Kids Who Love Cars – The Canadian International Autoshow is a Must Do!

It was this past summer that my oldest son became interested in cars and as most things do in a family of all boys close in age, it didn’t take long for the interest to trickle down to the other boys as well. Soon, overhearing conversations like “Who do think is faster, the Bugatti Veyron or the Lamborghini Huracan?” was an everyday occurrence and we couldn’t go for a drive without the boys yelling from the backseat every time they spotted a cool car on road. 

When Toyota Canada offered us tickets to attend the Canadian International Autoshow over Family Day weekend, we jumped at the chance and knew the boys were going to have their minds blown. We were right! If you’ve got kids who love cars, the autoshow is an absolute must do. I wish I had been quick enough to video tape their faces as they entered the room to the exotic cars, it was like Christmas morning!

Cars the boys had only dreamed of were right in front of their eyes! ‘Lambos’, Lotus, Mclaren….the boys were in sports car heaven. It was really interesting to see the display on 70 Years of Porsche where we could see the car evolve over the years. We were even able to answer one of the boys burning questions, and discovered which car was the fastest in the world – spoiler alert, it’s the Koenigsegg Agera RS. It’s also one of the most expensive cars in the world, no surprise there!  As outstanding as this section was, we eventually pulled them boys away to see the rest of the show. 

The Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto is on from February 16th – 25th so there are still 5 full days to attend before it’s over. The show takes up most of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre so expect a long day and tons of walking. We were thoroughly exhausted when we left, so keep that in mind if you are bringing young ones, it’s a lot of ground to cover. 

Kids will not want to miss the Hot Wheels exhibit where they are celebrating their 50 year anniversary and have tracks set up for play. They also have some really cool cars to check out like this Darth Vader car! 

I was surprised to see the OPP were there with the unveiling of the future of policing, a sporty new Tesla vehicle! The boys were able to hop into the front of the police cruiser to see all of their equipment and even turn on the lights. They also made a brief visit to the back of the police car where we promptly told them it was the only time they were allowed to be seen back there! 

What I love most about the autoshow is just seeing all the new shiny cars that are available on the market, there’s nothing like that ‘new car smell’ and there was no shortage of it at the show. We were able to slide into many of the vehicles to see how they looked and felt from the inside. Perfect for the boys to dream of owning one someday, but also for mom and dad to test out leg room and all the features. 

Each car brand brought unique activities for attendees to experience, we visited on Family Day Monday, so the show was extremely crowded and there were lineups for most things. If you can, I recommend going through the week to avoid the heavy traffic days and you’ll get to experience a lot more during your time there. We were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to meet Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toyota Canada

-Toyota Canada provided our family tickets to attend the Canadian International Autoshow, all opinions and experiences are my own. 

There were a number of cars that made their debut at the autoshow including the Toyota  I-TRIL Concept vehicle.  Developed by Toyota Motors Europe, the Toyota i-TRIL Concept showcases numerous aspects of Toyota’s research into innovative and more engaging environmentally-friendly mobility solutions.  The i-TRIL features Active Lean Technology, which allows the vehicle body and front tires to lean while the motorized rear tires remain perpendicular and secure on the road at all times.  The Toyota i-TRIL Concept is capable of operating autonomously, but has been specifically conceived to provide such driving pleasure, even in congested urban environments, that owners will wish to drive themselves for the majority of the time.  What’s really neat is the i-TRIL is operated by left-and right-hand control nodes, similar to computer mice or game controllers!

I was really impressed with Toyota’s commitment to Canadian athletes, the Toyota floor at the show was inspiring and patriotic! Toyota Canada proudly supports Team Canada through partnerships with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Committee, as well as four national sports organizations. On Saturday, Erica Gavel from WheelChair Basketball Canada was on hand to participate in meet and greets with the crowds.

We were excited to find a few options from Toyota that would work really well for our big family. All 5 of us piled into the Sienna minivan with room to spare, as well as, the Highlander SUV. Both were very comfortable and spacious. 

Before moving on, I couldn’t resist the chance to meet ‘Steve the Dummy’! 

Steve takes you on a journey in a fun and interactive virtual reality driving simulator that explores Toyota Safety Sense – Toyota’s comprehensive suite of advanced safety technologies incorporating elements such a Pre-Collision System with pedestrian detection, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beams and more!  This industry leading system now comes standard on 95% of Toyota vehicles!  

Canadian International Autoshow – Metro Toronto Convention Centre
February 16-25, 2018
Ticket Prices –
$24/Adult
$16/Youth ages 13-16
$7/Kids ages 7-12
Family Pass (2 adults, 2 kids) $47

Visit autoshow.ca for more info

Visit Toyota.ca to learn more about Toyota vehicles

Enjoy the show!