The 2027 Detroit Auto Show runs from Thursday 14 to Sunday 24 January 2027 at Huntington Place, the riverfront convention center at One Washington Boulevard, according to the Detroit Auto Show. The show opens with Media and Industry Day on 14 January, the Charity Preview evening on Friday 15 January, and nine public show days from 16 to 24 January.
Elly8.net books Detroit Auto Show transportation around those three very different days: a chauffeur at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) for executives and media, a car by the hour for Industry Day and supplier meetings across the metro, and an evening car for Charity Preview. Detroit prices are fixed and all-in, and the price list does not change for the show.
How do you get to Huntington Place for the Detroit Auto Show?
From DTW, by car: there is no airport rail link, and the drive to downtown is about 24 miles (38 km). Downtown, the free Detroit People Mover and QLINE streetcar serve the show area. For Industry Day schedules, Charity Preview and supplier visits outside downtown, a pre-booked chauffeur at a fixed price is the reliable choice.
Downtown Detroit is easy to drive most of the year. Show week changes that. Industry Day brings automakers, suppliers and media into the same few blocks by the same morning hours; Charity Preview sends thousands of guests to Huntington Place for a fixed evening window; and the public show weekends add families and day visitors from across the region. In January, the weather adds the rest.
A chauffeur who drops you at the door, holds nearby and meets you at a set point afterwards takes parking, snow and the wait for an app ride out of the plan.
See Detroit prices and reserve
The 2027 show days and hours
The show's floor map and hours page lists:
- Media and Industry Day, Thursday 14 January, 9 am to 7 pm.
- Charity Preview, Friday 15 January, 5:30 pm to 9 pm.
- Public show, Saturday 16 to Sunday 24 January, 10 am to 8 pm daily, closing at 7 pm on the final Sunday.
The organisers note that more 2027 programming announcements are coming. Check the official site before you plan press events or off-site receptions around the show days.
Charity Preview: the evening that needs a car
Charity Preview is the show's gala evening and its biggest single night. According to the Charity Preview page, tickets cost US$400 each or US$700 per pair, must be bought in advance, and give access to the whole show campus including the VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony inside Huntington Place. The event has raised more than US$100 million for children's charities in Southeastern Michigan over the past 25 years, and tickets were announced as coming in early November.
Everyone arrives in the same window around 5:30 pm and leaves around 9 pm, often on to dinners and private parties downtown, in Midtown or in the suburbs. That is exactly when parking garages fill and app rides are scarce. A First Class sedan or SUV for a couple, or an Executive Sprinter for a company table, means one arrival at the door and one pickup at the time you choose.
The evening out and event night package keeps one car and chauffeur for five hours, from US$475 in a business sedan to US$950 in an Executive Sprinter. The chauffeur follows local rules on drinks in vehicles. Our event transportation page explains how the desk times arrivals and pickups for galas.
Arriving at DTW for the show
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is about 24 miles (38 km) from downtown, roughly 34 minutes on a clear road and longer at rush hour or in snow. DTW has two passenger terminals, McNamara and Evans, and your airline decides which one you use; give us your flight number and we track it, including international arrivals through customs.
Your chauffeur meets you inside arrivals with a name board and walks you to the car, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing. That saves a real walk in January: the airport sends rideshare passengers across the skybridge to designated areas in the McNamara Parking Garage or the Big Blue Deck for Evans, according to DTW's rideshare page.
| DTW to downtown Detroit | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One way | US$215 | US$280 | US$345 | US$380 | US$560 |
| Round trip | US$410 | US$535 | US$660 | US$725 | US$1,065 |
Prices are per vehicle and include the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet; tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. See DTW airport transfers and meet and greet. Executives flying privately can be met at the FBO named in the booking; see private jet and FBO car service.
Industry Day and the week of meetings
The auto show is the reason for the trip, but rarely the only stop. Automakers, suppliers, engineering firms and technology centers are spread across the metro, from Dearborn to Troy and Auburn Hills, and a day of meetings can cover a lot of miles. A chauffeur who waits at each site, takes calls on the way and drops you back at Huntington Place for an evening reception is the efficient way to do it.
For a day like that, the corporate roadshow day keeps one car and chauffeur for ten hours, from US$855 in a business sedan to US$1,710 in an Executive Sprinter, and the full-day chauffeur covers eight hours from US$700 to US$1,400. For a shorter window, book a chauffeur by the hour from US$95, with a three-hour minimum. Our roadshow chauffeur page explains how a long day with many stops is scheduled.
Media teams covering the show often need a Sprinter for camera kits and crew, and executives hosting dealers or suppliers need sedans that run to a schedule. An Executive Sprinter carries up to 12 passengers with bags. The desk keeps every car under one reference and updates the chauffeurs when the agenda changes. See corporate car service, conference and trade show transportation and film and production transportation.
A corporate account puts the show week on one monthly invoice with a reference per traveller, and agencies booking for clients can use travel-agent accounts. NDAs are available on request, which matters for pre-launch meetings. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security.
Huntington Place and downtown
Huntington Place sits on the Detroit River at the foot of downtown, with 723,000 square feet of space in total and a 40,000-square-foot ballroom overlooking the river, according to Huntington Place. Many show guests stay in downtown hotels within a few blocks, others in Midtown, Corktown, Dearborn or Birmingham.
