2023 Toronto Auto Show

2023 CIAS - Toronto Auto Show

      Toronto didn't disappoint for 2023, even with half of the manufactures missing from the show, this show was still worth the stop.  A few less concepts than usual were compensated by a spectacular high performance display followed up by a close encounter with a Lego favorite.
      Now follow AutoLooks as we take you on our journey to the CIAS Auto Show.

The Journey

​       Snow, one of my most hated enemies had fallen early in the day and as I waited for 4:30 to hit, I knew my trip would not be an easy one.  Our trip this year started a day earlier than the auto show.  This was due to a stop over in Toronto for another family reason.   For 2023, snow became my most hated adversary, as it seemed to have snowed every second day for the past two months.  And again it seemed that this trip was going to be on one of those days.

     Earlier in the week I had reviewed the travel conditions for this trip and every day it called for a issues once we hit the south.  Nestled in our cozy northern home, the snow for that day was only minor and this storm would only hit those in the GTA.   But, of course this storm had to fall when I needed to travel.

     As night fell, the snow began to fall and the closer we got to Toronto, the heavier it fell.  Soon enough the highway was covered and the lanes began to disappear, but for an avid driver such as myself, this was of no concern to me.  My only concern were the uneducated deep snow drivers around us.  This soon became apparent, as the three lanes beneath us became a game of "whose lane is it, anyway".

     Before long we our speed was dropping, as the motorists around us began to slow down.  For us this was a walk in the park and with our AWD RAV4, this amount of snow was nothing more than just a back road cruise for us.  But for those of the GTA, this was a call for help, as we began to find those who could not traverse the deep snow.

     Flooring it in deep snow is the worst thing you can do, but for a lot of drivers who we found stuck, this is how they thought they would get out.  Well I guess the tow trucks will have fun tonight.

      We soon found ourselves cruising at a steady pace just under the highway speed limit, as I casually maneuvered around the slower moving vehicles.  My little RAV pushing through 3-4 inch snow by this time, was having no trouble at all and by the time we hit the raised Gardiner in downtown T.O., we were having fun making our own lane out of one which had pre-existed during the daytime.

      As we pulled through the downtown corridor and up to our hotel, it soon became apparent that our trip was coming to an end.  Our drive through the snow would only put us 30 minutes behind schedule, making our standard four and half hour drive, into five hours.  The little RAV with its AWD and winter tires made it and so do all of us.  An education in proper winter driving gave us the edge in maintaining our speed and allowed this Northern resident the upper hand in the big smoke.
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The Auto Show

      7:30 came all too early, but for myself it was not early enough.  I had been waiting nearly three years for this show and soon I would not be disappointed. 
        Earlier in the week I had learned that nearly half of the major automakers would not be coming to the Toronto Auto Show this year.  This could pose an issue if this show wanted to stay alive in a post COVID world.  But, soon enough I would be shown what this auto show would do in place of these auto makers.

      Upon entry from the underground parking facility, we found ourselves surrounded by vendors and racing schools.  This was nothing out of the ordinary for us, except for one particular vehicle.  FEL Motorsports was showcasing their new toy from Radical Motors and for us this was something out of the ordinary.  With most people more intrigued by their RS4 and Huracan, we took the time to check out the track demon from this unknown auto maker.

     Jumping onto the escalader, we soon found ourselves on the ground floor, where not only was there a giant Hot Wheels sign, but one from Toys "R" Us.  Together they brought Toronto some of their best custom products.   From "Twin Pipes" to "Vader", Hot Wheels was a stop not to be missed.  And to keep your children even more entertained, they had a Monster Trucks RC arena to play in.  For myself, the seeing the original sixteen (16) was the best part of this display.

     Next to Hot Wheels were a few more displays from driving schools and custom build  companies, but more of us were interested in the high performance display.  Moved from the basement of the North hall the best part of the auto show had taken over for Ford with their display of supercars and exotics. 

