It's not even open to the public, so why are Monday & Tuesday the big days at the Detroit auto show?

DETROIT (WXYZ) -  

The 2013 North American International Auto Show is about to takeover downtown Detroit. Cobo Center will be packed and parking will be tight all week – and the show doesn’t even open to the public until next Saturday. Why is that?

Go ahead. You can blame the media.

Monday and Tuesday are “press preview” days at the Detroit auto show.

Last year, the auto show’s organizers issued credentials for 5,265 members of the press. Nearly 30% of those writers, photographers and bloggers were from outside the United States. Journalists came to Detroit from 58 different countries to cover the 2012 show and organizers expect even more this year.

We'll be there! Follow reports from the 7 Action News Team - including live streaming all day Monday and Tuesday - at:  http://wxyz.com/autoshow

Before the show opens to the public on Saturday, January 19, all of those journalists will have spent the week sharing photos and video with their audiences and introducing a whole crop of new vehicles to potential buyers.

When you go to the public show, you’ll see all of the same vehicles as the journalists, but the press preview days allow automakers a chance to unveil their newest designs in truly grand style.

Starting Monday morning, the press will attend one event after another in Cobo Center. Each automaker – and several major suppliers – have press conferences scheduled to unveil new concept cars, show off next year’s models and talk a bit about the future of their products and their companies.

Detroit’s auto show has become the place to show cars and talk business. With the auto industry on the global stage Monday and Tuesday, it will not be surprising to have politicians strolling the aisles of Cobo alongside those 5,000 journalists.

As the press leaves town, Wednesday and Thursday are “industry preview” days inside Cobo Center. Automakers and others in the business can purchase $95 tickets that allow their employees an early opportunity to see what their competitors are up to.

Sometimes, you’ll see automotive engineers attending the industry preview days with cameras and rulers, looking under hoods and comparing parts. More than 20,000 are expected to attend.

As if all of this doesn’t make for a uniquely Detroit sight, there’s one more thing that happens just before the show opens to the public Saturday morning.

On Friday night, January 18, more than 12,000 people will attend the city’s glitziest event of the year.  Tickets to the auto show’s black tie “Charity Preview” are $300  and benefit a number of area children’s charities.

The Charity Preview event transforms the auto show into a world where women in gowns and men in tuxedos kick tires and celebrate Detroit’s biggest industry.

The show’s aisles are then quickly cleared of their tables of champagne for Saturday morning’s big public opening. Tickets are already available for $12 (only $6 for seniors and children).

By the time the show opens, we’ll make sure you know what not to miss. 7 Action News crews will spend the entire week at the show.  Our team will cover all of the 2012 Detroit auto show press conferences  and we’ll share photo galleries with our favorite cars and trucks of the show.

We’ll also be interested in hearing about your favorites from this year’s North American International Auto Show.