Your next ride may be on its way to Dayton
Automotive showcase kicks off Feb. 20.
Dayton’s Convention Center will be stuffed with trucks, utility vehicles, hybrids, high-tech models and Harleys next week.
When the Dayton Auto Show opens Feb. 20, enthusiasts and shoppers who fill the Dayton Convention Center will have two things in mind: finding their next ride as they slip behind the wheel of some of the hottest metal on four tires, and seeing the brandnew Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The mid-engine Stingray – for the first time in its 66-year history, the ’Vette’s engine is behind the seats – is sure to be a huge draw, as it was at the recent Greater Toledo Auto Show.
That’s according to the show’s manager Kelly Danison, who has represented the Dayton Area Auto Dealers Association for several years.
“The mid-engine Corvette was pretty popular at that show,” she said.
Trucks, utility vehicles, crossovers, hybrids, high-tech models and Harley-Davidson motorcycles – the latter for two-wheel enthusiasts – will congregate at the convention center through 6 p.m. Feb. 23.
You’ll see not only great vehicles but may win something worth upward of $10,000, plus possibly gift cards, car washes and a 55-inch TV.
The Miami Valley Chevy Dealers are generously offering a twoyear lease, with a value of between $9,000 and $10,000, of a 2020 Chevy Equinox SUV to some lucky attendee. To enter, visit an area Chevy dealership between now and Feb. 19 or until 1 p.m. Feb. 23 at the show. Six finalists will be drawn from the total entries at the dealerships. One finalist will be drawn each day of the auto show, for a total of four additional finalists. Finalists will be notified by phone prior to Sunday’s drawing. All 10 finalists must attend the auto show Feb. 23 for the final drawing which will take place in the Chevrolet display at 3 p.m.
There will be upwards of 200 of the latest and greatest cars, pickup trucks, crossovers, SUVs, minivans, hybrids and HarleyDavidson motorcycles parked inside the convention center, 22 E. Fifth St.
Before the Internet made so much vehicle-purchasing information available, prospective buyers had to drive from dealership to dealership for test drives and details on features and prices. At show, people are welcome to open doors and slip behind the wheel of almost everything on the floor. Product advisors will be on hand to speak with and plenty of product information will be available, but the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles does not permit direct sales. Show highlights will be:
■ Military Appreciation Days, Feb. 20-21; all with military ID will gain free entry, sponsored by the Dayton Area Toyota Dealers. (Take note, Airmen from WrightPatterson Air Force Base, other service members and veterans.) A U.S.-built Tacoma with a military theme will be displayed in the lobby.
■ Back for a repeat, the Toyota Drive Center featuring the Camry, Prius, RAV4 and the Tundra for test-driving around downtown Dayton, located at the main entrance on Fifth Street
■ Special entertainment attractions Feb. 22-23 for kids, including animals from Wild Hearts African
Farm Mobile Teaching Zoo; visits from all four Cincinnati Reds mascots; and balloon and facepainting artists on Feb. 22 only
■ Flying Ace Express Car Wash, with eight locations in the greater Dayton area, has just come aboard to support the show. They will randomly hand out free car wash vouchers during the show, plus attendees who complete the post-show survey can enter to win a year’s worth of free car washes.
■ Photo scavenging hunt. Nine photos of certain aspects of show vehicles (make and model) will need to be identified for entry to win a Samsung 55-inch Ultra HD TV
■ Selfie contest – posting a selfie with one’s favorite vehicle and the hashtag #DaytonAutoShow for the chance to win a gas gift card.
■ WHIO-TV’s one-of-akind Storm Tracker 7 – the Miami Valley’s leading vehicle in weather technology – will be in the lobby Feb. 22 and 23.
■ Opportunity to chat with volunteers from Drive Electric Dayton in the lobby to learn more about electric vehicles.
■ Chance to speak with personnel from the Ohio
Bureau of Motor Vehicles in the lobby about the enhanced license or identification card that complies with new federal security regulations going into effect in October.
The 2020 Dayton Auto Show’s presenting sponsors are the Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-Sun.
For more information, look for a special 2020 Dayton Auto Show tabloid inserted in the Feb. 16 Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-Sun.