     Upon entry, you found yourself gazing over a vehicle which you cannot drive on the streets of Canada, the McLaren Elva.  With a lack of a windscreen, this little speedster was a great way to start your tour of the best in the business.
   
       From there you moved onto a Lamborghini Revention, Lexus LFA, Ford GT, Spyker C8, McLaren Senna, Dodge Viper ACR and Ferrari LaFerrari.  This was only one of three sides of this display, which was followed by one more lineup of famous supercars.  But, near the end of this amazing display came the one product we were more than happy to finally get to meet in real life.  Sitting next to a vehicle everyone knows, was a baby blue Koenigsegg Regera.   

​      Similar in rarity to the C8, this ride was something only of dreams, and with the ability to nearly touch this amazing product, Toronto once again showed us how Canada does an auto show right.

        Around the corner from the high performance field, you found yourself face to face with the General.  New products from Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and even Hummer sparked our interest, as we gazed up the new EV entries from GM.  Being able to get up close and personal with the new Hummer EV, was an amazing experience for us.  But this was before we peeled ourselves out of a new C8 Corvette.

    Sitting between Chevrolet and Cadillac, was a new entry into the Canadian marketplace and one who was showing up the EV world.  With Tesla only a few feet away, VinFast stole the EV show on the bottom floor.  Bringing not only the VF8 and VF9 production vehicles, VinFast also showcased the soon to come VF6 and VF7 entries, with only the VF5 missing from the show.

     VinFast was a great addition considering the lack of EV companies from the biggest Canadian auto show.  Without Lucid, Fisker, Rivian or Mullen, VinFast only had Tesla to compete against.  And with more floor space than the competition, they pretty much had the EV world covered on this level.

     With only Toyota and Lexus remaining on the basement level, we soon found ourselves behind bars, as the OPP allowed us to step behind the wheel and barrier of their Charger and Explorer vehicles.  This was more fun for the kids, as we really didn't feel comfortable around the law who didn't like the way we dove in the first place.

     Next to the OPP, we found ourselves staring at a concept with a familiar name.  Project Arrow is a culmination of technology and experience from the Canadian auto industry.  Building a product our of Canadian made parts was not only a showcase of what Canada can do for the auto industry, but what we do make for this industry.  

     If you are unaware about how big this industry is in Canada, then take a stop off in Oshawa, Ontario and check out what the McLaughlin family did for this industry.  

      After a long talk with a spokesperson from Project Arrow, we were off to the next level.  This was only after watching the EV test track for a few minutes, as for 2023, Toronto utilized some extra space to give consumers a test ride in a few of the new EV's coming to our market.  Inclusive was a Cadillac Lyriq, Vinfast VF8, Hyundai Ioniq and Toyota BZ4X.   We chose to skip this ride, as we know what it feels like ride in a car already.

     Out in the hall were a few more vendors and with a quick stop off at that OMVIC display for a family picture inside a microbus, we were on our way up.
       Arriving on the next level we soon found ourselves in front of one of most favorite displays.  This one being from Canada's own Concours d'Elegance, Cobble Beach.  And for this year there display was about Porsche.  Showcasing more than just vehicles, the Cobble Beach display gave us some time to slow down and read a bit about the vehicles they had on display.  This was a great part of our day, as we got to slow down for a minute and really catch out breath as we lost it to some great pieces of automotive history.

      After a good talk with a security guard who loved to be around all those Porsche's, we were off of to the best nostalgic display we had ever been too.  Upon entry into the 80's and 90's display, we were greeted to a Plymouth Prowler and its accompanied trailer.  This was in no way the best part of this display, as behind the Wrangler from Jurassic Park, you found yourself immersed in 1980's toy culture.  With complete boxes of GI Joe and Masters of the Universe toys, you soon found yourself remembering all the good times you had as a kid.  
 
      Next to that was a wall of Cereal boxes from the 1980's, sitting behind a replica of the Back to the Future DeLorean.  If that doesn't scream the 80's, then I don't know what does.  At the end of this display was a complete arcade with original 80's and 90's machines.  Paying only $5 dollars got you 10 minutes in arcade heaven.  Unfortunately for myself and my son,  we had to move on as there was plenty more to see.

