Pub. 5 2016-2017 Issue 2

10 San Diego Dealer THEN AND NOW - THE EVOLUTION OF THE SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW I magine yourself in the year 1928, sitting on the veranda and opening your San Diego Union Tribune. You are greeted with images of the San Diego Auto Show sprawling the esplanade of Balboa Park – a high-society affair boasting shiny cars, lavish parties and San Diego’s elite socialites of the roaring twenties. That early auto show showcased 7 or 8 cars—that, at the time, were deemed the revolutionary works of transportation in the early 20th century. Accelerate to 88 years later, and the San Diego International Auto Show (SDIAS) remains a high-profile event that has changed the way cars are marketed and promoted to the residents of San Diego County. Today, man- ufacturers and automotive retailers are in a constant cycle of evolution in an effort to keep pace with the changing demands of production, sales and technology, andmost of all, customers. Nowhere is that more evident than on the show floor of the SDIAS. As the auto makers evolved, so too did the SDIAS. During the 70’s and 80’s, the Show took place in downtown San Diego’s Golden Hall. Then, it occupied 50,000 square feet, and the “models”in their exorbitant, sequined gowns posing on rotating platforms, more often than not, outshined the cars. Eventually, the SDIAS took up residence where it has remained for the past 26 years: the San Diego Convention Center, where it commands over 525,000 square feet of contiguous space. With over 600 new model vehicles, including crossovers, trucks, SUV’s and alternative fuel vehicles, the San Diego