It’s party time at the Motor City. As the focal point of North America’s automotive industry, the city celebrated National Transportation Week (NTW), Detroit way!

Yesterday, the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) formally started the National Transportation Week (NTW). The week-long celebration will begin on May 11-17, 2008. Detroit is the official host city of this annual transportation industry celebration for the second successive year. National Transportation Week highlights the start the summer-long festivity, the "2008: Year of the Car," celebration to take place in Southeast Michigan to commemorate the significant days of General Motors Corporation and the Ford Model T with over 120 auto-themed events in the area from this month until early October.

"National Transportation Week allows our region to celebrate our rich, world-class automotive heritage with the community that made it all possible. This annual event gives us a chance to highlight our region's positive transportation contributions to the world and show how we are a vital part of a trillion dollar industry, both now and in the future," says Chris Baum, senior vice president of sales and marketing of the DMCVB.

NTW was founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 to commemorate the remarkable history of transportation which was supervised by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The event’s focus is on the automotive industry future impact, as well as the endorsement of transportation-related careers to young adults. The DMCVB, official host of NTW, selected this year's theme "The Year of the Car" to tie into the centennial celebrations of General Motors and the Ford Model T.