Silicon Valley Auto Show

Greetings again everyone,

Here is my update about the Silicon Valley Auto Show, from January 4 – 7, 2018. If you would like more information directly from the show you can go here.

I have been attending the Silicon Valley Auto Show for at least the past three years. I have always enjoyed the event, it is definitely not as big as the LA Auto Show but hopefully, and with the support of the attendants, it can get closer.

The Highlights

My personal highlights, and the same for these types of shows, is to get to sit, touch and “handle” most of the new and upcoming cars in one place, rather than going to a dealership.

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The fact of being able to partially experience the new lines from all the manufacturers make these shows a worthy experience. I say partially because not everyone participates on the test drives offered.

The Complaints

My biggest complaint, is the layout of the show. I think that is more a problem of the venue, rather than the organizers. The way some of the exhibitors are tucked in on certain hallways makes them easy to miss.

The Los Gatos luxury car was tucked in on the sides of the main halls, as well as the muscle car garage. I almost missed some of these exhibitors, thinking that the show ended at the Chevy/Honda hall. I was about to miss the Subaru/Nissan/Kia section due to the same issue.

The Auto Show

Grand Ballrooms (Audi, Infinity, Lincoln, Genesis, Acura and Lexus)

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Audi, Infinity, Lincoln, Genesis, Acura and Lexus were the exhibitors closer to the entrance. As you would expect, this hall was full of luxury features and expensive prices. I was disappointed of not seeing more Audi performance vehicles. I guess that would have been the wrong place to have them, since these Auto Shows are targeted for the daily driver buyers. Don’t get me wrong, the range of cars at the show was huge and if you are going just to see what is new in the car world, you will not be disappointed.

Hall 1, 2 and 3 (Dodge to Honda)

The second, and biggest hall, had most of the big exhibitors, such as Ford, Honda, Dodge and Chevy. There was a lot to bee seen in this hall, from the Honda Type R to the Chrysler Electric MIni Vans. You can guess where I spent most of my time…

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Surprisingly, and I am not kidding here, this Ford Transit Van really intrigued me. I am not a fan of minivans but this Van is lower and really spacious. And no, I am not into bagged vans, I respect them, but don’t love them. A lot of muscle present in this hall, from the Hellcats to the Mustangs. You could also find the Forced Induced Type R’s and Focus RS in this hall. weirdly enough, no Golf R.

Executive Ballroom (Subaru/Nissan/Kia)

Next, the Subaru/Nissan/Kia Hall. This hall is the smallest but still packed a punch. One of my highlights came from this hall, the Stinger. I did not think much of it when I saw it on the Grand Tour. In person, it is something else. What makes me hesitate about this vehicle is that it’s still a Kia. We will see how it holds in the long run.

The Hallways

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Finally, the hallways. Again, I am not absolutely convinced that the venue is doing these exhibitors a favor. Volvo, Los Gatos Luxury car and Muscle Car Garage were some of the exhibitors on the hallways, to mention a few. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled so you don’t miss any of their great vehicles.

You get to see a lot of man hours and a lot of detail put into the muscle cars but these vehicles can be easily missed due to their placement on the show. I really do not think it does any justice to tuck them aside but with the limited space, they do a good job with what they have.

Performance Vehicles

There was at least one performance vehicle for each brand, which for me made the show worthwhile. Performance vehicles can be refreshing, no matter if you are there to see SUVs, daily sedans, etc. performance cars are always fun to see.

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I am hopeful for next year to see exhibitors such as Porsche and Mercedes there. You can see the gallery with the rest of the pictures from the Silicon Valley Auto Show down below.

Thanks again for visiting,

DL