The 36th Annual Atlanta International Auto Show recently wrapped up on March 25th after a five day run. The event is held at the Georgia World Congress Center and is produced by the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association (MAADA). According to Shayne Wilson, president of MAADA and organizer for the Atlanta Auto Show, these are the highlights of the 2018 show:
- Hundreds of new 2018 and 2019 vehicles from more than 25 major manufacturers
- Strong line-up of Ride & Drive events from 12 brands
- Special exotics display featuring exciting super cars, classic cars and more.
- Appearances from Black Panther (Fri-Sun), Spider-Man (Sat-Sun) and Scooby-Doo (Sat-Sun)
- Feature displays including the “Offroad 4×4” display with the Jeep Quicksand concept, plus a Star Wars feature in the Nissan display (three Star Wars vehicles scheduled to be on-site)
The event has much to offer for all classes of drivers and buyers. Luxury auto enthusiasts enjoyed previews of various high end cars in the Caffeine and Octane display area. Here is a deeper look inside the Atlanta Auto Show of 2018.
Ride and Drive
The Atlanta Auto Show offered a very strong line up for the Ride and Drive event portion of the show. Attendees could sign up for the opportunity to test drive new model cars. Among the vehicles included were:
- Chevrolet (Bolt EV, Camaro muscle car, Cruze and Malibu cars, Equinox and Traverse SUVs, and Silverado and Colorado pickup trucks)
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (Chrysler Pacifica minivan and 300 sedan; Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars and Durango SUV; Fiat 500 hatchback, 500X SUV and 124 Spider sports car; Jeep Cherokee, Compass and Wrangler SUVs; and Ram 1500 pickup truck)
- Ford (EcoSport, Escape, Explorer and Expedition SUVs; Focus and Fusion cars; and F-150 pickup truck)
- Kia (Cadenza, Forte, Optima, Rio and Sonata cars; Niro, Sorento and Sportage SUVs; Sedona minivan; Soul and Stinger hatchbacks)
- Mazda (CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9 SUVs; Miata MX-5 sports cars; and Mazda3 and Mazda6 cars
- Mini (Countryman John Cooper Works and plug-in hybrid, Hardtop S two-door, and Clubman S convertible)
- Toyota (Camry sedan; C-HR, Highlander and RAV4 SUVs; and Prius hybrid)
- Volkswagen (Atlas and Tiguan SUVs; Golf GTI hatchback; and Jetta and Passat sedans)
Movie Inspired Cars at the Atlanta International Auto Show
Black Panther is the smash movie of the year. Fans of the comic book and the movie had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the “Black Panther” Lexus at the Atlanta Auto Show. The sleek Lexus LC 500 used during the filming of the box office success “Black Panther” is the most technologically advanced vehicle ever produced by Lexus, according to the manufacturers. In addition to this movie inspired vehicle, Nissan had a fleet of “Star Wars” inspired cars for fans to admire. The three models of the limited edition fleet were a big hit with show attendees who are fans of the movies.
Exotic Vehicles at the Atlantic Auto Show
Caffeine and Octane is a Dunwoody, Georgia, based car exhibitor with a reputation for bringing the best and most exciting exotics and super cars to audiences. In addition to their monthly car show, Caffeine and Octane had their own exhibit area at the Atlanta Auto Show. Visitors enjoyed exotic and classic cars such as the 2019 Corvette Z91.
Visit the Atlanta International Auto Show’s Facebook page here for more great pictures of automobiles from this exciting event. Do not fret that you missed this show this year; there are several other auto shows coming up in the United States that you can still catch! Read all about the remaining auto industry trade shows here so you can plan your visit.
