Toronto, Ontario - The 2023 Canadian International AutoShow has marked a successful return as Canada’s largest automotive and consumer show. 

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the AutoShow has been a showcase of automotive excellence and innovation, from the latest models offered by some of the world’s biggest automotive brands to the newest EVs that are leading to an electrified future to the luxury and exotic cars that tickle the imagination. For 10 days at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the automobile was the centre of attention, delighting fans young and old.

“The AutoShow has always been a reflection of the automotive industry, and we have seen that clearly at the 2023 AutoShow,” says Jason Campbell, General Manager of the AutoShow. “Over the course of this year’s show, we have seen the direction the sector is headed. New innovations are changing the way we drive. The government has put us on path to zero-emission vehicles, and we are exploring more electric and hydrogen options. Our manufacturer partners are connecting with potential consumers at the Show in new ways through engaging attractions and interesting cars.” 

Some highlights of the 2023 AutoShow include:

NEWEST VEHICLES

The global debut of the all-new 2024 Buick Encore GX. 

The North American debut of the Hyundai N Vision 74 hydrogen hybrid concept car. 

Canadian debuts of the Hyundai RN22e concept, Nissan NISMO Off Road Frontier V8 concept, Dodge Hornet, Alfa Romeo Tonale, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 20th anniversary edition, Kia Seltos, Subaru Crosstrek, GMCSierra EV Denali and Toyota Grand Highlander. 

A showcase of electrification of the automotive sector. More than 75 fully-electric vehicles were found across the AutoShow’s displays and attractions this year, along with 18 hybrids, 14 plug-in hybrids and two hydrogen cars.

Concept cars, including the ones mentioned above along with Buick Wildcat, Nissan ARIYA Surfwagon and the Project Arrow car, a collaborative project of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association and 50 partners that produced an all-electric vehicle that was designed, engineered and built in Canada, entirely with Canadian parts. 

NEW SPECIAL FEATURES

The first Canadian appearance of Camp Jeep, an indoor course with five-man-made obstacles that showcase the rugged capabilities of the famed 4x4 vehicles.  

Electric City put a spotlight on the infrastructure needed to support the EV future and electrified micro-mobility alternatives. A repayable Government of Canada investment of $500,000 through the Tourism Relief Fund, delivered by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to create Electric City supports the federal mandate for zero-emission vehicles in Canada.

The EV Test Track— the largest indoor track of its kind in Canada — proved immensely popular, with as many as 925 test drives being taken a day.

The REVZONE showcased some of the cars and events that are broadcasted on REV TV, with several interactive exhibits and live broadcasts. 

Accessible Mobility with Universal Motion featured six modified vehicles highlighting support available for those in our society who find themselves challenged by their mobility.

Mississauga-based manufacturer Roshel showcased its Senator APC, an armoured personnel carrier. The Canadian government purchased 200 of the vehicles to be sent to Ukraine as part of Canada’s contribution to the international effort in aid of that country’s defence. 

FAMILY FEATURES

The LEGO Group returned to the AutoShow with another full-sized model of a supercar — this time the Lamborghini SIAN FKP 37, which made its first-ever appearance in North America. The model took 10 months to build and is made from more than 400,000 pieces.

Hot Wheels helped the AutoShow celebrate its 50th anniversary with a selection of six life-sized versions of cars from the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and the original “Sweet 16” diecast Hot Wheels that were the first produced by the brand in 1968. In partnership with PASMAG Tuning 365, Hot Wheels presented The AutoShow Anniversary Selection, a collection of customized cars selected from fan submissions. 

FAN FAVOURITES

Auto Exotica once again featured stunning and rare luxuries and exotics: A Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport and Koenigsegg Regera among the collection from Grand Touring Automobiles; cars once owned by celebrities Jenifer Lopez and Floyd Mayweather in the Autostrada display; some classics brought in by Barrett-Jackson; a championship Porsche in the Pfaff display; the S, 3, X and Y from Tesla. 

Cobble Beach presented 75 years of Porsche, a collection of 16 rare and important Porsches from over the past three-quarters of a century, including the most expensive car at this year’s AutoShow, a 1969 Porsche 917 Long Tail Chassis 005. 

OBLIVION, a Celebration of the Cars and Culture of the ’80s and ’90s, brought back a replica of the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future movies, along with some unique cars from the era that included the Magna Vehma Torrero prototype from the late 1980s. 

As the final Saturday of the 2023 AutoShow was drawing to a close, the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inducted its 2022 class in a gala event in the John Bassett Theatre in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

The induction included 12 individuals and one racing team, plus another racing team in the International Category. The 2022 inductees are:

AIM Autosport — Starting in Formula 1600 in 1995, it won four championships before expanding to other series, winning two titles between USF2000, Formula Renault, Formula BMW and Star Mazda. It won three straight GT class championships for Ferrari from 2012 to 2014 before winning a championship in IMSA GTD Sprint Cup with Lexus in 2020.

Uli Bieri — A professional racer from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. Mr. Bieri competed in more than 57 events, including nine appearances in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He was the Canadian Endurance Champion in 1985 and 1986 and has also driven a BMW M1 factory race car. In 1991, he purchased Toronto Motorsports Park with a group of four investors The drag strip was reopened the following year, and added road course in 2003. 

Chris Bye — He started racing in the Players GM series in 1986, before scoring multiple wins and podiums in the Firestone Firehawk Endurance series and the Canadian Endurance Championship between 1989 and 1991. He finished runner-up in the F1600 Championship in 1991 and initially retired five years later, before racing a Prototype for Brumos Porsche in the 2003 24 Hours of Daytona.

