2017 Boston Auto Show – Review and Recap
January 14, 2017
As a journalist and tech reporter, I get to play with cars and gadgets. If you weren’t aware, cars are still the dominant travel method people use to get from place to place. But with so much technology embedded in vehicles these days (safety, comfort and connectivity), I wasn’t sure if this should be a food and travel post or a tech post. Regardless, let’s jump into the driver’s seat and go over what I saw and thought while at the New England International Auto Show this year.
First off, they call it the NEIAS, but it’s simply the Boston Auto Show to me and the media who cover the event. While the show floor admittedly has dozens of vehicles and offerings from various countries, most of the cars and dealers have a presence right in metro-Boston and the bordering states. I have yet to meet more than one person who has purchased a car overseas and had it shipped back here to Boston.
So, what did I see and what did I think? Overall, cars are getting more amazing each year and the prevalence of environmental awareness at the corporate level is off-the-hook.
For instance, I was invited to a few informational sessions at the Toyota and Lexus booths where the folks from She Buys Cars introduced media and a contingent of bloggers to dealers, conservationists, corporate representatives and even an Instagram professional.
Going right down the line, here’s what I learned…
Car companies – and specifically the Toyota brand – are looking squarely at how they can make a splash in the electric car market. One cool thing they had at their booth was, speaking of splash, a hydrogen-powered vehicle tipped on its side to show how the fuel cells and other technology would be installed in a car. Fill up your car with a bottle of water…sounds pretty cool.
Staying on the conservation theme, there’s a car dealer group in New Hampshire that has been working with conservationists to protect the watershed and natural spaces. Using grant money, matched in part by Grappone Toyota, the Five Rivers Conservation Trust has set aside land that touches 17 communities in New Hampshire and will keep that land safe from development so people can enjoy it.
The representatives at each car booth definitely knew their products and were fast to point out new features and the latest technology. As mentioned above, one of the best things about this show is that it’s focused on the regional buyer and the brands and actual cars available here. While there’s no pressure to purchase, you can look at, sit in, prod and poke the cars to your heart’s content even before visiting a dealer.
Additionally, there are so many brands on the show floor that making a decision is actually easier because you can compare cars just by walking between two brands instead of wasting a whole day going to car lots and dealers. One thing to be aware of, though, some of the higher-end brands are blocked off by barriers. If you want to sit in and fiddle with the dash on a Maserati or a Rolls Royce or a Bentley, you’ll have to discuss that with the folks at the gates to the luxury car pens.
As I was informed, this shot is of a Lamborghini from the Herb Chambers Exotics dealership near Boston. Pre-show I did not get into that pen. 🙂
Ultimately, unless you are rabid to get into and get your hands on the concept cars that are regularly shown at car shows in Germany, Japan and sometimes even Detroit, the Boston Auto Show is your best bet to touch, sit in and get a feel for the slew of new cars that are coming to…or already on the lots…at car dealers across the United States. Link again to the show – that runs through this weekend (Jan. 12 – 16 at the BCEC) is here.
Enjoy your visit and please get in touch with me to let me know what you saw on the show floor. Watch for another post under social media discussing the Instagram lady and more of my experience covering the event.
*Disclaimer: While I am credentialed media and covered this event as a journalist, I was hired by She Buys Cars to take photos and share some of these images via social media during the event. The entire photoset can be viewed at this link over on Flickr.
