MUMBAI: NBC Sports will showcase 12 production vehicles and five other models to a national audience during its live, two-hour special from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), which is to be held on 23 January, 2005 at Cobo Center in Detroit.

"NBC Sports is looking forward to presenting the International Auto Show to a national audience," said producer Sam Flood, who is also the coordinating producer of NASCAR on NBC. "This show will allow all viewers the opportunity to get a first look at the newest and most interesting new cars of 2005."

The first-time event will mark the closing day of the NAIAS, and will feature commentary from NBC's NASCAR broadcast team of Allen Bestwick, Wally Dallenbach and Bennie Parsons. The NASCAR team will offer vehicle perspectives and test-drives of some of the world's finest automobiles.

"Our unique partnership with NBC Sports offers substantial national exposure of the auto industry's most anticipated event," said Bill Cook, senior co-chairman of the NAIAS 2005. "It's a natural fit for both organisations, reaching out to a broad range of viewers who love cars and will enjoy the participation of the NASCAR team during the live NBC Sports show."

The two-hour program will re-air on Saturday, 29 January, 2005 on NBC Sports. This NAIAS-NBC Sports collaboration is the latest in recent media partnerships for the NAIAS 2005. On 2 June, the NAIAS named WDIV-TV 4, the NBC affiliate in Detroit, as the official local broadcast partner for the 2005 through 2007 shows. The local affiliate reaches more than 3.5 million adult viewers in metro Detroit and in Ontario, Canada.