AUTO SHOW SETS UP AN EXCITING 2019
The recent Vancouver Auto Show served to underline both the strength of the sector in this region and the love affair the people of Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest have with their cars and trucks.
As reported in last Friday’s Driving section, the show set an attendance record with more than 120,000 attendees visiting during the five-day event, proving once again why it is the most popular consumer show in Western Canada. In total, more than 450 new vehicles representing more than 44 vehicle brands and some of the most exciting, fastest and flashiest vehicles, were part of the 2018 event. From supercars to family models, to vintage and hot rods, the show truly had something for everyone.
Not surprisingly, one of the true showstoppers of the event was the Koenisegg Agera RS, the fastest production car in the world and holder of five current world speed records, which was unveiled in Vancouver to a large crowd of automotive journalists, one of only three auto shows in all of North America to host the luxury supercar, courtesy of Weissach Group and Koenigsegg Canada.
This year also included a record number of debuts from the world’s leading automakers, including the North American debut of the BMW X4, Toyota Corolla hatch, and Canadian debut of the much-anticipated Hyundai Kona electric vehicle.
The auto industry is a leader when it comes to technology, and the number of visitors stopping by the Electric Vehicle Experience-Test Drive Event, presented by CEVforBC, to test drive the latest electric vehicle (EV) models was astounding.
Year over year, we have seen this segment grow as auto manufacturers increasingly produce vehicles that are greener and more environmentally friendly. Total EV test drives increased more than 13 per cent over last year. More than 2,500 people took part in the opportunity to take an EV or hybrid out for a test drive.
The 2018 rendition of the Vancouver Auto Show was larger than ever, encompassing the entire Convention Centre West on two levels.
The event is one the entire auto industry looks forward to each year but more importantly, it also brings together multiple generations of people, all of whom want to share a common passion for all things automotive.
The 98th Vancouver show proved an exciting indication of what’s yet to come for 2019 and what will be appearing in car dealer showrooms in the coming months. Given the new models and new technology that is emerging, we only have more cool wheels to look forward to.
A tremendous number of time is spent preparing, planning and finalizing the Vancouver International Auto Show.
The 2018 edition has been one of the most successful and memorable — but rest assured, organizers are already busy preparing for the 2019 show, our 99th, which will be even bigger and better, returning at the Vancouver Convention Centre on March 19-24, 2019.