WORDS AND PICTURES FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY AUTO SHOW

• Electric Vehicles Galore • New Car Ride & Drives • High End Exotic Cars & More • Anaheim Convention Center • October 7-10, 2010 Words by John-Fredrik Wright; pictures by Roy Nakano For the 2010 OC Auto Show, the press received a sneak peek. This basically translates to watching the event personnel create an auto-atmosphere out of a conference hall. While the show may not take up the same floor place it did a few years ago (back when the LA Auto Show was still in January), it has just about all the goods for the car-buying public—including five ride-and-drive events. And yet, come four o’clock there was still a line of enthusiasts waiting to be let loose on the floors. It being a Thursday and all, either this means that unemployment is high or that there is still a crowd for the OC Auto Show (maybe both?). For the $10 ticket price, it is well worth a visit.

WHAT: The 2011-model OC Auto Show kicks off the auto show season with hundreds of new cars, crossovers, exotics and more taking over the Anaheim Convention Center. This automotive extravaganza will feature SEMA concept cars, pre-production models, ride and drives and the latest alternative fuel vehicles including the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Additionally, the OC Auto Show will roll out high-energy entertainment with DJs spinning music, bikini contests, mixed martial arts demonstrations and more.

Hyundai, the up-and-coming manufacturer from the East, displayed an impressive line-up. A while back, John-Fredrik used to drive a 2001 Hyundai Getz in Sweden (not available in the US market, think small… no, even smaller). Already at that time, this was an OK car. Not the coolest, fastest and “rad-est”, nor did it have the best gas mileage, or the best looks, but darn it, this car always started (even in the arctic cold) and never had any major problems. The current line-up, however, is getting closer to cool. I won’t go so far as to say “rad(ical)”, but it will most definitely give the competition a run for their money. With the Sonata (both the new 2.0 turbo and hybrid models are there) and its luxurious interior as well as gracious exterior styling, Hyundai can take on a sizeable part of the market. The $60,000 Equus will remind many of the Lexus LS, which is pretty appropriate seeing as that is from where Hyundai will most likely steal their first consumers. - JFW

WHEN: Thursday, October 7, 4 pm–10 pm Friday, October 8, 12 Noon–10 pm Saturday, October 9, 9 am–10 pm Sunday, October 10, 9 am–7 pm

WHERE: Anaheim Convention Center 800 West Katella Avenue Anaheim, CA 92802 WHO: Representatives from leading automotive manufacturers will be on-site to answer questions and provide information on the latest vehicles. The OC Auto Show is owned and presented by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association and the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association and produced by Motor Trend Auto Shows.

TICKETS: Admission to the event is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors (62 and older), $5 for students (with ID) and free for children 12 and younger.

Orange County is probably the one place on Earth where a Mercedes is more common than a bicycle (okay, I made that statistic up, but you get the point). Yet, at the OC Auto Show, Mercedes was as absent as a quagga. Maybe the luxury auto manufacturer figured they had such a great grip of the Southern California market, they need only make an effort at one show, the LA Auto Show? - JFW

FOR MORE INFORMATION: orangecountyautoshow.com