Naturally, the manufacturers pull out all the stops at the NAIAS, after all, it does take place in "Motor City". Mercedes-Benz had an indoor ice-rink to show off its wares and many others had equally impressive stands, but not one stacked up to that of Scion.

Scion is Toyota's entry-level brand in the United States. Scion's long-term goal is to appeal to Generation Y consumers, who are expected to dwarf the market size of Gerneration X by 2020.

Now, maybe their stand was just the modern Generation Y approach to showcasing vehicles. Perhaps it had something to do with the high cost of floor space at the show. Whatever it was, seeing their products neatly stacked on shelving certainly caught my eye and started me wondering if they know something that I don't.

Was this a glimpse into the future? Was this display a fore-runner of the "big box auto stores"? Is that where we are heading... cars stacked up in the aisles of your local Walmart? You know like... Aisle three, ladies tolitries, ready-packed meals and 7- passenger Minivans!! A place where you simply ask a pimply faced youth for a light blue Scion with tinted windows and he runs off with a forklift and retrieves your purchase.

It also somehow reminded me of the toy car section of Toys R Us. Back in my day, you only got one car at a time, and that came packaged in its own little carboard box. Nowadays, youngsters receive a huge assortment of toy cars, all bundled up in clear plastic. Maybe that's where the idea for their display came from? All I know is that it was one of the most thought provoking displays at the show and one of my favorites. For that, I congratulate them.

January 7, 2007 - Detroit, MI - Scion, of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., will debut an all-new auto show display at the 2007 North American International Auto Show.

"The new auto show display provides us the ability to present more vehicles, especially modified versions, in the same footprint as our previous display and in one location," said Mark Templin, Scion vice president. "The extra space will allow us to show consumers one of the brand's most important elements, personalization. We hope they see the uniqueness of each modified Scion, the potential for customization and are inspired to personalize their own rides."

The new vertical presentation will display up to 10 Scion vehicles, feature eight projection screens and allow for an additional four Scions on the show floor. Scion's latest display will hold two rows of four static vehicles each, while two cars occupy the ground level. This will give Scion the opportunity to show a variety of modified and stock vehicles at each auto show. The top two rows will also serve as a multi-media display when eight projection screens roll down, either separately or in tandem over the front of display, to present product demonstrations, and footage of Scion advertising, modified vehicles, drag racing teams, owners' events, and grassroots marketing activities.

After debuting in Detroit, the new display will travel to Houston, Chicago, Cleveland and New York Auto Shows during the 2007 show season.