Special highlights of 2012 CIAS

BMW Vision Connected Drive

There are a number of special exhibits at this year’s 2012 Canadian International Auto Show designed to excite interest in the automotive industry. One of the highlights of the show are the concept vehicles that provide a glimpse into the future of automotive design, fuel-efficient technologies, new architectural platforms and mobility challenges.

The 39th edition of the Canadian International Auto Show will feature fifteen (15) new concept cars as follows:

Ford Fiesta ST Concept
Lincoln MKZ Concept
Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept
GMC Sierra All Terrain Concept
Acura ILX Concept
Acura NSX Concept
Jaguar C-X16 Concept
Kia GT Concept
Honda Accord Coupe Concept
Mazda SHINARI Concept Vehicle
smart ebike
Infiniti ETHEREA Concept
Subaru XV Concept
Bulli Concept Car

Auto Exotica

Organizers say that for 2012, the Auto Exotica exhibit has been re-organized for even better traffic flow to address the hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts who enjoyed this special feature display last year. “Auto Exotica” will showcase such spectacular super cars as the Ferrari FF (Ferrari’s first four-wheel drive, four-seater), the Pagani’s one-of-a-kind polished carbon fibre Zonda R, the Fisker Karma – a beautiful state-of-the-art all electric sedan, the Aston Martin 177, the Bugatti Veyron and the Callaway Corvette

AJAC’s Canadian Car of the Year Awards

The 2012 Canadian Car of the Year and the 2012 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year will be declared at approximately 8:20 am on Thursday, Feb. 16th.

Unlike other awards, the AJAC awards are not a popularity contest based on the opinions of a few people. The winners are determined on a combination of measured facts and subjective evaluations of more than 20 parameters by the journalists — more than 40,000 pieces of data in all. Most importantly, they are based on actual testing of the vehicles — back-to-back; on the same roads and in the same conditions on the same day.

The four-day testing event by Canada’s best known automotive journalists is known in the industry as “TestFest.” Category winners are declared on-site at the event; they are then eligible for the overall title of Canadian Car of the Year or Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year which are announced at the Toronto show.

Eco-drive showcase

At least twenty vehicles will be on display within the Eco-Drive Showcase exhibit that is set-up as a “forest” to guide 300,000 show visitors from one group of fuel efficient technologies to another. The exhibit is located on the 700 level of the south Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The Eco-Drive Showcase will be divided into several distinct fuel-efficient technology areas. For example, a dedicated EV (electric vehicle) area will be located within room 701 with six EVs, charging stations, and the Ministry of Transportation’s Sustainable Transportation kiosk that is responsible for Ontario’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Program.

Outside room 701, visitors will find other examples of fuel-saving technologies such as direct fuel-injection, turbocharging, variable valve control and others that are now becoming mainstream. Other vehicles will represent diesel engines, multi-speed or continuously-variable transmissions, regenerative braking and automatic stop-start systems that further aid the fuel-efficient effort.

The CAA is the lead sponsor of the exhibit with AutoTrader, Castrol and AJAC (the Automobile Journalists’ Association of Canada) contributing as partners.

Cruise national finalists

Cruise Nationals is rapidly approaching its finale mode. This is the third act of the program and the show congratulates all ten (10) winning finalists. Each individual will receive gifts and prizes for their winning appearance. This will set them apart from the other representative that attended the season finale at Lakeview Park in Oshawa, which was the end of the season events. It was held in conjunction with Autofest hosted by the Motor City Car Club of Oshawa who graciously hosted us once again.

The second act of the Cruise Nationals season is the selection process for the three top medalists. The winning three categories are selected by a process of on-line judging by the public and on-site judging by celebrity judges.

By participating in the on-line judging process, the general public had the opportunity to select which finalists becomes either the Cruise Nationals’ Bronze Medalist, the Cruise Nationals’ Silver Medalist or the Cruise Nationals’ Grand Champion Gold.

This year’s finalists are:
• 1955 Chevrolet Belair Convertible
• 1969 Camaro RS Z/28
• 1958 GMC Pick-Up truck
• 1956 Continental Mark 2 Convertible
• 1967 Chevelle SS Tribute
• 1958 Ford Fairlane Retracktable
• 1934 Ford Tudor
• 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE
• 1931 Ford Standard Coupe
• 1960 Ford Convertible

Tech competition

Selected teams of Toronto high school students are coming to the Canadian International Auto Show to test their mechanical aptitude and skills so desperately needed by the automotive industry. The competition will cover steering, suspension, brakes, electrical, engine management and mechanical systems. The students, all of whom are studying automotive service technology at the high school level, will be vying for valuable prizes and the chance to represent the Toronto Automotive Dealers Association (TADA) at the National Automotive Technology Competition at the New York International Auto Show in March!

About Todd Phillips

Todd Phillips is the editorial director of Universus Media Group Inc. and the editor of Canadian auto dealer magazine. Todd can be reached at tphillips@universusmedia.com.

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