The Waymo driveless minivan.
Sunday marks the start of the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit for media and VIPs.
The media wasn't allowed in the exhibit hall for the cars. That comes Monday, though I was able to snap a couple photos of cars people were driving into the exhibit hall before security guards screamed out: "No pictures! No pictures!"
The highlight of the day was a presentation about driverless cars by John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo, a spinoff of Google. (see video above.) It was the first time Waymo publicly displayed its autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivan, and Krafcik discussed the technology behind it and the fascinating, albeit, scary future of driverless cars.
Among other notable speakers were Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, who talked about Detroit's growth and Gov. Rick Snyder, who gave a little pep talk about the greatness of the Detroit auto show and the important role the city still plays in the car industry.
Vice President Joe Biden is expected to drop by in the next few days.
Also read:
Detroit Show Reveals a Google-Designed Van That Could Steer the Car Industry (NY Times)
Auto Show dates:
- Jan. 9-10: Media previews
- Jan. 11-12: Industry previews
- Jan. 13: Black-tie charity gala
- Jan. 14-22: Public show. Get tickets here (adults, $13; seniors, $7; children, $7 (ages 7-12).
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- John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo
