The Cobo Center which hosts the annual Detroit motor show is in dire need of investment.
The ageing building on the bank of the Detroit river is losing ground to rival venues in other US cities, so a plan to inject $288m (£180m) to spruce up the place was recently given the go-ahead by the city council.
Deciding to spend money on a convention centre that depends so heavily on the revival of the automotive industry was obviously a tough call, given that two of the US car companies that used to be known as the Big Three filed for – then emerged from – bankruptcy last year.
“In 2009, the unimaginable happened with the bankruptcies of General Motors (GM) and Chrysler,” Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm said in her year-end radio address.
“The subsequent restructuring of the auto industry has made one thing crystal clear; the old Michigan economy is gone and it’s not coming back.”
