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Went to the DC Auto Show today...boy what a sad affair that was
Now, don't get me wrong a day at the auto show with my buddies followed up by a huge steak beats working...but man the DC Show was a let down this year, which is to be expected I suppose.
TONS of manufacturers missing, from GM only Chevy was there, and only trucks. No GMC, Buick or Cadillac. Toyota was there and had a huge display along with a bunch of new Tundras (which are great), Toyota was half the hall upstairs, they took the space they always used to have plus what was vacated from GM. Ford was there, and they did have an F150 Lightning. Stellantis had two Grand Wagoneers which were REALLY nice. They do feel like $100k. Had a Grand Cherokee and a Wrangler Unlimited. One Pacifica, a few Ram trucks and that was it.
Downstairs, what used to be called "luxury lane", the only luxury makes there were Lexus , Acura and Lincoln. No Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Genesis, Mini. No Volvo but Polestar was there. The downstairs was half as wide as it normally is.
Really, really disappointing show...
Here's the floor map. Note the comment at the bottom "Our map will change as more manufacturers sign up to attend"...well that didnt happen.
i'm certainly not surprised. with covid still raging it's tough for the exhibitors as well as tough to get the public to show up (safely). and with a vaccination mandate it even meant die hards like mmarshall wouldn't go.
i'm certainly not surprised. with covid still raging it's tough for the exhibitors as well as tough to get the public to show up (safely). and with a vaccination mandate it even meant die hards like mmarshall wouldn't go.
Yep, it was very quiet.
I MAY take my son tomorrow or Sunday, he loves sitting in cars. If I do i"ll be interested to see if its any busier. It was really dead.
I will add, Chevy also had the Corvettes, so trucks and Corvettes.
i'm certainly not surprised. with covid still raging it's tough for the exhibitors as well as tough to get the public to show up (safely). and with a vaccination mandate it even meant die hards like mmarshall wouldn't go.
Right lol - somehow all the sporting events are full of people and nobody wearing masks. Just watch any NBA or NFL game. They are sitting next to strangers for 2+hrs with less than 12inches apart.
Right lol - somehow all the sporting events are full of people and nobody wearing masks. Just watch any NBA or NFL game. They are sitting next to strangers for 2+hrs with less than 12inches apart.
that's pure madness too, but it's all about da money...
and with a vaccination mandate it even meant die hards like mmarshall wouldn't go.
Yep......except for the (cancelled) show last year, the first D.C. show that I've missed in some forty years.........since the early 1980s. I can remember looking at some of the early-80s K-Cars there I was driving at the time......Reliant/Aries/Caravelle, Lebaron/400, New-Yorker/E-class, etc... It was also in a different Convention Center building then...one I actually liked more than the present one, except for the lack of an integrated subway station and city test-driving circuit like the new one.
You and Steve are correct.....the (gross) lack of automaker-participation, vaccine-mandate, and (possibly) the fact that a large part of the auto world is turning to the BEVs while neglecting ICE vehicles, is keeping people away. However, more people will probably be at the show tomorrow and Sunday than today (Friday)...attendance typically drops on weekdays, and increases on weekends.
I'm also glad that someone from CL could attend this year...and thanks for the report, Steve. Did you at least manage to get a free ticket? My own Chevy/Buick/GMC dealership told me they didn't get any this year (none were printed)...as was also the case at the Lexus shop where I reviewed the new NX350. You and I aren't sleeping on any grates LOL, and, yes, we can both afford to pay out way in, but it's always nice to get the free-passes as a courtesy. Saturn used to send me a couple in the mail each year, regardless of whether they actually had them at the dealership or it....one of Saturn's many customer-perks. My GM dealership even gave me some VIP passes a few years ago...each one was good for four people at once.
Glad you got to see the new Grand Wagoneer at the show.....I static-checked a couple of them out (and the latest Pacifica) this past week at the Fairfax Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler store (a much smaller shop than the big one in Chantilly), and, yes, they are very nice, but I'm not sure that the top-line ones, with options, are actually worth 100K+.....neither are its full-size/BOF Ford/Lincoln and Chevy/GMC/Cadillac competitors.
Originally Posted by SW17LS
Here's the floor map. Note the comment at the bottom "Our map will change as more manufacturers sign up to attend"...well that didn't happen.
You must have been disappointed that Mercedes didn't show up, either. In fact, I don't think they were there the last time I was at the show, either (2019)....Porsche definitely wasn't, and I don't remember BMW being there, either.
One reason (among many) I drive an Encore GX is that I was very impressed with them when I first saw them at the 2020 show. The GX was up on the Buick turntable, spinning around, were you couldn't get in, but Chevy had two new Trailblazers out on the floor, unlocked, and I was able to check out everything on them. I was extremely impressed with what GM was offering for the money on these two vehicles.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd guess that the F-150 Lightning, Silverado EV (if there at the show), Bronco/Bronco-Sport, and the electric four-door Mustang were probably the biggest crowd-producers.
If you go tomorrow, see if the Ford/Lincoln reps will sign you up for the pre-paid card/ test-drive at a local dealership.
You must have been disappointed that Mercedes didn't show up, either. In fact, I don't think they were there the last time I was at the show, either (2019)
...
One reason (among many) I drive an Encore GX is that I was very impressed with them when I first saw them at the 2020 show.
just to be clear, was the last time you were there 2019 or 2020!?
just to be clear, was the last time you were there 2019 or 2020!?
Sorry...a typo. 2020.
Sadly, your prediction of fewer manufacturers at the big shows seems to be correct, at least for now, although it is unclear if that is a long-term trend or simply pandemic-related.
Sadly, your prediction of fewer manufacturers at the big shows seems to be correct, at least for now, although it is unclear if that is a long-term trend or simply pandemic-related.
As attendance declines. There will be a point where the DC show makes no sense,. Looks like that time has already come.
01-28-22, 06:38 PM
Went to the DC Auto Show today...boy what a sad affair that was
Did you at least manage to get a free ticket? My own Chevy/Buick/GMC dealership told me they didn't get any this year (none were printed)...as was also the case at the Lexus shop where I reviewed the new NX350. You and I aren't sleeping on any grates LOL
, and, yes, we can both afford to pay out way in, but it's always nice to get the free-passes as a courtesy. Saturn used to send me a couple in the mail each year, regardless of whether they actually had them at the dealership or it....one of Saturn's many customer-perks. My GM dealership even gave me some VIP passes a few years ago...each one was good for four people at once.