Mayor Duggan and Young Leaders: Shaping the Future of Detroit’s Automotive Industry

Featured Guests: MichAuto Advocacy Committee and the City of Detroit’s Youth and Civic Engagement task force 

Concluding Day 1 of the 2025 Detroit Auto Show’s Industry Days event, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered remarks during a private reception at the Detroit Regional Chamber on Jan. 15. He also participated in a Q&A session with the City of Detroit’s Youth and Civic Engagement Task Force, discussing opportunities for young individuals in the Detroit Region’s automotive industry.

On Detroit’s Important Automotive Industry Journey

Reminiscing the past decade or so of automotive progress within the Detroit Region, Duggan shared how Detroit has both a rich history and a unique opportunity to compete with other regions of similar size and talent, like Silicon Valley. With this, he said the Region needed a visionary platform for leaders across industries to collaborate to make it into a worthy national and global competitor.

“What I do know is I can create a climate where no matter what you’re building, we can get it done faster, more effectively for you in Detroit,” he said, noting that the adaptability and breadth of expertise positions the Region well, no matter which direction the automotive industry takes.

On How to Make Detroit a Better Place for Industry

With several participants from Detroit’s Youth and Civic Engagement task force in attendance, Duggan opened the floor to these attendees, gauging their Auto Show experiences and hearing about areas of opportunity that could be improved to support their futures within the Region’s automotive industry.

These areas of opportunity include cultivating a city where people want to live and work through education, infrastructure, and entertainment.

Duggan also shared some changes coming to Detroit in the upcoming months, like fast-charging stations, branded similarly to the Detroit Green Light Project, through mutually beneficial partnerships with small businesses to typically undesirable parking spaces.

Duggan and a youth attendee also discussed how early engagement with STEM through programs such as Soapbox Derby could positively impact the talent pipeline. Another suggestion included the idea of community “in-reach” and improving wraparound support for children and their caretakers better to cultivate students’ path toward this field.