The chauffeur drops you at the entrance traffic staff are using for the day and agrees a meeting point for the return. On public show weekends, when families arrive in the late morning and leave in the late afternoon, the approach roads and garages are busiest; plan your arrival around them or ask the desk to time it.
Show week prices in Detroit
All prices per vehicle, fixed and all-in:
| Package | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By the hour, as directed (3-hour minimum) | US$95 per hour | US$120 per hour | US$145 per hour | US$155 per hour | US$190 per hour |
| Evening out & event night (5 hours) | US$475 | US$600 | US$725 | US$775 | US$950 |
| Full-day chauffeur (8 hours) | US$700 | US$885 | US$1,070 | US$1,145 | US$1,400 |
| Corporate roadshow day (10 hours) | US$855 | US$1,080 | US$1,305 | US$1,395 | US$1,710 |
The rates do not change for the auto show. Availability does: First Class cars and Sprinters book out early for Industry Day and Charity Preview, so reserve now.
Honest alternatives: the People Mover, QLINE, parking and the bus
For a visitor already downtown, Detroit's own options are good and free. The show's parking and transportation page recommends booking parking in advance through SpotHero, and says the Detroit People Mover is free to ride and opens earlier, at 8 am, on both Saturdays and Sundays of the show. The QLINE streetcar is also free and runs 3.3 miles along Woodward Avenue with 12 stops through Downtown, Midtown, the North End and New Center, from 8 am to midnight Monday to Saturday and 8 am to 9 pm on Sunday, according to the show.
| Option | Cost | Best for | Weak point in show week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit People Mover | Free | Downtown hotels near a station | Downtown loop only |
| QLINE streetcar | Free | Hotels along Woodward in Midtown | One corridor; a walk to the hall |
| Drive and park | Garage rates, booked ahead | Day visitors from the suburbs | Snow, garage queues at closing |
| SMART bus from DTW | US$2.00 | One traveller, light bag, daytime | Longer, with stops |
| Rideshare from DTW | Dynamic, set by the app | Off-peak arrivals | Walk to the garage pickup areas; surge at show close |
| Elly8.net chauffeur | DTW from US$215; by the hour from US$95 | Executives, media, Charity Preview, teams | Book early for the first two days |
The SMART fare is from SMART's fares page. For a family visiting the public show from a downtown hotel, the People Mover is hard to beat. The pre-booked car is the better buy for DTW arrivals, Charity Preview, meetings outside downtown, sample or camera cases, and anyone who would rather not wait outside in January. For the general comparisons, see chauffeur vs taxi and Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur.
Before and after the show
Guests with a free afternoon often visit Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan; the signature Detroit day trip, five hours, costs from US$440 in a business sedan to US$875 in an Executive Sprinter. The private city highlights tour, from US$380 to US$760, covers the riverfront, the Midtown museums and Motown history; see private city tours.
Many visitors drive in from the region. Elly8.net also covers Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, London, Ontario, Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton, and a city-to-city car service can bring a team to Huntington Place at a fixed quote. More on the city is on our Detroit car service page. Flights and hotels can be booked through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
How booking works
Rides in Detroit are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, and seven or newer for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley. Elly8.net is a member of LWD, LAI, HWD and VWD: LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
- Enter the pickup and drop-off, with your flight number for DTW legs, or your hotel and the hours for show days and Charity Preview.
- Choose the vehicle: business sedan, business SUV, First Class sedan or SUV, or Executive Sprinter.
- Press Reserve now on the Detroit price list, or use the web booker for Huntington Place or any address not on the list. Confirmation arrives by email.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2027 Detroit Auto Show?
The show runs from 14 to 24 January 2027 at Huntington Place: Media and Industry Day on Thursday 14 January, Charity Preview on Friday 15 January from 5:30 pm to 9 pm, and the public show from 16 to 24 January, 10 am to 8 pm, closing at 7 pm on the final Sunday.
How much is a car from DTW to downtown during the show?
The price does not change for the show: US$215 in a business sedan, US$280 in a business SUV and US$560 in an Executive Sprinter, all-in per vehicle, with meet and greet inside arrivals and complimentary waiting after a tracked landing.
What does a car for Charity Preview cost?
The five-hour evening out and event night package costs from US$475 in a business sedan, US$725 in a First Class SUV and US$775 in a First Class Sedan, up to US$950 in an Executive Sprinter for a group. The chauffeur drops you at the entrance and meets you at an agreed point afterwards.
Can I keep a car for supplier meetings across the metro?
Yes. By the hour costs from US$95 in a business sedan with a three-hour minimum, the full-day chauffeur from US$700 for eight hours, and the ten-hour corporate roadshow day from US$855. One chauffeur waits at each stop.
Is the People Mover free during the show?
The show's transportation page says the Detroit People Mover is free to ride and opens at 8 am on both Saturdays and Sundays of the show, and that the QLINE streetcar along Woodward is also free. Both are good options for guests staying downtown or in Midtown.
Can you move a media crew or a dealer group?
Yes. Executive Sprinters carry up to 12 passengers with bags, and several vehicles can run under one reference with one monthly invoice on a corporate account. NDAs are available for pre-launch meetings.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup and it is free. At 72 hours or less the fee is 10%, at 48 hours or less 50%, and at 24 hours or less, or a no-show, 100%. Refunds go to the original card.