     Back outside in the hall, we soon found ourselves gazing upon the only vehicle to use a supercapacitor, the Lamborghini Sian.  This was an amazing sight for ourselves, but next to it was a version of it which more people would enjoy.  

     Back in 2019 we got to see the Lego Chiron and for 2023 we were graced with the presence of the Lego Sian.  This car became more photographed than the original at this show, as you never know when you might see this amazing work of art again.

    From here we took a quick walk over to the Lego store which showcase their technic and speed champions toys.  This was also a great place to bring your children, as they had bins filled with Lego in which to build your own vehicle from.  After building a cool Lego car, we were able to race against others to see who build the better product.  This was all in good fun, but much to crowded for our tastes.

​      Around the bend from Lego, hiding in the back corner of this level, was a small but memorable enough part of the show.  Showcasing aftermarket products from the street to the track, REV Sport Entertainment brought it all.  This was a great way for REV to showcase what you could find on their programming, along with a time trial SIM racer tucked away in the corner.  No, we did not try our hand at the fastest lap, even if it meant we could have won a seat in a track car.

     Again we were off  and after multiple escalator trips up, we were finally headed down onto the North convention hall floor.  Here we found Kia and Subaru showcasing their standard products.  Not much to write about, as you can find any of these products at your local dealer. 

     We did find some products from Legendary Motors though, which did bring a bit of awe to this corner of the show.

      Moving down we soon found ourselves staring at only two (2) products from the Genesis brand.  Both of which you were not able to enter, so we chose to move onto better things.   Those better things were the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer products from Stellantis.  As the new king of luxury for the Jeep arm of the previous FCA, the Wagoneer products were a bit more than what you would think of them.   They are a product which is better to meet in real life.

      Next to the Wagoneer brand was Nissan and with nothing much to write home about, we soon moved onto the green futures display.   Tucked away in the back corner of the north convention centre, you found yourself face to face with products from Moke and Potential Motors.  Moke was being sold as a new age golf cart, but Potential was more of the highlight of this part.

       After a long talk with a team member from Potential Motors, we soon found out that this little product was looking to make a name for itself in our market.  Built for backwoods adventures, Potential is the perfect offering for your weekend experience.  Being the same width as a side-by-side, makes this product more capable than a Jeep and gives you the ability to traverse the backwoods with ease.  Not to toot their horn for them, but this is a product which we had looked forward to meeting in person.  

     From here we moseyed on over through Hyundai were we finally got to meet the Vision 74 and Ioniq 6 N concepts.  This was one of the only good things we could find over here, as we were not that impressed by the products at Hyundai.

     Finishing up our day with a seat in a Raptor killer, we soon found ourselves ready to head on out.  This was after taking a seat in the new Dodge Hornet, which we found to be rather comfortable and sporty.  One product to keep in our back pocket for a later review.

     Our last thing of the day, was to take a seat in Camp Jeep.  As with some extra room, Jeep had made a camp Jeep layout indoors for those to feel the off road supremacy which is the Jeep brand.  Although the lineup was not to our favor, we did enjoy watching those Wranglers showcase their off road abilities to the masses.  Too bad for Ford and Land Rover, as Jeep will be on the minds of more off roaders in the province of Ontario.

       As our day came to an end and our feet began to speak to us, we began to review the past day to see if it was all worth it.  Having spent over 7 hours of our day at the show, we found that there was much more we would have liked to do and could have spent even longer.  This was a welcome relief, as most years it only takes 8 hours to see it all and we are left with a feeling of completeness. 

         For 2023 that was not the case, as I spent the next day with family wanting to go back to the show.   This could have been due to all the sports talk I had to endure, but for myself, I would have to say it was because I didn't feel that I completed the show.  I guess I will have to wait until 2024 to feel this complete again, let's just hope that Toronto can do it all again for next year.

Everett J.
#autolooks