Crawlin' From the Wreckage

Who would've predicated thirty years ago that a little known new wave song from England's Dave Edmunds would prove to be the perfect theme for the 2010 North American International Auto Show? Last January's edition of the world's most important auto show was less about cars, trucks and crossovers as it was about bailouts, Obama and bankruptcies. Add to that the strange Kabuki dance around the attempted restoration of Cobo Hall -- the show's longtime site -- and the '09 show had all the panache of sportscaster Howard Cosell's 1975 Variety show. But what a difference a year makes...

"Crawlin' from the wreckage, into a brand new car"

Just as the song's chorus suggests a rebirth, the 2010 NAIAS is likewise being resurrected. Manufacturers are again investing in their booths, prodigal sons have returned and the show is even recharging the career of '80s singer Eddy Grant with its "Electric Avenue" display. So watch this week's Autoline Detroit for an in-depth preview of all that is going on at this year's North American International Auto Show.