Anyone think the 2019 AJC Autoshow sucked this year!!! (Atlanta: how much, buying)

[SAAN]

They had No Cadillac's, Porsche, BMW, Tesla's or Mercedez Benz, in a city where we have MB headquarters and a MB Stadium directly next door.


There were even less brands doing the test drive events than before, no RV row like before, which wasnt a deal breaker, going inside of those and seeing how they are setup was pretty cool last year and to make it worse, they jacked the price up $2 to get in to see and do way less.

[PKCorey]

Most of those brands have pulled out of other shows as well so Im not surprised at all.

I didnt go this year because the lineup looked underwhelming.

[Huntsville_secede]

Never been I wonder how large it is and how does it compare to shows in other cities? I don't really go to any auto shows if it's not the Chicago, LA, New York or Detroit one.

[kagete]

The ATL auto show is not a real show in the vein of the other venues like Detroit's where brand make announcements. It's more of a convention/showcase where brands (with a local dealer to supply inventory) have to bid on the limited floorspace.

Porsche and MB not participating tells you all you need to know.

[ATLTJL]

I view the car show as a great way to see what new models are out without having to go from dealer to dealer and talk to pushy salespeople. Since i'll never be in the market for a Porsche or Mercedes, their absence was irrelevant to me.

What shocked me is how much of a commitment many manufacturers have made to push electric vehicles, yet every person working the floor lacked even basic knowledge of how they work. Nevermind there weren't many on display, I couldn't find a single person who even knew the difference between CCS and CHAdeMO fast charging. They were displaying cars with plugs that they didn't understand what two minutes of Googling could tell you. And they also had no idea which models would be available in Georgia. Pretty pathetic considering Atlanta was once the biggest market in the world for Leafs.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I view the car show as a great way to see what new models are out without having to go from dealer to dealer and talk to pushy salespeople. Since i'll never be in the market for a Porsche or Mercedes, their absence was irrelevant to me.

What shocked me is how much of a commitment many manufacturers have made to push electric vehicles, yet every person working the floor lacked even basic knowledge of how they work. Nevermind there weren't many on display, I couldn't find a single person who even knew the difference between CCS and CHAdeMO fast charging. They were displaying cars with plugs that they didn't understand what two minutes of Googling could tell you. And they also had no idea which models would be available in Georgia. Pretty pathetic considering Atlanta was once the biggest market in the world for Leafs.

I bought a Ford Hybrid 10 years ago. I have yet to find a Ford dealership competent in working on the hybrid drive system. So, your post doesn't surprise me. Unfortunately...

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by kagete

The ATL auto show is not a real show in the vein of the other venues like Detroit's where brand make announcements. It's more of a convention/showcase where brands (with a local dealer to supply inventory) have to bid on the limited floorspace.

Porsche and MB not participating tells you all you need to know.

Both have skipped the national shows too.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I view the car show as a great way to see what new models are out without having to go from dealer to dealer and talk to pushy salespeople. Since i'll never be in the market for a Porsche or Mercedes, their absence was irrelevant to me.

What shocked me is how much of a commitment many manufacturers have made to push electric vehicles, yet every person working the floor lacked even basic knowledge of how they work. Nevermind there weren't many on display, I couldn't find a single person who even knew the difference between CCS and CHAdeMO fast charging. They were displaying cars with plugs that they didn't understand what two minutes of Googling could tell you. And they also had no idea which models would be available in Georgia. Pretty pathetic considering Atlanta was once the biggest market in the world for Leafs.

Their "salespeople" are just a smile and breast honestly. Barely know anything besides that they are cars.

[ATLTJL]

Their "salespeople" are just a smile and breast honestly. Barely know anything because the cars.

I know what you mean, and I didn't even try asking any questions to the "event staff."

But with Kia introducing a plug-in hybrid and pure EV version of the Niro this year, I expected the guy who actually works at the Georgia assembly plant to know at least the very basics about that car. Nope. I get that those models are not manufactured here, but still. You'd think they would at least give them a 15 minute information session before sending them to the car show. It's not like I was asking about voltages and how the cells work, just the very basics of EV in general. The people were 100% clueless. Anyone who has even test driven an EV would have known more.

[tcw0010]

I ironically rode my bike to the Auto Show. $12 at the door, but with test drives at Ford (free $5 starbucks gift card), and Fiat (free $10 gift card to target), I was netting positive in the end.

I have no intentions in buying a new vehicle anytime soon, but it is nice to see the ins and outs of cars without being pressured into buying one. One big thing I've noticed is how expensive vehicles have become.

Example. Just three years ago, I test drove a GMC Sierra Denali fully loaded that had a 60k price tag. I thought the price was absolutely crazy. The past weekend, I test drove a mid-packaged F-150 for the same price of 60k. Even with inflation factored in, the price of the latest technology and materials is crazy.

As a daily bike-commuter, I also see how drivers are easily distracted behind the wheel. With thousands of different buttons, controls, and features at an arm-length away, no wonder people don't mind spending their days sitting in traffic.