The gleam of polished chrome filled the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as the 2024 Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) revved into high gear.
The CIAS serves as a crucial barometer for the Canadian automotive industry reflecting current trends, innovations, and future directions.
Premier Doug Ford, Tourism Minister Neil Lumsden, MP Francesco Sorbara and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne inaugurated the 51st edition of the event.
This year’s show presented 44 automotive brands and 31 vehicle premieres including two global auto show debuts and one North American unveiling. It is open to the general public from Feb. 16 to 25.
Media day of the CIAS gave the chance to take a close personal look at all the cars. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
“I’m especially proud of the number of Ontario-based brands represented at this year’s expo,” Ford said in this year’s media release.
“Our province is becoming an auto-manufacturing powerhouse, attracting over $28 billion in auto and electric vehicle-related investments over the past three years, making Ontario the only place in the world that the six largest automakers call home,” he said.
The world's fastest electric car, the Rimac Nevera, is on full display at CIAS. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
There was an emphasis on electric vehicles, as Croatian brand Rimac showcased the Nevera hypercar, the world’s fastest and most powerful EV yet.
Manufacturers like Tesla, Hyundai, Porsche and General Motors also featured their latest EV models.
Two new categories, Electric Car and Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year were introduced as part of the Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).
Tesla's Cybertruck joins the list of notable vehicles to be seen at the show. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
The 2024 CIAS saw the return of Canada’s largest indoor EV Test Track where people can take 13 EVs on a two-lap tour through the 70,000-square-foot course.
In addition to the innovative vehicles, the show featured the Batmobile from Christian Bale’s Batman movie trilogy and the pink 1957 Chevrolet Corvette from the critically acclaimed Barbie movie.
The Auto Exotica was a segment with a selection of the most expensive luxury, exotic and hypercars from around the world was also displayed.
The Auto Exotica booth has some of the world's rarest and most expensive supercars ever produced. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
Along with the Auto Exotica was Cobble Beach Classics in partnership with Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which showcased rare and classic cars paying homage to some of the most iconic performance vehicles of the last century.
Camp Jeep returned to give a first-hand experience of its legendary off-road prowess on a 20,000-square-foot obstacle course.
The show continued the tradition of allowing the general public to get up close and personal with the cars.
It played host to sports personalities and automotive television presenters like American racing driver Townsend Bell.
“If you’re a manufacturer, if you’re an attendee, it’s the perfect marriage. You have every single option you can walk up. You can see, you can touch, you can sit and effectively try it out or the drive the EVs,” Bell said.
The CIAS is significant for Toronto and its surrounding regions because it brings families and like-minded enthusiasts together.
Each brand and event has its dedicated segment for people to go check out. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
“Events like this serve as a prime example of what makes Ontario the most visited tourism destination in Canada, attracting visitors to explore all that our province has to offer,” Lumsden said.
This year’s show has already eclipsed the crowd count from 2018. The increased turnout on opening day to 22,628 from 21,385 people made it the largest crowd in the event’s history.