DETROIT — A fire that appears to have started above the Audi stand forced the evacuation of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show on Thursday afternoon. Auto show organizers issued a statement later that night, saying "the fire was quickly contained and there were no injuries."
When contacted by Inside Line, Audi of America spokesman Christian Bokich said in a e-mailed message: "It appears that none of our production vehicles or E-tron concept car were damaged. No injuries were reported on our stand by visitors or our auto show staff. The fire seems to have started above our stand and not on our stand, pending further investigation by the proper authorities."
Local media reported that the show floor quickly filled with smoke during the fire but that the evacuation was relatively orderly.
The second version of the Audi E-tron electric vehicle made its formal debut earlier this month at the media kickoff of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. It is described by Audi as a "little brother" of the first E-tron shown in late 2009. The automaker said it will announce whether or not the second E-tron is going into production at a later date.
The Detroit auto show organizers said in a statement that the show is "back up and running to its world-class levels."
Inside Line says: A terrifying Thursday afternoon at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, but luckily, everything is OK now. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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felonious says:
03:10 PM, 01/22/2010
Electrical fire, I'm guessing? :)
nadia2 says:
01:01 PM, 01/22/2010
Now that's what I call a hot car!