France
What: That’s right — this seemingly All-American event has to be certified every year by the OICA: Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobile. It’s based in Paris.
Why: It wasn’t always this way. The first official Detroit Auto Show was put together in 1907 by the city’s auto dealerships, who answered to no one but themselves.
But Detroit wasn’t — and isn’t — the only U.S. city with a big car show. To compete with similar events in Los Angeles, Chicago, and NYC, Detroit decided to expand and become an official international show, showcasing new cars from around the world… which requires certification by OICA.
Other cities followed suit by getting OICA certification for their shows, too. But Detroit’s is still the only one in the U.S. to earn OICA’s stamp as a “Major International Show.”
Get this: America’s first-ever auto show actually occurred in 1900, in New York City. It was staged by Detroit’s first car dealer, William E. Metzger. He started out as a bicycle salesman.
