Calgary International Auto and Truck Show Finally Returns
Zafir Nagji, Staff Writer |
The Calgary International Auto and Truck Show returned for the first time since 2019 for the March 7-10 weekend. While there were some notable absences from hallmark brands like Honda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, it was a refreshing sight to see, sit in, and smell that new car smell all over Hall E at the BMO Centre after a five-year hiatus.
Some companies were premiering brand new cars for the 2024 model year, such as Toyota with the latest car to wear the legendary Land Cruiser name, which had been discontinued in 2021 but returns thanks to an increased demand in SUVs with off-road capability. Lexus, who are owned by Toyota, also brought the 2024 GX, a rebadged, rebodied Land Cruiser with a luxurious interior and all the same capability.
Other exhibits, like the one hosted by Maserati of Alberta, were there to show attendees cars so rare and valuable that they may never see them outside of the show floor. Lucas Moody, who is Brand Manager at the dealership and one of the lead executives at the station, was excited for the show as it was a chance to show the public some ultra-rare exotic cars.
“It’s great to be back… we love showing off the cars to people and bringing the culture of luxury vehicles to other people” said Moody.
Moody had no trouble picking his favourite of the four Maseratis at the show, which included two SUV’s and two supercars:
“For Maserati, it’s the MC20 with Digital Mint paint. it’s a pretty cool car, there’s only one in Alberta and we have it on display here.”
Ferrari Alberta also had their own exclusive booth, with cars protected by velvet-roped stanchions and only accessible by clients of the company. That being said, the three cars behind the rope were incredible to behold from any distance: A yellow Ferrari 812 Competizione worth over $1 million, a black $900,000 Ferrari SF90 Stradale, and a red $750,000 Ferrari 296 GTS. Across their booth were the Land Rovers, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Rimacs, Pininfarinas, and Hennessey-tuned vehicles brought to the show by Grand Touring Automobiles.
Tucked behind all of those exhibits was a section dedicated to classic cars. Included here were two Jaguar E-Types, a British two-seat sports car produced in the late 1960’s worth well over $100,000 in the modern auction market, and three old Porsches in perfectly mint restored condition.
For some brands, though, events like these are the only large-scale opportunities for people to get to know smaller companies, like British-based Radical Motorsport. Their Radical Canada West dealership brought an SR3 all the way from Oliver, BC and held on its shoulders the responsibility of attracting potential.
“I think it’s fantastic, anytime you have a specific type of car like the Radical, a Ferrari, or even the production cars, to get them in front of the public is the way to sell a car” said Gord McMartin, the representative for Radical Canada West.
Subaru and Volvo offered special promotions to attract attendees, as the former hosted games of slots that, depending on the result of the spin, distributed rewards like reusable bags, bandanas and even hats with embroidered patches. This helped direct people towards the new 2024 Subaru Solterra, their first fully electric car, and their two sportiest vehicles, the Impreza WRX and BRZ coupe.
Volvo, meanwhile, offered free coffee to attendees and cited the Swedish concept of Fika, or coffee breaks enjoyed with friends. Their enclosure featured a mixture of plug-in-hybrids, mild hybrids, electric vehicles, and conventional internal combustion engine powered cars, most notable of which was the 2024 V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered. With 455 horsepower, the plug-in-hybrid station wagon is capable of getting from 0-100 kilometers per hour in just over four seconds, faster than most people will be able to say its complicated name!
But no promotional exercise at the show came close to the “Test Drive Electric” event, which allowed prospective battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle buyers to test out a series of different vehicles indoors. It wasn’t just run-of-the-mill Chevrolet Bolts and Hyundai iONIQ 6s either, as people were offered test drives of the 2024 Porsche Taycan GTS and even the 2024 Hummer HEV, a car that weighs 10,000 lbs.
Most importantly, though, the show brought people together, young and old, to look at the latest and greatest that car companies have to offer. There were plenty of children running around each company’s cars, trying to sit in as many as they could. There were older generations, perusing to see if any car lived up to the vehicles of their time. Calgary has always been a stomping ground for car culture, and the return of the International Auto and Truck Show signifies that automotive interest in this city was unaffected by the pandemic. Hopefully, this year’s attendance will encourage the manufacturers that were absent this year to bring their best in 2025.
