'This is a reflection of some really tough business decisions that these manufacturers are having to make,' said Joe Serra, president of Grand Blanc-based Serra Automotive and co-chair of the 2009 Detroit auto show.

Mitsubishi is displaying its vehicles this week at the Los Angeles auto show, and it will participate in the Chicago and New York shows, Irvin said.

The Japanese automaker informed Detroit show organizers and some dealers of the decision Thursday.

One Mitsubishi source said the company was unhappy about the location it was being offered on the show floor, which was between the exhibits of Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. Suzuki Motor Corp. also said location was a factor in its decision to pull out of this year's auto show.

But NAIAS spokeswoman Shand Spencer said Mitsubishi did not share those concerns with show organizers. She also said newcomers like Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. are lining up to take advantage of the now-available space.

'We have requests from a number of automakers for additional space,' Spencer said, adding that one or more Chinese companies could win a place on the main show floor this year. So far, their displays have been relegated to the basement or to hallways outside the main hall.

While cities like Los Angeles and New York are challenging Detroit's status as the pre-eminent auto show in North America, Spencer said the NAIAS remains the best place for automakers to showcase their products to the international media, noting that more than 6,000 journalists from around the world are expected to attend the 2009 show.

'The Detroit show is still king in this country, and it's going to stay that way,' said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore. 'These decisions are a function of the economy.'

Spinella said it would be a major step for Chinese automakers to be able to display their cars and trucks on the main show floor.

'It's all about status,' he said.