More than 500 vehicles have been suspended or jacked up on platforms at the Colorado Convention Center, waiting to be inspected, touched and sat in over the next five days. The 2008 Denver International Auto Show, which opens today, will feature the latest models from more than 40 manufacturers, including concept cars, hybrids, crossovers and classic cars.
Featured vehicles include the Chevy Corvette ZR1, Ford’s new seven-passenger Flex, Volks wagen’s clean-diesel Jetta TD1, and the BMW 1 Series, a small luxury family car sold in Europe since 2004 that made its North American debut this year.
Even with all that muscle, the show has been dubbed the greenest car show ever in Denver, said Tim Jackson, president of the Metro Denver Automobile Dealers Association.
The show’s slogan is “A New Car is a Green Car,” and it will feature a sizable collection of hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles, Jackson said.
“More manufacturers are moving toward that trend,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t have mean, high-powered machines here.”
Car shows across the country this year have had a decidedly different focus on green, said Karl Brauer, editor in chief of .
“With the auto shows this whole season, there is a divergence of what is highlighted because you see the speed, slick and traditional vehicles and the green, environmentally oriented vehicles, which are not typically headliners,” he said.
With the uncertain economic conditions, this year’s shows are for dreamers and planners, Brauer said.
The current economic climate has many consumers keeping their vehicles longer and also looking to used cars to meet their needs, Brauer said.
“It means car companies have to be realistic about what kind of impact these shows are going to have,” he said. “They need to know that even if we can’t sell them a car right now, we can show them what we do and build brand recognition.”
Elizabeth Aguilera: 303-954-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com
New-car show one of largest in the West
The 2008 Denver International Auto Show — the largest new-car display between the Mississippi River and Los Angeles — features more than 500 vehicles, including crossovers, concept cars, classics and hybrids:
Site: Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver
Schedule: Today and Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday, noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tickets: Adults, $10; children 7 to 12, $5; under 6, free; Wednesday evening, 65 and over with photo identification, free
