Although the New York International Auto Show doesn't open until Friday, car companies are already gearing up for the 10-day show with events and ploys to draw attention from the press. Previews and parties start today, with Maserati unveiling the Gran Turismo S at its showroom on Park Avenue. Later this evening, Mercedes-Benz will celebrate the launch of BlueTEC—a clean diesel technology used in the engines of some of its vehicles—with its "House of BlueTEC" party at Splashlight, featuring a performance from Sheryl Crow.
Also on the green train is SmartCar, which will introduce Sideways, a Smart Art Project, a book of artwork from various artists. To highlight the environmental focus of the anthology, the company hired architectural firm LOT-EK to design the look for a Wednesday-night event inside 7 World Trade Center. The same night, Kia is hosting a party of its own at Exit Art, but its marketing folks are being tight-lipped about what it will involve.At Javits, other attention-seeking strategies include Toyota's mock talk show/newscast dubbed "Toyota Live" and AutoTrader.com's game-show booth where contestants will be quizzed on their knowledge of cars and pop culture.
Also on the green train is SmartCar, which will introduce Sideways, a Smart Art Project, a book of artwork from various artists. To highlight the environmental focus of the anthology, the company hired architectural firm LOT-EK to design the look for a Wednesday-night event inside 7 World Trade Center. The same night, Kia is hosting a party of its own at Exit Art, but its marketing folks are being tight-lipped about what it will involve.At Javits, other attention-seeking strategies include Toyota's mock talk show/newscast dubbed "Toyota Live" and AutoTrader.com's game-show booth where contestants will be quizzed on their knowledge of cars and pop culture.