Gary Elliott — A stock racer for 53 seasons, including a historic 49 years with sponsor Quaker State. He raced at 46 tracks across Canada and the U.S., in various divisions and touring series, including Mini Stock, Canadian Vintage Modified, Pro Late Model and OSCAAR Modifieds. Most recently, he raced in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. Mr. Elliott competed on 859 consecutive race nights in the divisions that he’s run, dating back to 1987. He’s recorded 260 wins, 40 feature wins, 25 top-five points finishes and two championships in his career. He is also a 12-time winner of Most Sportsmanlike Driver honours.

Terry Epp — Starting as a rally race driver, where he won the Canadian Championship for Co-Drivers and the North American 2WD co-driver championship in 1986. Away from the driver’s seat, he was the CASC Ontario Region Rally Director in 1991 when he negotiated an amicable split from CASC. He became the founding president of the Canadian Association of Rally Sport (CARS) and gained affiliation with ASN-FIA Canada. Mr. Epp served as Canada’s representative to the FIA for rally and solo for three decades and made several improvements to rally racing in the country. 

Robert Giannou — He joined the St. John’s Motor Club in 1958, where he began organizing rally, solo and hillclimb events in 1962. He brought the club into the CASC ranks and negotiated with the U.S. Embassy in Newfoundland to use two of their properties for events, including runways at Naval Station Argentia, where he eventually brought the Molyslip Endurance Series. Mr. Giannou has held various roles with CASC over the years, including Race Director Atlantic Region and Assistant National Race Director. 

Carl Harr — He started his racing career winning multiple events at Edmonton International Speedway and in NHRA drag racing in the 1970s, before winning multiple slalom and rally events run by the Northern Alberta Sports Car Club in the 1980s. He joined the Players GM Challenge Series in 1986, running full-time until 1992. He raced stock cars from 1994 to 2010, starting 80 races between the CASCAR Super Series, CASCAR West, CASCAR East and NASCAR Pinty’s Series since 1998, recording 32 top-five finishes, four CASCAR West wins and a CASCAR West championship during that span. He also made 78 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West between 2001 and 2014.

Dave Lloyd — Involved in motorcycle racing for 60 years, he progressed through the ranks and made his FIM World Championship debut in 1965. From 1966 to 1968, Mr. Lloyd raced across Europe, against world champions and the stars of the day. He returned to Canada and rode in various disciplines in the 1970s. More recently, he made land-speed record attempts in 2009 and 2011 and competed in the VRRA Period 1 350cc class Championship in 2021, winning the class title at 81-years-old.

Derek Lynch — He started his career racing karts in eastern Ontario, where he won four championships. In 1986, at 14-years-old, he made the jump to Late Model Sportsman racing at Peterborough Speedway, where he won five features and the track championship in 1987. Away from the driver’s seat, he worked as a fabricator for NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Truck Series teams in the late 1990s, including Darrell Waltrip Motorsports and Bobby Allison Motorsports. Mr. Lynch raced in a variety of late model series over the last two decades. He made 30 starts in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series between 2007 and 2016, winning at Cayuga Speedway in 2007.

Bob MacDonald — He competed in multiple Ontario regional road racing series and the Firestone/Firehawk Endurance Championship, but his greatest achievements in motorsport came through his sales role at Sony of Canada. He was an integral part of the company’s sponsorship of motorsports through race cars, billboards, print advertising and television, where the Sony Handycam was used for in-car footage.

Dick Midgley — Primarily a mechanic, car builder and car owner during his motorsport career, in 1958, he co-owned a car with his older brother in the Jalopy class at Western Speedway, where they won the track title in their first season. He continued to field cars in local divisions into the 1970s, when he expanded his efforts south of the border. More than 70 drivers competed for Mr. Midgley in the NASCAR West Series from 1972 to 2014, including 2002 CMHF inductee Roy Smith. Between 1974 and 1992, Midgley fielded cars in 26 NASCAR Cup Series races, where he made two Daytona 500 starts, with Smith as the driver, in 1976 and 1977.

Scott Spencer — He has competed in NHRA Sportsman Racing, competing in Stock, SuperStock and Super Gas between 1972 and 1980. He designed and built a full-chassis Plymouth Arrow for NHRA Super Gas in 1977, which won a pair of awards at The International Car Show. In 1975, he opened a speed shop, which provided support for several CASCAR teams to begin racing on road courses. Mr. Spencer worked as an NHRA technical inspector in the 1980s before racing in the GT class of the Canadian Firestone/Firehawk series in the early 1990s, with a best finish of third on the streets of Toronto in 1991. He continued road racing in various events until 1997.

Bruce Biegler — In the media category, he started his media career as a self-taught photographer, working as a track photographer and reporter at Saskatoon International Raceway in 1974. He focused his work on drag racing in the years that followed, spending time as a photographer and writer for National Dragster and Wheelspin News. He was Drag Racing Editor for Performance Racing News from 1989 to 2008 and for Inside Track Motorsport News from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Biegler founded DragRaceCanada.com in 1999, and continues to serve as its editor. 

Pfaff Motorsports was honoured in the International Category.

Planning will now begin for the 2024 Canadian International AutoShow, which will take place February 16th to 25th, 2024, back in the North and South Buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

Stay connected with the Canadian International AutoShow on Instagram @autoshowca, Twitter @autoshowcanada and Facebook /autoshowcanada.

About the Canadian International AutoShow, presented by The Toronto Star

Celebrating its 50th year, the Canadian International AutoShow features more than 650,000 square feet of exhibits, displays and attractions spanning the North and South Buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. With an annual attendance in excess of 330,000, the Canadian International AutoShow is not only the largest automotive expo in Canada, it is also the country’s largest consumer show. A leader in lifestyle, technology and all things automotive, it is a showcase for the latest cars, trucks, SUVs, concept cars, exotics, classics, muscle cars, electric and alternative fuel vehicles.