Houston Auto Show rolling back to NRG
After pandemic pumped the brakes on scheduling for months, event is set to return to facility in May
The pandemic may have delayed this year’s Houston Auto Show, but it will go on, the Houston Automobile Dealers Association announced Thursday.
The event, usually held in January, will run May 19-23 at NRG Center in what the association is calling its first Summer Auto Show, featuring autos and an RV and boat display. Tickets are $10 and go on sale Monday, according to the announcement.
Last held in January 2020, the auto show is organized each year by the Houston Automobile Dealers Association and sponsored by the Houston Chronicle. It
typically draws a crowd of 100,000, highlighting carmakers and offering an opportunity to test-drive new models.
Social distancing will be encouraged, masks are required, and guests will be asked health-screening questions prior to entering the building.
RoShelle Salinas, executive vice president of the Houston Automobile Dealers
Association, said organizing this year’s event has been a roller coaster because of the pandemic and its effects on the auto industry. The association canceled the event twice — once because coronavirus cases were too high and subsequently because of a scheduling conflict with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
But then the conflict cleared and, last month, vaccinations became more prevalent, and brands started showing more interest in
participating. So the association revived its plans.
Of the nation’s car shows, the Houston Auto Show is the largest to return after the pandemic began roiling the industry last year, Salinas said.
“It is kind of a big deal for the city, too,” she said, “to say: Events are coming back.”
The show will look a little different this year, Salinas said. Manufacturers normally do their own displays, but many won’t be able to this year because of inventory
issues and pandemicera safety protocols. “We do have some manufacturer displays, but for those that couldn’t, dealer groups are putting on the displays.”
Attendees can take a first look at the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer, scheduled for release this summer, she said.
The full-scale test-driving lounge won’t be available because of safety and space limitations, Salinas said, though Ford, Subaru and Ram will still be offering test drives. Exhibits such as “Camp Jeep” and the “Ram
Test Track” will make return visits this year, as well as a new Ford Raptor simulator. The show will also feature classic summer vehicles such as the 1934 Ford Woody Wagon and a 1955 Porsche 356 Continental.
Houston-based Texas Sportfishing Yacht Sales will show top-line bay boats and offshore-fishing boats ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.
“This first-ever summer auto show has been exciting to produce,” Roger Elswick, chairman of the Houston
Automobile Dealers Association and president of Community Auto Group in Baytown, said in the release. “With the help of manufacturers, local dealer groups and individual dealerships, we’ve selected a wide variety of vehicles for guests to experience.”
The event runs from noon to 9:30 p.m. May 19, 20 and 21; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. May 22; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 23.