President Barack Obama is expected to visit the Washington Auto Show on Tuesday.
Obama sometimes calls his decision to rescue General Motors and Chrysler a tough choice that saved jobs in an important industry.
The auto show will give him another forum to talk about GM and Chrysler, along with the administration's attention to manufacturers and efforts to boost fuel efficiency standards.
The president's advisers view the auto bailout as a potential point of contrast with Republican Mitt Romney, who opposed Obama's decision to pour billions of dollars into the companies.
During his State of the Union address last week, Obama said the auto industry has hired tens of thousands of workers, and he predicted the Detroit turnaround could take root elsewhere.
