January 13, 1906 – AMCMA holds first auto show

Founded just weeks prior, the American Motor Car Manufacturers’ Association held its first auto show on this day in 1906 to build public interest in the new type of transportation. When the doors of the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City opened, people were given a peek at many vehicles being produced in America. The association, made up of mostly of motor car builders and executives, desired to become a leading organization in the early development of the automobile by driving up public awareness. 

By 1910 the AMCMA show moved to the Grand Central Palace in New York and featured 79 manufacturers from the US and abroad, as well as hundreds more exhibitors of parts and accessories. Among the automakers at the show were Ford, Oakland Motor Company, Moon Motor Car Company. and Pierce Motor Company. The 1910 show, the last for the AMCMA, was held as automobile prices were peaking. Chairman of the AMCMA, H.O. Smith, acknowledged that the rising prices were necessary because of the increasing cost of the goods needed to produce automobiles. “It is not at all likely that there will be any sensational rise in prices, but we look for a general slight increase to offset these items representing increased cost,” he said.