I'll try to keep this as short as possible!
There were some great cars and displays to see and some disappointing things there or "Not There" for a better term!
Toyota had their 4WD course outside the Convention Center, that was pretty cool but the line was way too long for me to wait. When I got there at 1pm there was a 2+ hour waiting line! They had a tent setup to keep people warm while waiting for their turn which was nice but it was full so I quickly decided driving the course wasn't gonna happen today! With temps in the low 30s and a 25mph wind that decision was a no brainer! We watched a Toyota Tundra and the 4Runner go through the course and then took our frozen butts inside.
Inside was definitely more to my liking, temps around 70F
The first thing you see when you walk in is the "Dodge Display" with its center piece being the 2008 Dodge Challenger! Damn that is one Sweet Car! The only disappointment was they wouldn't let anyone sit in it!
You could get fairly close, close enough to feel the heat coming off the "Hemi Orange" paint (as it was referred to by the spokesman) but not close enough to get burned, Yet! After drooling over that for a half hour the wife and kids finally drug me on to the next display, but I couldnt help myself I kept looking over my shoulder with a
on my face!We walked our way through the Convention Center stopping and looking at almost all the displays from, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota, Cadillac, Mercedes, Scion, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Buick, GMC, and numerous others!
I purposely didn't mention Chevrolet, I'll give my $.02 on that in a bit!
I'll say up front I'm American so I generally choose American!
But Japan and Europe are giving "The Big 3" some real competition!
One of the displays that caught my attention from the Japanese offerings was Mitsubishi! From the Outlander and Endeavor to the Eclipse(Spyder included), the Galant, the Lancer and the Lancer Evolution(EVO) Mitsubishi has a definite line of Good Looking Autos and SUV's! The one that caught my eye quickly was the new 2007 Lancer! IMHO the old Lancer was a cool car but was a knockoff of the Subaru Impreza WRX STi. The new Lancer is much more refined with a sleeker look and some sexy curves! I think it will be a hot item when it hits the market this spring!
The other Japanese offering to catch my eye is Scion!
The xA, xB and tC lines all have some nice features but, the tC really caught my eye! It has a lot more curve to its form compared to the xA or xB! It looks fast just sitting there! My daughter was drooling over the tC too! All I heard from her the rest of the show was I wanna trade my car for a new tC. She wasn't to happy when I informed her that the car she keeps referring to as hers is really Mine! Muhahaha, sometimes I can be so Evil!
I'm going to just mention a few manufacturers who definitely had something to offer that caught a lot of peoples attention! Not in any particular order heres where I saw the most people hanging out!
Cadillac, Chevrolet, Mercedes, BMW(mmmm the M5 :D ), Infinity, Lexus, Dodge and Mazda!
Trying to tie this into computing and/or gaming.
There was One notable concept car, the Suzuki SXBox Concept Car!
Heres a quick rundown on what it has to offer!
Supporting the launch of the all new XL7 and SX4, Suzuki introduced 4 all new "Suzuki Live Series" vehicles for 2007 including the SXBox! Based on the all new SX4 compact sport X-over(crossover), its designed for ultimate game enthusiasts! The SXBox is outfitted with a dashboard integrated Xbox 360 gaming console, coupled with a close proximity digital projection system to display enthusiasts game of choice on the interior of the vehicles retractable hood, easily enabled by the push of a button. A second Xbox 360 video game system powers 2 separate LCD display screens in the seat backs of the SXBox to provide gaming excitement for rear passengers. For gamers who prefer to stand and play, the SXBox is equipped with a 30 inch retractable rear projection screen in the cargo area.
Somehow I dont think there will be much driving going on in this vehicle!
Ok, time for the big disappointment of the show
Being the Camaroguy I went to the St Louis Auto Show for 2 reasons, one to see the new Camaro!
Either way with a Hard or Soft top!
The 2nd reason to see all the other cars and trucks!
Much to my disgust, disappointment and dismay(can I Dis it anymore? Probably!)
Neither Camaro was there!
I walked through the Chevrolet Display Twice before I stopped and talked to the spokes model(A Tall Blond in all Black
) and asked her when the Camaro was going to be on display. She said theres only 2 Camaros and neither of them was here in St Louis. By that time I pretty much already knew that but, my heart still got that heavy feeling. She explained that they have 4 Auto Shows this weekend and for whatever reason the Camaro was not brought to St Louis! I told her that St Louis used to be one of the biggest auto manufacturing cities in history! We have or had Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge and GMC plants here. Even the Corvette was built here for many years! We only came 2nd to The Motor City Detroit! I'm pretty sure my words fell on deaf ears. But oh well I got it off my chest!After figuring out the Camaro wasn't there I was pretty much ready to go home!
Wheres the door?Well I said I was going to make this as short as possible, well that was a half hour a go!
If I said something about what each manufacturer had to offer we'd be here for days!
If you get the chance to go to the Auto Show this year, take the opportunity I think you'll enjoy it even if the Camaro isn't there!
