For the first time in my memory, it's possible that the Detroit auto show really won't be so much about the products. With just about every car company struggling these days--from decreasing sales, to too many factories producing too many vehicles that no one is buying--I'm not sure whether doom outweighs gloom. Never mind what the Detroit Three will do with those sinful corporate jets.

Looking back on all that's gone on in the last month, I'm not sure why there isn't much love for auto manufacturers in Washington. And I'm really perplexed by the whole "Will you corporate CEOs promise to work for a dollar a year?" question. Wouldn't it be great if most of the voters asked "Well, Mr./Ms. Congressman, we now have the biggest deficit in history, and it happened on your watch. Will you agree to work for a dollar a year until the deficit is eliminated? You see, most of us can't just print more money when we run out."

It's hard to understand why so many people seem to have it in for the auto industry, and maybe even manufacturing in general. Is it a version of class warfare--white collar Wall Street types vs. blue collar middle America? If you think about the hurdles Detroit had to jump to get its loan compared to how easy it seemed for Wall Street to get its money, well, you do the math. When looking at the auto industry, it's hard to knock companies that kept the WWII machine running and for decades put thousands of people to work in good paying jobs with full health care benefits. Why is that bad?

Also for the first time in my memory, executives from Detroit finally admitted to making some mistakes. Books have been written about Detroit’s missteps, and there have been too many goofs to list here. But at least they know that they can't continue with the "business as usual" mindset. Maybe it's a stretch, but it almost seems like the Detroit Three have been in rehab for several years and are on the road to recovery. But like many recovering alcoholics, they are overweight and broke. I think, though, that Detroit is taking the right steps. Choose any sports cliché that works for you--"Our backs are against the wall"; "We've got to play like there's no tomorrow"; "The future is now"; 'We're going to give 110%"--and I'll bet that these war cries were spoken in every board room and shop floor in the industry.

I’ve been asked many times what the future of the industry will look like this time next year. I think the industry (not just Detroit) will be smaller, leaner and more focused. I don’t know if next year’s Detroit show will feature the Detroit Three or Detroit Two. But I do know that there are a lot of smart people that make Motor City move and groove. The U.S. is filled with hard working and innovative people–-especially in Detroit. Now, more than ever, the times call for these people to show their stuff. And next year’s Detroit event will showcase some of these new products. This year, well, we'll have to get by with fewer products with little wow. Save the bling-bling for flush times; the industry is now in survival mode. But survive it will.

--Mike Quincy

See Consumer Reports' coverage of the 2009 Detroit auto show.