Aftermath
DREW WINTER Ward's AutoWorld, Oct 1, 2001 12:00 PM

FRANKFURT — “Nobody wants to talk about cars today,” says a somber Dee Alan, General Motors Corp's Director of Global Product Coordination and Administration.

Normally such a statement on the second day of press days at the world''''s largest car show would have been a joke. But on this day, the day after terrorists attacked New York and Washington, DC, I understand. Everyone does.

We are thousands of miles away, but the mind-numbing television images we have been absorbing in our hotel rooms leaves us all in a daze, struggling to even go through the motions of what we came here to do.

To get an idea of the size of the Frankfurt International Motor Show, imagine merging Detroit''''s North American International Auto Show with the SAE Congress and Exposition, and then multiply that several times. Major European automakers such as DaimlerChrysler AG don''''t have “stands.” they occupy their own multi-story buildings.

It is a huge, furious celebration of the car, the truck, the motorcycle and all their myriad components and suppliers.

But the energy of the show ebbs on Tuesday afternoon when the news arrives. There are no public announcements.

Journalists and public relations staffers suddenly find normally punctual top executives to be mysterious no-shows for long-scheduled interviews. Likewise some writers blow off appointments to rush to television sets and Internet terminals to check out rumors that seem too horrible to be true. Even so, many don''''t learn the awful news until early evening — around noon eastern standard time in the U.S.

You can walk through the show and look in strangers'''' faces and know if they know or not.

The German people, who have suffered brutal attacks from domestic and international terrorists for decades, are enormously sympathetic.

As the news spreads on Tuesday, public relations officials at different companies start talking with each other, trying to decide if it would be appropriate to have scheduled news conferences the following day.

Opening ceremonies on Wednesday are cancelled. There are rumors the show will be shut down altogether.

But on Wednesday morning the doors open early for the journalists and automotive suppliers still interested in attending. One of the main exhibition halls housing Ford Motor Co. is evacuated briefly because of a bomb threat, but then goes back to normal.

The tone of the show now is remarkably subdued: stone-faced security personnel with earpieces are present at many booths. The perky music that usually blares from stands is turned off, and attendees — even aggressive reporters — are uncharacteristically distracted. Those who have flown in from North America are wondering how long they''''ll be stranded in Germany, and if they will be able to hang onto their hotel rooms for several more days — or weeks.

Thousands of the world''''s automotive journalists and industry executives converge on this event every other September. For a few days it becomes the absolute center of the automotive universe. Yet now we are paralyzed, forced to ponder how insignificant it all is compared with true life and death issues.

In the afternoon I spot Ford CEO Jacques Nasser wandering the show with a small group. General Motors Corp. Design Chief Wayne Cherry is there. Lear Corp. Chairman Ken Way is strolling the show, too. They''''re as stunned as everyone else.

Most companies with press conferences scheduled for Wednesday cancel them, including Covisint Europe BV, Lear Corp., Siemens VDO Automotive, Volkswagen Bank GmbH, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Continental AG and ArvinMeritor Inc.

Scrubbing a press conference is easy for some who aren''''t making big announcements, but others agonize over the decision because it means throwing away months of careful planning.

Siemens VDO Automotive, for instance, a new $7 billion company formed by the merger of Mannesmann VDO AG and Siemens Automotive is planning to formally introduce itself to the world at a noon press conference.

Despite the importance of the event, a spokesman says the new company''''s chairman, Franz Wressnigg — deeply disturbed by the news — just can''''t bear the idea of touting a new business venture under such sad circumstances.

One of the few press conferences held is by Autoliv Inc. The Swedish company touts its development of airbags for vehicle exteriors. The goal is to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by vehicle impacts with people. Such pedestrian protection devices will be mandated in Europe by 2005.

I wonder how human life can be so precious to some and so worthless to others, and my head starts to ache.

In another morning press conference, Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. Chief Executive J.T. Battenberg III delivers the unofficial keynote address of the Frankfurt Motor Show:

“The auto industry also has many great strengths and determination,” he says. “And while we will continue to grieve, we must not let this act of violence stop us from conducting our lives and our business in the economies of the world. … Accordingly we will set aside much of our anger and much of our feelings as we try to conduct business in an orderly manner.”

By Thursday, the day when automakers and suppliers really start to get down to the business of meeting customers and making deals, the show is hot and crowded.

Just as it should be.

Listen to Drew Winter and other Ward''''s editors Monday and Thursday on WJR 760 AM radio in Detroit.
dwinter@primediabusiness.com