Family Day Weekend a Roaring Success at 2018 Canadian International Autoshow

Family Day Weekend a Roaring Success at 2018 Canadian International Autoshow
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MNI Media

Release Date

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

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The three-day Ontario Family Day long weekend wrapped up at the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow (Feb. 16-25), with another record attendance day on Monday February 19th, of 50,132 people

This exceeded by 1,587 the attendance on Family Day Monday in 2017 of 48,545.

Each day of this year’s auto show has seen a record set, including Sunday’s attendance of 54,487, which was the largest one-day turnout in AutoShow history.

So far, the 2018 AutoShow has seen a four-day total attendance of 174,486, compared with a four-day total in 2017 of 168,832.

Big crowds gathered on the floor of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on the holiday Monday in order to experience the many attractions the show has to offer, including:

  • 50 Years of Hot Wheels: this popular attraction features a Hot Wheels super track, a dedicated display area featuring Hot Wheels collector cars, plus six life-size Hot Wheels cars, including the Darth Vader car and the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS.
  • eSports Arena: this new attraction, supported by BMW, Xbox, Republic of Gamers, ASUS Canada Computer & Electronics and MediaXP, puts participants of all skill levels to the test as they compete against one another in Forza Motorsport 7, the premiere racing game on the Xbox One platform. More than $10,000 in cash and prizes are on the line!
  • 70 Years of Porsche: this feature display celebrates the evolution of Porsche over the past 70 years by bringing together five classic and historically significant Porsche models.
  • On top of these feature displays, there are more than 1,000 vehicles on display, 41 of which are making either their North American or Canadian debuts.
On Tuesday, the fourth installment of the Automotive Intelligence Series (AIS), a public education series designed to help provide insight into some of the most important subjects that will shape the future of driving, was held.

Tuesday’s panel, ‘Driving into the Age of Autonomy’, produced a wide-ranging discussion about the rise of autonomous vehicle technology and the issues related to integrating cars onto roads with varying levels of autonomy. The panelists included:

  • Dan Mathieson – Mayor of Stratford
  • Dennis DesRosiers – President, DesRosiers Automotive Consultants
  • Ross McKenzie – Managing Director, University of Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research
  • Chris Candy – Vice President of Business Development, SevenMedia
  • Ted Graham – Head of Open Innovation, General Motors
Next up on the AIS schedule, is ‘The Electric Revolution: What form will it come in?’ (Feb. 21, 10:30 a.m. – noon, John Bassett Theatre, North Building, MTCC), which will explore the growing popularity of hybrid-electric and pure electric vehicles and what it could mean for the future of driving.

Immediately following the event, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) will present its inaugural Automotive Innovation Awards. The three awards to be handed out are: Best Safety Innovation, Best Green Innovation and Best Overall Innovation.

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