As if Detroit had not had enough of a hard years, it looks like they will also draw up the year on a sour despairing note as seven major car makers pull out of the show and some downscale their plans there.

Nissan and Infinite recently announced that they will not be attending, bringing the number of non-attendees to seven.

Mitsubishi, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Suzuki and Land Rover all previously announced that they would not be attending the 2009 Detroit show. While Porsche stopped attending last year. Land Rover used to be owned by Ford, but was sold to an Indian automaker TATA last year.

Honda - though still attending - is downscaling its efforts. It will not feature a press conference or formal introductions of its product line. It though will offer executives for interviews.

On the other hand, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Audi, and Ford and General Motors of course will all maintain plans and stage shows where new-models will be introduced. Though most said intended to scale down the show stature.

Tom Kowaleski of BMW however disagrees with such a plan. He argues instead that the Detroit auto show should not be so subdued that it loses it global status as a top auto show.

“This is going to be a critical show for Detroit and it’s important that they retain their position on the global stage. Since this position is due in large part to the global media coverage the show generates, it will be important that manufacturers continue to bring media from all over the world to the show. This will be another key to the show retaining its stature,” Mr. Kowaleski stated to The New York Times.