Pub. 7 2018-2019 Issue 2

Issue 1. 2019 13 W ith autonomous vehi- cles, ride sharing and scooters seemingly in the news headlines daily, it was with great anticipation and excitement that we opened the doors to another successful San Diego International Auto Show on December 27. It’s our once-a-year opportunity to shine the spotlight onwhat automakers are producing and dealers are selling for consumers to buy today and tomorrow. That is, real cars and trucks that people want to own and drive. Headlining the show this year were more than two dozen debuts and new releases that were seen for the first time in San Diego at the show. These vehicles epitomize our trademark slogan “Where the cars are the stars” and they rank number one on the list of reasons consumers attend the show. While crossovers and SUVs were king, San Diego debuts represented a variety of keymarket segments, including some just emerging, like electric luxury cross- overs. Among the debuts on handwere: • 2019 Audi e-tron • 2019 Chevrolet Blazer • 2019 Fiat 500X • 2019 Ford Ranger • 2019 Honda Passport • 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric • 2019 Hyundai Nexo • 2020 Hyundai Palisade • 2019 Hyundai Veloster N • 2019 Jaguar I-PACE • 2020 Jeep Gladiator • 2020 Kia Soul • 2019 Lexus UX • 2020 Lincoln Aviator • 2019 Mazda3 • MINI Cooper S Countryman Yin Yang Edition • 2019 Nissan Maxima • 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid • 2020 Toyota Corolla • 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid • 2019 Toyota Prius AWD • 2019 Toyota RAV4 • Toyota TJ Cruiser Concept • 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition • 2019 Volvo S60 For four days, the SanDiego Convention Center was transformed into the larg- est showroom in San Diego County. A notable sight each day of the the show was the sheer number of people attending; people who were there to evaluate vehicles and make purchase decisions right then and there. That means good things for San Diego auto dealers, because according to our post-showsurvey, no formof advertising influences more new vehicle purchases in San Diego than the auto show – not TV, not radio and not even digital. Surveys also demonstrate that brands not represented at the showare pushed further down, and sometimes entirely off, consumer consideration lists. The seeds planted at the auto show continue to bear fruit throughout the year. In fact, studies have shown that: • 64 percent of auto showattendees indicate that they are in themarket to buy a car or truckwithin the next 12 months after the auto show. • Nearly 75 percent of San Diego Auto Showattendees surveyed this year said that the show influenced their purchase decisions. Continued on Page 16 ional Auto Show: d influence people