On April 21, in the exhibition center in Ķīpsala, the biggest event of the Baltic car life – the international auto industry exhibition “Auto 2024” – which gathered the largest number of interested parties in recent years, successfully concluded with the traditional common car signaling. The exhibition combines three sections for a wide range of interests – “New cars”, “Auto mechanics”, “Auto Exotica”.
The latest car models, tuning masterpieces, classic vehicles, mobility solutions, commercial vehicles, car service equipment, tools and other novelties of the automotive industry were demonstrated 165 participants from 9 countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine.
In three days, the exhibition “Auto 2024” was visited 34,601 interested parties, which is 21% more than last year and 12,000 more than at Auto 2022. The premieres of Baltic cars and the extreme moto stunt show “Cageriders” from Finland created a great interest of visitors and media.
“We are grateful for the great interest this year caused by the exhibition events and the offer of participants. We have received words of appreciation both from domestic dealers and from international cooperation partners. The manager of the “Automechanika” exhibition in Frankfurt, who also visited Ķipsala, highly appreciated the quality of our exhibition. Colleagues from Warsaw also noted the large number of new car premieres, which even surpassed the Geneva Motor Show,” says Gints Šāvės, head of the “Auto” exhibition.
Baltic premieres
At the exhibition, Baltic-wide premieres were experienced by many new cars, much more than in other years! The hottest news was the new generation “Peugeot 3008” SUV, which was not previously announced at the exhibition, but arrived literally at the last moment, before the official opening of “Auto 2024”. Just like that, a few days before the exhibition, the new generation “Dacia Duster” appeared.
Among the previously announced Baltic premieres, the hottest new item was the Renault Scenic E-Tech, which a few weeks ago won the prestigious title of “European Car of the Year 2024” at the Geneva Motor Show. The Spanish electric “Cupra Tavascan”, which will return to Latvia only in the fall, also had its premiere. Also at the exhibition, the new “Škoda Kodiaq” and its direct competitor “Volkswagen Tiguan”, as well as the station wagon “Škoda Superb Combi” and modernized versions of other brands made their debut on the Baltic scale.
New cars and commercial vehicles were represented at Auto 2024 by several brands, including Tesla, Audi, Alpine, Volkswagen, Skoda, Honda, Cupra, Hyundai, Nissan, Renault, Dacia, Citroen, Peugeot, Opel, KGM, Subaru, Suzuki, Ford, Fiat Professional and Iveco Bus, as well as market newcomers from China – “Great Wall Motors”, “BAIC”, “JAC”, “Forthing” and “Foton”.
The Latvian car buyers’ guide “WhatCar.lv” had a special surprise for car enthusiasts, whose exposition featured the first off-roader “DBX” of the British sports and luxury brand “Aston Martin” in its most powerful version with 707 horsepower. Also at this stand, you could see the most popular American “Ford F-150” pick-up truck in its sporty version “Raptor”, which was not available in Latvia until now.
An unusual novelty, which could be appreciated by the visitors of the exhibition, was the addition of the Latvian NBS armament with an ancient Latvian symbol – the “Patria XA-300” armored personnel carrier. It is not a means of defense, but is intended for the maximum speed of movement of soldiers.
As usual, upon entering the new car hall, you could familiarize yourself with the modern concept gas station “Neste”, which presented news, discounts and talked about fuel quality.
“Auto mechanics” – from tools to service equipment
In the “Auto mechanics” section, you could get to know the current offer of the industry – tires, rims, car maintenance products, anti-corrosion treatment options, equipment and machinery for car shops, car washes and service stations. The offer included a wide range of car chemicals and maintenance products from such well-known brands as “Meguiar’s”, “Rags”, “Svydis”, “NHOU”, “Grass”, “Polar”, “Eneos”, “Orlen”, “TSC Duals” , while service equipment – from “Animo”, “Ari-Ko”, “Alintek”. The participants of the exhibition informed about news that is relevant both for professionals and every car enthusiast.
