2005 Philadelphia Auto Expo

Philadelphia’s Auto Expos over the past few years have been a bit drab and dare I say boring. This year is drastically different, as the promoters of the event have opened up a bit. Some of the aftermarket tuner industry’s best players and the newest rides from the automakers helped in that effort.

Like most other auto expos, this is an opportunity for the consumer to get up close and personal with the cars, actually touch them, get in them and see if the fit and finish lives up to expectations. All of this is done without the pressure of a pushy salesperson, but rather very knowledgeable industry personnel. On display at the event were some true gems, including Audi’s A3 sedan and Saturn’s new sports coupe. The Expo also featured some of the high-end models such as the Lamborghini Murcielago, Rolls Royce Phantom and even a Saleen S7.

This year’s Philadelphia Auto Expo introduced young, fresh talent eager to show off the growing side of automobiles and aftermarket accessories. Produced by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia (ADAGP), several of the major import car companies were able to display unique versions of its cars in a special section of the event called the Tuner Salon. Scion, Subaru, Honda and Mazda all showed off mild and wild versions, which were immensely popular with the crowd. In addition a totally-worked built by Fox Marketing Mazda was given away the opening night, on live TV!

The ever-famous DUB Magazine Celebrity Vehicle Tour was in full effect as well, showcasing some of today’s biggest stars’ hot new whips. On Display were Shaq’s Escalade (made famous on MTV’s Cribs), Mase’s Bentley coup, Ludacris’ Escalade and Bernard Hopkins’ Magnum. A lot of attention and foot traffic went through that part of the Tuner Salon, so much so that there was a big lineup for a good part of the day to see these cars.

In the future, with OEM support of the aftermarket, auto expos will continue to grow and flourish in a way that will mean more than just sales the following Monday at your local dealer.