2019 CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL AUTOSHOW IS PACKED WITH SPECIAL FEATURES

By ladybug388 on February 7, 2019 • ( Leave a comment )

Among the vehicles being showcased in Auto Exotica is the Canadian premiere of the new McLaren Senna, a track-worthy supercar built for the road, and named in honour of one of McLaren’s most famed racecar drivers. (Photo Courtesy McLaren)

TORONTO, Ont. — Besides featuring the new cars, trucks, utility vehicles and concepts from every automotive manufacturer that sells cars in Canada, the 2019 Canadian International AutoShow is packed with special features.

Included in this year’s program are:

Media Day at the Canadian International AutoShow will kick off with the awarding of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards. In the running for Car of the Year is the Kia Forte, Kia Stinger and Volvo V-90 R Design. The Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Kona and Jaguar I-Pace are up for Utility Vehicle of the Year.

The Racing Point F1 Team will conduct the first ever Formula One team launch in Canada on the morning of February 13^th. The launch event will feature both drivers — Canadian Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez — the technical director, team principal and team owner along with the unveiling of the team name and livery. The team is owned by a consortium of investors that includes Canadian clothing magnate Lawrence Stroll. More information is available here.

Also on February 13^th, the AutoShow will host a Luxury & Supercar Forum, moderated by professional racer and NBC racing analyst Townsend Bell with commentary and insight from Mark Roberts, head of design with McLaren Automotive, Alex Innes, designer at Rolls Royce, and Majid Al Attar, designer of the hypercar Devel Sixteen, the first car built in Dubai. Read more here.

The North American debut of the full-sized and operational LEGO® TECHNIC Bugatti Chiron will happen in Castrol Alley on the 700 level of the South Building in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on February 13^th. The groundbreaking model is the centerpiece of a celebration of the imagination in the LEGO® Discovery Zone, which will include a LEGO® play area for children and retail space where LEGO® products can be purchased. Click here for more information.

Racing legend Mario Andretti will be in attendance for a special event in the Art & the Automobile ICONS exhibit held on February 13^th to announce a new Media Category in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and honour the first 10 journalists being inducted in the category. One of Mario’s Indy Cars will be on display in Auto Exotica for the duration of the AutoShow. More information is available by clicking here.

Media Day will be opened with an address by Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett-Jackson. Barrett-Jackson, the world-renowned auction house for collector cars, will have a special 10-car display that will feature six muscle cars from Canadian collectors that were bought or sold through Barrett-Jackson and four from Craig Jackson’s personal collection. More here.

The famous Petersen Automotive Museum will be showcasing six unique cars from their collection in the L.A. Car Culture exhibit, the highlight of which will be three California-style low-riders. More background available here.

There will be an estimated $60 million worth of cars in ICONS, this year’s Art & the Automobile installation, presented by Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance and supported by Hagerty Classic Car Insurance.. The headliner is a massive 1937 special-bodied Cadillac that is also featured in a special commemorative poster in a classic Toronto setting. See more here.

Are you the fastest driver? Find out in the WorldGaming Network Pfaff Forza 7 Canadian Challenge, driven by Castrol. This major esports activation program challenges AutoShow patrons to qualify for a chance to win from a pool of $20,000 in cash and prizes. More details available by clicking here.

Always a popular feature, Auto Exotica, presented by Castrol and the National Post, will feature 30 luxury and supercars, including the Dubai-built Devel Sixteen, and the Canadian debut of the new McLaren Senna. Read more about Auto Exotica here, and the Devel Sixteen here.

The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum and 32 Canadian Brigade Group will host a seven-vehicle display promoting modern and historic military machinery on what is the 75^th anniversary year of the D-Day landings. Among the vehicles will be a modern armoured personnel carrier and an iconic 1944-era Sherman tank. More details available at this link.

Performance Auto & Sound Magazine (PASMAG) will be celebrating custom creations at the Canadian International AutoShow with Custom Car Battlegrounds: AutoShow Edition, a competition for modern muscle car, hot rod and lowrider enthusiasts. Website visitors played a key role in determining the eight vehicles being showcased at the AutoShow. Get more details on the contest here.

Check out Auto Exotica every night between 6 p.m. And 10 p.m. for Light Up the Night, presented by SiriusXM. It will feature live engine fire ups, musical entertainment and prizes to be won from LEGO®, xBox One, Barrett-Jackson, the Ontario Regiment Museum, the Canadian Grand Prix and the AutoShow. Plus, tickets are $6 off after 6 p.m.

Take a spin in an electric vehicle. EV Test Drive with Plug’n Drive, presented by Natural Resources Canada and supported by Flo, Toronto Hydro and The Globe and Mail, will take place off the main lobby on the 200 level of the North Building and near the loading docks at the back of the main showroom on the 800 level. Learn more, or sign up for a test drive, here.

Visit CAA’s booth on the 300 level of the North Building for a chance to win a grand prize of free gas for a year. Secondary prizes include 2019 Honda Indy Toronto tickets or Mirvish theatre tickets.

Make the car-buying decision easier with $50,000 towards the purchase with the TADA $50K Giveaway. The money can be applied towards the purchase of any new vehicle at any dealer-ember of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association.

The most valuable car ever to be offered in Prostate Cancer Canada’s annual Rock the Road Raffle will be given away at the AutoShow. Generously donated by TADA, one lucky person will be taking home a flashy red 2018 Acura NSX, valued at $235,000. Since 2013, the six previous Rock the Road Raffles have raised $1.8 million for research and support services funded by Prostate Cancer Canada. More details are available by clicking here.

The Volkswagen Children’s Playcare Centre offers free professional daycare service filled with exciting activities for the kids – courtesy of your local Volkswagen dealer. There will be arts and crafts, interactive activities and more!

Media interested in attending the pre-Media Day events on February 13^th or Media Day on February 14^th are invited to apply for accreditation at autoshow.ca/media-registration.

The 2019 Canadian International AutoShow, presented by The Toronto Star and wheels.ca, takes place February 15^th to 24^th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. For tickets and show information, please visit autoshow.ca.

Stay connected with the Canadian International AutoShow on Instagram @cdnintlautoshow, Twitter @autoshowcanada and Facebook /autoshowcanada.

About the Canadian International AutoShow, presented by The Toronto Star and wheels.ca
With more than 650,000 square feet of exhibits, displays and attractions at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Canadian International AutoShow is not only the largest automotive expo in Canada, it is also the country’s largest consumer show — a leader in lifestyle, technology and all things automotive. It boasts more than 1,000 cars, trucks, SUVs, concept cars, exotics, classics, muscle cars, fully electric and autonomous vehicles each year.