35 Car Companies In Dallas For DFW Auto Show
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Sitting upon a rotating light-up stand in the east side of the Dallas Convention Center Wednesday was the Lexus LFA: A stark-red, 4.8 liter supercar with a hand-built V10 engine that can zoom to 60-miles-per-hour in under four seconds.
It'll be rotating in place at a far more languid pace until March 25 as part of the annual DFW Auto Show in Dallas, which has taken over a more than a half-million square foot space of the city's convention center.
During the event's opening night Wednesday, the LFA gained the most traction among visitors; its display retained dozens of onlookers for much of the evening.
Listening to the Lexus rep tell it, the interest was obvious: There'll only be 500 of the cars sold worldwide. Chalk that up to the hand-built engine, maybe.
But the majority of the Auto Show was dominated by more realistic offerings: The less-attended displays featured on the other side of the exhibition hall were often mid-priced coupes and sedans, offering middle class buyers high gas mileage and safety features fit for families.
"You're seeing a lot of hybrids out here that are getting wonderful gas mileage, we even have some electrics out here; these cars make economic sense," said Don Herring Jr., the event's chairman.
However bold that Lexus's red color was, it couldn't drown out the green that emanated throughout the hall. The 2012 Chevrolet Volt had a display front and center, touting ads that showed a driver plugging the car in.
The redesigned Ford Fusion was also on display, as well as a Mitsubishi Miev hatchback, which touted 112 miles to the gallon.
Thirty-five car companies were present at the event, from smartcars to Mercedes. There's even a section of classic Corvettes, some of which are owned by North Texans.
Herring Jr. added that this year marked the return of luxury car brands like BMW and Range Rover, giving attendees the chance to walk mere feet to look at some more high end models –– like that aforementioned Lexus LFA.
"What's great about this show is that we've had some players we haven't seen the past few years," he said Wednesday morning. "We have a whole luxury car section."
The event lasts until Sunday; tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for seniors. Children under 12 are free. Find a coupon for $2 off admission here, and see Herring Jr. talk about the event with CBS 11's Keith Garvin here.
The first DFW Auto Show took place in 1982.
And in the interest of full disclosure, CBS 11 is a sponsor of the event.
