CANADIAN AUTOSHOW is a big deal this year
You know there’s been a seismic shift in the auto show business when the showrunner points out the volume of toy bricks attendees purchased as proof it can draw families and gearheads alike.
“Eighteen pallets of Lego sold so quickly last year, they had to expressship more from their warehouse in Texas,” says Jason Campbell, general manager of the Canadian International AutoShow (CIAS) in downtown Toronto.
No worry, there’s no shortage of sensuous, exotic hyper cars. Minivans, too.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association retooled Canada’s largest auto show for 2023, fretting that there might be some reluctance by consumers to gawk at cars and trucks they may have to join a waiting list to buy.
“We started planning in the summer of 2022, when the prospect of more lockdowns was still in the air. We had no idea what we would get,” Campbell recalls. “But we had a strong hunch there’s pent-up demand for automobiles out there.”
The hunch paid off. Last year’s show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre garnered the third-highest attendance record in its 50-year history, with five of the 10 days setting new records, including the opening weekend.
Times have changed for auto shows. Audiences were dwindling even before the pandemic, and fewer media were showing up for new model unveilings. Gone are the days when Chrysler would steer a new Jeep through a massive plateglass window or have a Ram pickup join a live cattle drive on the streets of Detroit.
Auto manufacturers now favour holding virtual events to debut their new models. The online reveals are less expensive and they don’t have to compete with other carmakers for media attention at the same show.
“The pandemic dented the international shows like Geneva and Frankfurt, and technological change made the media-heavy shows less important and they suffered,” notes Campbell. “What hasn’t suffered are the consumer shows like ours.”
Indeed, Toronto blew past Chicago in the fast lane last year with 350,000 show visitors, while the Windy City’s show just topped 300,000. Detroit isn’t running a show in 2024 as it pivots back to its traditional January time frame next year.
Toronto caught the attention of other major shows with its strong mix of feature presentations of concept cars, classic and muscle cars, exotics and motorsport racers, as well as “consumer experiences” like the indoor test track that allows the public to drive electric vehicles safely. More than 15,000 attendees took an EV for a two-lap spin around the half-kilometre track, with 83 per cent of them driving an EV for the first time.
In a sure sign that Toronto is back big time, several manufacturers have returned for 2024, including Ford, Lincoln, Infiniti, Polestar, Volvo, Porsche, Maserati and Genesis. With 35 auto brands on hand, Campbell says the show is 85 per cent restored; the carmakers still missing include Honda, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
Despite the fact Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, announced it is skipping the 2024 show circuit, Torontoarea dealers are pulling together to ensure their entire product line is on display at CIAS. General Motors is displaying all four of its brands exclusively in Toronto, while Tesla has an expanded presence that includes its sci-fi Cybertruck, and EV maker Rivian will be making its first appearance.
“The goal of our show is to drive consumer interest in automobiles and enthuse the marketplace. The winter months are when people are considering what they’re going to purchase in the next 12 to 48 months,” Campbell says.
Already, 2024 is looking like a banner year for vehicle purchases. Sales for January, customarily a sleepy time in dealerships, grew by 15 per cent and blew past sales in the same month in prepandemic 2019, according to Andrew King, managing partner at DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.
“We see the market growing again in 2024, likely in the range of 3 per cent to 4 per cent,” he says. “On the positive side is the huge pent-up demand from the more than one million lost sales from Canadians who weren’t able to find a new vehicle in 2020-22. On the downside are high interest rates, high vehicle prices and economic weakness. Overall, we think pent-up demand will win out.”
“Inventory availability is much better, although there are still shortages of more affordable SUVs, which are a critical segment for the Canadian market,” King says in response to the perception that dealers continue to have few new models in stock.
Despite its reputation as a consumer show, the 2024 CIAS will play host to one global premiere when Nissan’s luxury division reveals its Infiniti Vision Qe all-electric concept car for the first time, as well as the QX Monograph, another concept that will be making its Canadian premiere.
The 2024 Canadian International AutoShow builds on the success of last year’s event with expanded featured exhibitors and visitor experiences:
• EV Test Track
• Camp Jeep
• Auto Exotica
• Cobble Beach Classics
• Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
• Automotive Journalist Association of Canada’s Car of the Year Awards
• Family Features
The 2024 Canadian International AutoShow will take place Feb. 16 to 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. West. Adult admission is $26; family pass $53. For event updates and to buy tickets, visit autoshow.ca.