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Auto shows have been around for quite a while, and they remain popular today -- but there's a big question about how much longer that will be the case.
That's one of the takeaways from this year's Pittsburgh International Auto Show.
Anyone who visited the first auto show -- which is said to have opened on Nov. 3, 1900, in New York's Madison Square Garden -- certainly would have been familiar with the format of this year's show. Just like the show from more than 120 years ago, this year's event featured hundreds of cars from numerous manufacturers in one place.
As always, the show offered a chance to see what's new and to examine vehicles inside and out, something that always has appealed to those who just like to look at cars -- and serves as a real value to those who are looking to purchase a new vehicle. If your mind hasn't already been made, the displays offer a pretty convenient way to do some comparison shopping.
It was expected that more than 50,000 residents from across the Tri-State Area -- and beyond-- would visit the David L. Lawrence Convention Center during the show's four-day run that included the Presidents Day weekend.
But while attendance at shows like those held in Pittsburgh has been trending upward during the past few years, it seems like the auto manufacturers are becoming more and more comfortable with directing their marketing dollars in other directions.
That trend became noticeable several years ago when, for example, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW were nowhere to be found at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Shows the size of the one in Pittsburgh, which is sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association, tend to be more centered around the local dealers and are not as dependent on manufacturers for bringing in the massive displays that have become part of the show experience.
And, while several of the brands under the Stellantis umbrella were represented, some were not. Which was not a surprise, either, because the manufacturer of makes including Ram trucks, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Alpha-Romeo and Mopar parts decided late last year that it would no longer participate with corporate support in auto shows at all.
That means that one of the most impressive interactive features at shows held for many years -- Camp Jeep -- will no longer be available. If you never had the chance to experience it, Camp Jeep offered the chance to ride along with a professional driver who drove the sports utility vehicles through a pretty intensive course -- including climbs and descents at very steep angles, a chance to experience how various Jeep models could handle mud and other tests.
While the indoor track that has been a part of the Detroit show was very good, it was tough to beat the outdoor adventure at the Motor Bella event held at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Mich., in 2021.
Ride-alongs like Camp Jeep and Ford's Bronco Mountain are examples of the type of interactive displays that are playing bigger roles at auto shows. In Pittsburgh this year, you had the chance to feel what it was like to be a passenger in several EVs, including Ford's F-150 and Mustang Mach-E.
One of the biggest attractions of auto shows always has been the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what's coming in the future. While those concept vehicles also have become fewer, those who attended the Pittsburgh show had the chance to see a Volkswagen ID. Buzz, which is a modern -- all electric -- take on the classic VW bus.
It was, of course, protected by ropes -- because, as the friendly product specialist assigned to that spot explained, there are only a handful of the vehicles in North America and, well, show cars have to endure a lot of wear-and-tear. And, he added, that vehicle on display was actually the European model, which is a little smaller than one that will be available here when it goes on sale later this year.
Other EVs and hybrids were prominent across the floor. That technology remains interesting -- acceleration is incredible, for instance, as was experienced firsthand during test drives of a Mustang Mach-E and an Audi Q4 e-tron at Motor Bella -- but problems with range and length of charging times remain concerns.
The biggest question, though, is this: Do we really want EVs just yet?
That's something we can all answer for ourselves, but it was not all that surprising to have learned during the past several weeks that Apple, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Aston Martin and Volvo have called pauses, made massive cuts or completely eliminated their electric programs. Tesla, meanwhile, has seen lower-than-anticipated sales numbers. It turns out that the gasoline engine is not going to go away nearly as quickly as some had anticipated -- and that's attributable to the fact that customers just aren't ready yet to abandon a proven and reliable technology.
Maybe the biggest example that gasoline power is going to be with us for the indefinite future came last week, when Dodge revealed plans for the next Charger -- and that includes an electric as well a gasoline-powered version of the iconic muscle car. The electric version will come with a choice of powertrains -- 670 horsepower and 496 horsepower. And for the true fan, the gasoline version will come with a 3-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that will produce 420 horsepower. Choose the high-output version, and the horsepower increases to 550.
Either of the gasoline versions will produce more horsepower and torque than the soon-to-be-retired 5.7-liter and 6.4-liter Hemi V-8s currently in use, The Associated Press reported. And, both electric versions, the AP added, will have the company's Fratzonic chambered exhaust that sends air through chamber to simulate that satisfying roar of a V-8.
It shows that in spite of whatever government mandates might be lurking out there, manufacturers are going to give the consumers what they want, a thought echoed by Tim Kuniskis, the CEO of Dodge.
"You know what? People need choices," he said.
No one knows for sure what direction the auto industry is really headed in. Whatever shape it takes, though, the hope is that the auto show format will be allowed to evolve with it and will continue to offer a chance to spend an afternoon enjoying what's new.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)