Total attendance at the 2011 Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in Toronto in February topped 300,000 – up 17.4 percent over last year – making it the third-best year in the show’s history and the best-attended since 2008.
Following a hugely successful media preview day, with media attendance topping 1000 for the first time in the show’s 38-year history, Toronto’s pro-car mayor, Rob Ford, officially opened the show to the public on February 18.
“The war on the car is over,” Ford told an audience of people lined up for tickets and waiting for the show to open. After declaring the show open, he personally shook hands with everyone in the line as they entered.
The mayor’s appreciation for cars and their importance seemed to be shared by the public who thronged to this year’s show in record numbers through the first weekend, which included Ontario’s annual Family Day holiday.
“Discover, Connect and Experience” was the tag-line for the show and it delivered to show-goers on all counts. More than just a display of concept vehicles and new cars and trucks, of which there were many, it featured something for everyone – beginning at the show’s entry level with two displays that set enthusiasts’ hearts racing.
First was ‘Concorso Exotica’ – a display of noteworthy exotic cars that ranged from 60s Ferraris to the latest Porsches and Lamborghinis. Then came the ‘Cruise Nationals’ display of the best examples from Ontario’s many summertime ‘cruise’ events, including an immaculate 1931 Cadillac V-12 roadster. There was also a huge exhibit of iconic Camaros and Firebirds – all as prelude to the main event, the manufacturers’ displays of shiny new vehicles, many of which were making their Canadian debuts.
It was hard not to be excited, which was precisely the point of the show. Excitement drives sales!
