Pub. 8 2019-2020 Issue 1

6 San Diego Dealer T he NewYear gets off to a high-revving start as the San Diego International Auto Show opens its doors for five action-packed days. With San Diego being the second largest city in the state and along the entire west coast, the San Diego International Auto Show is an enormously popular venue packed with car-buying consumers. Taking notice of the robust show are Cadillac and Genesis, which have confirmed their return partic- ipation in 2020. Feedback from all automakers has always been favorable toward the show in terms of audience, lead generation and impressive levels of media coverage received from San Diego area news organizations. Auto shows continue to be an instrumental driver of traffic to dealerships and enhancing brand identity. The New Car Dealers Association is undertaking a concerted effort to remain consistently in front of the OEM community to reinforce the market’s dynamic impact on brand engagement, economic impact and retail sales. San Diego International Auto Show Director Kevin Leap confirms that agreements for floor space are in and the show is looking strong for 2020. The next step is the arduous task of preparing floorplans that accommodate every automaker’s requested needs. “We do our utmost best at working with each exhib- itor to maximize their footprint for heightened branding exposure,” Leap said. “We’re getting close to what we hope will be the final plan.” Another appealing activity for both automakers and consumers are the ride and drives that occur in front of and behind the convention center. Leap com- mented that the limited number of outside available positions were quickly renewed, thereby providing guests with a variety of driving experiences. For dealership sales associates who visit the auto show, they find it is a treasure trove of information. Not only is it a convenient place to hear consumers’ likes and dislikes, but it provides an opportunity to see and learn about all the many makes andmodels that are available, or will soon be available, in the marketplace. The San Diego International Auto Show will be open Wednesday, January 1 through Sunday, January 5, 2020. Auto Show Rolls into New Year January 1-5, 2020