NC International Auto Expo Rolls On

The Kia Forte Koup is one of many new and upcoming cars on display at the 2010 North Carolina International Auto Expo in Raleigh

I took advantage of an opportunity to visit the North Carolina International Auto Expo in Raleigh on Thursday, the first of four days that the show is being held at the NC State Fairgrounds. By auto show standards the Raleigh event is quite small, but I did come across some decent finds which might make your visit worthwhile.

Though most of Auto Trends’ readers do not live anywhere near Raleigh, perhaps what I am about to share will encourage you to check out your local show when it arrives in your area.

In any case, the following are some of the notables for the 23rd running of the NC Auto Expo in no special order:

• Bright sunny skies and a cold wind greeted show visitors, but I was pleasantly surprised at the turn out. There seemed to be many more people in attendance this year than last.  Are we witnessing pent up customer demand?

• As usual, Toyota and General Motors shared space in the annex building. Toyota and Scion occupied about 40 percent of the space with Buick, GMC, Cadillac, and Chevrolet the remainder.

• Just one representative was on hand for Toyota and she stood behind a kiosk the entire time. It seems as if Toyota was maintaining a low profile for the show while Scion’s booth was the usual multimedia extravaganza replete with music, lights, and boxy cars.

• A white Buick LaCrosse attracted a lot of attention as did a red model on display nearby.

• Media talent Mark Roberts, known for his WRAL reporting and pitchman for Capital Ford was on hand. I was introduced to Mark and must say he is a pleasant and approachable guy.

• Meg Willett from Ford was on hand again.  We met for the first time last year and later arranged my test drives of the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Ford Taurus as well as working things out for me to get behind the wheel of a Lincoln MKT. Speaking of Ford, the 2011 Ford Fiesta was on display as was the 2011 Ford Mustang and 2011 Lincoln MKX.

• When I stopped by the Kia display I met Derek Bryant who is with the sales department of Kia of Raleigh. Derek and I discussed Kia’s remarkable market push which includes the Soul, Forte, and next generation Sorento. We also discussed the Kia Cadenza, an all new model replacing the Amanti, expecting to show up stateside later this year.

• Absent from the show were Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, and Audi. Honda/Acura, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Smart also stayed away. Infiniti, however, was present.

• As usual, Lexus set up its own display on the main floor showcasing the 2011 IS 350C as well as its hybrid 250h.

• Scheduled weekend attractions include an appearance by Scooby-Doo, a classic car display (Dorton Arena) and ongoing live radio shows.

• The GM Ride and Drive was not in place on Thursday although the accompanying brochure indicated that it was part of this year’s show.

• As in past years a display of Sheriff Highway Patrol Cars dating back to the early 1960s is on hand.

As I mentioned earlier this week, the sponsoring Wake County New Vehicle Dealers Association contributes a portion of show proceeds to nearly three dozen local charities. Over the past five years more than $175,000 has been contributed.

For additional show information please visit www.ncautoexpo.com.

Photo Credit: Kia Motors America, Inc.

Raleigh Auto Show Opens Thursday

Because I live a stone’s throw away from Raleigh, I get to enjoy the annual North Carolina International Auto Expo which is held for four days every February inside the Jim Campbell building on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. This year’s show runs from February 11-14 and I plan on making my visit there on Thursday afternoon.

Small Show

Don’t get me wrong: this show is small and some manufacturers choose to stay away. Honda and Mercedes haven’t displayed their cars in the past few years, but fans of Ford, GM, and Toyota will not be disappointed: their vehicles take up a significant part of the showroom floor.

But despite the show’s size, you can happen upon some good finds. In recent years I got to see the Dodge Challenger, Buick LaCrosse, and Ford Taurus ahead of their respective releases and talk with company and marketing representatives. From a customer’s point of view you should be able to find many of the current 2010 models plus soon to be released 2011 cars.

No Pressure

One advantage with most any auto show is that you can see what you want without the pressure of a salesman. And, if GM continues with its past practice, you may be able to actually drive a few of Chevrolets or Buicks on display.

One of the local dealers, Capital Ford, will provide a display for an F250 Crew Cab, a Propane vehicle that ROUSH Performance has converted.

“Ford has been and will continue to be a leader in fuel efficiency and green technology,” said Tim Michael, President of Capital Ford. “We are thrilled to have the F250 Crew Cab at the Auto Expo to demonstrate that trucks too can be fuel efficient.”

Ford will also showcase the 2011 Mustang, the upcoming Fiesta subcompact, and the soon to be updated 2011 Lincoln MKX and other models.

New Releases

The 2011 Toyota Sienna will be shown just ahead of its big marketing push in time for the Winter Games which start on Friday. Super luxury makes including Aston Martin, Maserati, and Ferrari will each be present while Kia, Hyundai, all Chrysler brands, Mazda, and others will be present.

The North Carolina International Auto Expo is sponsored by the Wake County New Vehicles Dealer Association who contributes some of the show’s proceeds to local charities. Over the past four years, the group has donated $150,000 to a number of causes.

I will follow up here later this week with some of my finds including important “trends” you will want to know about.