WHAT: Dayton Auto Show
WHEN: March 25-28
WHERE: Dayton Convention Center; 100 Fifth St., Dayton
SHOW TIMES:
March 25-26, noon to 9 p.m.
March 27, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
March 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ADMISSION: $7 for adults. Children ages 12 & younger are free when accompanied by a paying adult
DISCOUNT COUPON: Go online to DaytonDailyNews.com March 25-28 and look under Hot Topics for a link to a printable $2 coupon
Editor’s note: Not all vehicles and attractions depicted and described here may be represented at the 2010 Dayton Auto Show, and some information may have changed.
Alive and kicking — that’s the message the automotive industry is trying to convey, said the 2010 Dayton Auto Show director.
“The show is an opportunity for manufacturers to show their wares — what they have and how they’re going to stand by their products,” Dan Zinni said. With the Columbus Auto Show running through March 21, some of that show’s content will transition to Dayton’s show, he said.
Here’s how the week to come will work: On Monday, March 22, the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St., Dayton, will accommodate a bevy of crates containing racks, displays, decorations and platforms, some as giant turntables.
On Tuesday, mesmerizing metal moves in, until 3 p.m. on Wednesday. That’s when everything is slated to be ready for the 2010 Dayton Auto Show. A charity fund-raising preview event benefiting The Food Bank and The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton will be held that evening, and then the show opens to the public on Thursday at noon.
What you will see at the show is a concentration of 2010 vehicles available now, specialty vehicles and early 2011 production models. Between 150 and 200 vehicles are expected to be displayed, Zinni said.
What’s going to be hot at this show? The crossover, Zinni said.
“Everybody’s picking up on this,” he said, citing the Lincoln MKX, Acura ZDX and Honda Accord Crosstour. “It’s almost as if the crossover hits the spot between the van and the sport ute in terms of its appeal.”
Another trend, according to Zinni: “The size of vehicles is tremendously different from even three to four years ago. They’re much smaller and more fuel-efficient. Four-dollar gas has had its effect.”
There’s no way to be certain of what’s going to roll into the convention center, what with our town competing alongside other shows. But what you’ll see will be rewarding. There’s always more than enough to take in and sit in to get a whiff of that oh-so-tantalizing new-car smell.
Show-goers are welcome to open the doors and slip behind the wheel of what’s on the floor.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles does not permit direct selling at the show, but it’s a great way to meet and obtain contact information for local sales representatives if you are a prospective buyer.
While the show floor will be full, along with displays in the lobby, you won’t wear yourself out walking miles and miles to see a certain vehicle or brand. The cars, trucks, crossovers, hybrids and sport utility vehicles are arranged for you to look over at your leisure.
Other show highlights:
• Ben 10, a character on the Cartoon Network, is scheduled to meet and greet fans young and old on Saturday, March 27 from noon to 4 p.m.
• A free NASCAR simulator is being brought in to give show-goers a glimpse of what it’s like to be a NASCAR driver. The experience lasts from two to three minutes.
• A home-theater-like “NCAA men’s basketball tournament lounge” with multiple screens is being created right on the show floor, so you’re never more than a few steps away from Division I regionals action. Adult beverages may be available.
• Three lucky people will walk away with $1,200 in gas cards on March 26, 27 and 28, simply by registering their names on a computer terminal. This information is not used for any other purpose and is not sold, Zinni said.
• A 47-inch LG LCD HD-TV will be the prize for whoever guesses how many balls fill a designated vehicle at the show.
Look for a special auto show tabloid inserted in tomorrow’s Dayton Daily News to plan your show experience. And check DaytonDailyNews.com for up-to-the-minute information and a $2 discount coupon.
“I just smile as I go through the show floor, thinking, ‘This is cool,’ ” Zinni said.
“It’s an opportunity for people to check out what they’re shopping for — whether that’s right now, in six months, in a year.
“It’s so easy to go from brand to brand to brand,” he said.
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