better in person than in all those car magazines which have been singing its praises. On a much more practical note, my favorite vehicle (at least among those I could actually afford) had to be the Kia Soul. It’s another squarish box along the line of the Scion xB and the missing-in-action Nissan Cube. Available in March, the Soul should start at around $14,000. Check one out in a really cool color Kia calls “ghost.” With houndstooth seats. Yeah.

VW Blue Sport

Volkswagen, which intends to be all things to all buyers, took up a ton of space with a huge revolving platform featuring its concept BlueSport—a 140-miles-per-hour, 40-miles-per-gallon mid-engined (diesel!) two-seat sports car that I’ll bet money you’ll see in VW showrooms in the near future. Upstairs at the VW display was a replica of the old black VW Bug which we see Heidi Klum converse with on VW’s television commercials.

Lincoln was showing the sharp C concept. In a refreshing green with a stunning white leather interior, the car features center-opening doors reminiscent of the early 1960s Lincoln Continental, no A- or B-pillar, and a full glass roof.

Not every exhibit at the NAIAS impressed me. Save for a few cars (Chevy Spark, Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, and the black Camaro) GM’s exhibits reminded me of walking through the mall parking lot—a bunch of nondescript Cobalts, Impalas, and Lucernes. Pretty boring stuff. No wonder the General’s in so much trouble. Same goes for Chrysler. They say no news is good news—but certainly not at an auto show. People want to see something new, not a bunch of old models decaled up to be “green.” The most exciting news out of Chrysler had nothing to do with the NAIAS; it was the fact that they’ll be partnering with the Italian manufacturer Fiat, which means that maybe next year, if they’re still around, Chrysler may have something interesting to show us.

Hopefully, I’ll still be around too.