Electric cars today
Current electric car charging stations in Kipsala were presented by “Energoluxs”, “Elektrum”, “Eleport”, “Rohe”, “Alexela” and “ACC”. By visiting the exposition of the Ministry of Climate and Energy, interested parties could learn about the possibilities of the support program for the purchase of electric cars and hybrid cars. On the other hand, the Latvian Electric Car Association invited interested parties to two topical discussions – “Are electric cars ready for you?” and “Will there be enough places to charge for everyone?”, in which Latvia’s largest charging operators – “Eleport”, “Elektrum Drive”, “Virši-A”, “Ignitis Latvija” performed.
“Auto Exotica” – gorgeous vehicles and an impressive show
“Auto Exotica” brought together representatives of car clubs and motorsport teams – those interested could see rebuilt vehicles, restored classic cars, racing cars and hobby cars.
This year, the greatest interest of visitors was aroused by the stunt show from Finland – “Cageriders”, who demonstrated breathtaking tricks in the “ball of death” or in a six-meter high metal grid spherical structure. On Saturday, stuntmen performed twice, ensuring the maximum number of visitors at the Exhibition Center in Ķīpsala.
The winners of the “Auto Exotica Awards 2024” contest were determined and awarded at the exhibition. The title “Best Movie Star Car” was awarded to Ruslans Grigorovich from ANRU Motors for the replica of the collectible car from the 1980s movie “Mirage”. On the first day of the exhibition, Mirdza Martinsone and Mārtiņš Vilsons, who played the main roles in the movie “Mirage” were also reminiscing and sharing their impressions with this uniquely rebuilt “Lada Niva” vehicle.
The “Best Muscle Car” cup went to Latgali, because the competition jury recognized the 717-horsepower “Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat” as the most muscular vehicle at the “Auto Exotica” exhibition, which, with the accelerator pedal on the floor, empties the 70-liter fuel tank in just thirteen minutes. On the other hand, in the category of Japanese cars, the Nissan Skyline restored by Perfection 86, which is a cult car, especially among fans of the movie Fast and Furious, triumphed and won the title of Best Japan Car.
Speaking of fast and furious, there were the professional dragsters of the Estonian drag racing team, one of which visually resembled a cross between a formula and a buggy – it has smaller and narrower wheels at the front and huge and wide ones at the back. It is equipped with a 700 hp V8 engine and achieves dizzying dynamics – it accelerates to 100 km/h in a mere 1.3 seconds, and the classic quarter-mile (402 m) drag race distance is completed in an impressive 8.7 seconds. On the other hand, the second dragster was based on the world’s fastest production motorcycle “Suzuki Hayabusa” – with a power of 505 hp in the drag race straight, it is even faster than the 1600 hp “Bugatti Chiron Super Sport”. These two Estonian dragsters received the “Auto Exotica Awards” award for the best drag racing vehicles.
No less fighting spirit was shown, but a completely different racing discipline was represented at the “Auto Exotica” exposition by the first solar-powered car in the Baltics, “Solaride”. It was built by Estonian students for an endurance or eco rally competition. It can reach a speed of 140 km/h only with solar energy. This unique vehicle earned the “Best Innovation” award at the show. Also this year, the battles continued in the “show truck” or rebuilt truck category – the Latvian “Veras” project faced the Estonian “Vikings” or “Scania 770S”, which won the “Best Truck Tuning” title.
Photo: https://failiem.lv/u/udeqd5er67
Traditionally, the popular motorists’ commune “CC Nation” takes an active part in the “Auto Exotica” exhibition, at which classic “Mercedes-Benz 280S” won the “Best Stance Car” title this year. Its suspension is set so low that the rear number plate almost touches the ground. “Auto Exotica” is not complete without loud and powerful music, so the title of “Loudest Friends” was awarded to the “Sound Pit” stand, which showcased several cars with different levels of audio systems. More: www.balticmotorshow.com
The next exhibition “Auto 2025” will be held in 2025 on 11-13 in April at the International Exhibition Center in Ķipsala.
The “Auto” exhibition is organized by the International Exhibitions Organizing Company BT 1.
bt1.lv
Tags: Auto exhibition ended powerfully recordbreaking visitor interest Riga
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