Chris Weber is a carpenter and work has been slow. But he could not miss the opportunity to bring his son to the show and check out pricey autos, such as the H-3.

'He's my gear head,' Weber said smiling.

Allison Parks took a picture of her sister, Sarah, behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang. The teens from Berkley said they know it breaks their father's heart that they love the muscle car. He is a Chrysler worker.

'Chryslers are fine,' 17-year-old Sarah said. 'But the Mustangs are my true love.'

The Marcinkowskis of Howell also liked the Fords. The design of the new Taurus was enough to make Jim Marcinkowski consider buying one, he said. His son, Jon, favored the Flex. But mom Nancy had her eye on electric vehicles that were great for the environment, but not exactly hot looking, 14-year-old Jon said.

'I like the style of the Ford Flex,' he said after his parents took his photo with the auto.

There were hundreds of people at Cobo as soon as the doors opened Saturday morning. It was a subdued atmosphere without the elaborate waterfalls, thundering music and other over-the-top glam of some previous years. Several automakers skipped the Detroit show, enabling Chinese automakers to get out of Cobo's basement -- and for Dub Magazine to bring its wildly popular display of celebrity cars to the main floor.

'We are up here with the big boys now,' said magazine staffer Walter Segovia. 'We have to bring the eye candy to the people. Hopefully, we have enough.'

Cobo's basement was transformed into a small track for vehicles that use alternative fuels.

The main floor still had beefy spokesmen who rattled off a vehicles attributes, and pretty spokeswoman in mostly there dresses detailing other vehicles via microphones. The loud thunk of closing rear doors or trunks could be heard as visitors climbed into and out of cars, vans and trucks and the flash from cameras seemed to be everywhere.

Many automakers opted to display interactive replicas of engines in their autos. The replicas contained working parts that could be manipulated by hand. Sarah Parks said she liked the show's emphasis on the environment. It made her feel as if there was a future for her in the auto industry that piqued her interest.

'The new hybrid engines interest me,' she said. 'There are lots of options.'

Jonathan Seigel of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and his cousins Brian and Michael McCamley have come to the show for the past six years to ooh and ahh over the latest rides and look at advances in technology.

They checked out the Jaguar display, which was roped off and required staffers, like nightclub bouncers, to allow visitors in -- about 20 to 30 at a time.

'It's nice,' Seigel said of this year's show. 'There are not as many people. You can take your time looking.'