Automotive connoisseurs will be in full gear next weekend for the 2010 Columbus Auto Show.
Once again the Columbus Convention Center will be converted into a stage for the display of the most recent vehicles on the market. The show opens to the public on Thursday, March 18 at noon and will run until 9 p.m. that day as well as Friday. The show will open at 10 a.m. on the weekend dates and will close at 9 p.m. Saturday and at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
While the auto show provides an opportunity for shoppers to compare brands like Ford and Toyota, much of the show’s appeal lies in its fantastical side.
Some of the world’s most lavish and priciest cars will be displayed alongside the everyday brands. Attendees will be able to consider luxury names like Rolls-Royce and Bentley or they can look at sports models like Aston Martin and Lamborghini.
Although it doesn’t hurt to dream big, the show’s primary objective is to provide information to potential new car buyers. A majority of those in attendance will be there to ogle at the exotic European brands, but car dealers like Germain Ford are banking on the show to attract new customers.
“There’s always a degree of new interest after the show,” Germain Ford spokeswoman Courtney McDowell said. “We hope there are even more customers interested in Ford after the last year.”
McDowell said that visitors should expect to see a continuation of the hybrid trend that has been prominent for the last several years, as Americans continue to look for ways to save on gasoline.
“The demand for hybrids has continued to grow,” she said. “This year’s models will be no exception.”
The recent media coverage of Toyota recalls may cast a pall over the brand’s display at the show but it will try its best to draw attention away from recent mishaps and put a positive spin on its newest models.
For those who need a break from the automotive mania, there will be plenty of non-vehicular forms of entertainment to partake in. The first two rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament will take place that weekend and accordingly there is a March Madness Lounge for sports fans to drop in and check scores.
On the north side of the convention center, there will be a rock climbing wall and there will also be several guest appearances, including Jim Tressel Friday night and Spongebob Squarepants for the kids Saturday afternoon.
There is a charity gala Wednesday evening which will allow guests to get sneak preview of the show. All proceeds from “Cars are the Stars” will go toward both the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research or the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Tickets for the gala are a bit out of reach for most Ohio State students at $250 a head however. Nikki Bragg, spokeswoman for the Ohio Automobile Dealer’s Association, says the event, now in its second year, is a fun and easy way for the Columbus Auto Show to give back.
“The gala does offer a chance to get into the show early,” she said. “But even if you aren’t a car nut, its still fun anyway and it all goes to a good cause.”
Admission to the auto show will be $8 for each day of the event.
