Electric or Eclectic — Perspective Contrast at the Canadian International AutoShow 2025
With US President Donald Trump threatening crippling tariffs on Canada’s Automotive industry, the Canadian International AutoShow got underway this year with nary a mention of them in the opening press briefing on February 13. Instead it was “show as usual’ with awards to EVs and hybrids with emphasis that electric is the future.
The Canadian Car of the Year were presented at the press briefing. The awards are conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and have been presented each year since their inception in 1986.
- Canadian Car of the Year – Honda Civic
- Canadian Electric Car of the Year – BMW i4
- Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year – Hyundai Santa Fe
- Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year – Hyundai Ioniq 5N
Underlying the awards and the show is the reality that internal combustion engine vehicles are still sought by a number of new car buyers and cherished by car enthusiasts. To that end, some enticing classics and exotics are display.
One of the biggest highlights of every year’s show is Auto Exotica, showcasing some of the world’s rarest, fastest, and most expensive cars. Much like years prior, there is a treasure trove of exciting dream machines on display, with some highlights being; an Aston Martin Vanquish, Ferrari 296 GTS, V12-powered Ferrari Purosangue, a Roma Spider, F40 & F50, Maserati with their MC20 Cielo, Lamborghini URUS SE & Revuelto (the latter for a cool $902,594.00), a Pininfarina Battista Edizione (tagged at $3.1 million) and a Bugatti Pur Sport (for a mere $4.799 million).
Cobble Beach Concours D’elegance returns with Founder and Show Chair Rob McLeese present to promote the event on September 14.
This year, Mercedes-Benz is the featured sponsor and is showcasing many models from its long history;
- 1886 Benz Patent MotorWagen Replica
- 1935 Mercedes-Benz 130H
- 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sport Tourer
- 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
- 1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster
- 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Coupe
- 2015 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition
- 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Black Series “P-One Edition”
On the main show floor there is Allard Motor Works from Montreal, offering their J2X® MkIII a replica of the original Allard J2X fitted with a modern American V8 and Tremec manual transmission. Roger Allard brought Allard Motor Works to life in 1999 after hearing the cry of classic car fans for a safe, comfortable and reliable high-performance retro-style sports car. Since its inception, AMW has invested heavily in engineering and craftsmanship into the classic design, delivering a more comfortable, and reliable J3X without compromising performance. The workmanship is impressive at $250,000 each.
Two notable internal combustion engine new cars being touted are the Audi RS6 Avant GT – a special edition sport wagon with a 621 hp engine producing 625 lb-ft of torque to honour Audi’s racing past and GM’s Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 that packs 1,064 horsepower in it’s mid-engine layout.
Making the largest carbon footprint was the Bigfoot® 4 Monster Truck. This truck debuted on July 31, 1984, at the grand opening of the new Bigfoot headquarters in Hazelwood, Missouri. It was the first of the “Stage II” trucks, built specifically as a monster truck and not modified from a stock production vehicle. It is a massive beast with 66” Firestone tires.
Arguably the greenest vehicle at the show is in the Ford booth and only with 2 wheels! The Mustang e-bike for $4,000 is a very well constructed and smooth ride with a range of 60 kms and charging time of under 45 minutes.
Defining luxury in an EV is matter of taste. Many of $50K to $70K SUV models provide adequate power and range along with a premium level of comfort, but for those who feel the need to go that extra in performance and style while willing to pay 3x+ the price, models like BMW’s XM (at $245,606.00) are on display along with the Mercedes G 580 Electric G Wagon (at $264,372.00).
In Canada they are yet to be challenged by premium Chinese competitors, though Mercedes did take the opportunity to demonstrate to the press the G 580’s ability to spin 360 degrees like the quad motor system U8 from Yangwang, a subsidiary of China’s top-selling manufacturer BYD.
When is display screen technology too much?
A visit to the Mercedes booth and seeing the dashboard display of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV will provide the answer to that question. One massive screen surface (with 3 embedded displays that are a mecca for fingerprints and distracting reflections.
The same can be said for Cadillac who showed their Premium Celestiq flagship that is finally available but priced in the range of what Rolls Royce commands for a Phantom. It has a full width dashboard display as well as an angular “tablet” protruding from the centre console for climate controls. Though positioned as s a one-of-a-kind, hand-built electric sedan that offers design, performance, technology and craftsmanship at the pinnacle of Cadillac luxury, from an external design standpoint it looks like a lowered and lengthened Lyriq that has been given a level of treatment reminiscent of the Fleetwood models of their land yacht era.
Immersive experiences highlight the AutoShow again this year. Camp Jeep gives attendees the ability to get a feel of the brand’s renowned off-road capabilities in the custom indoor obstacle course with guests driven by Jeep representatives around the course.
Next to Camp Jeep, Stellantis is showing the new Wagoneer EV but with a whopping $91,830.00 price — about $25K higher than competitive offerings.
For those wanting test drive EVs, the Electric Vehicle Test Track allows visitors to test drive competing models around the Metro Convention Centre’s indoor test track.
One EV newcomer to the show is Lucid showing their Luicd Air premium sedan and premiering their Gravity Grand Touring SUV
Rivian is introducing the R2, a midsize electric SUV with a tastefully appointed 5- seat interior of premium, sustainable materials that are easy to clean. Equipped with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, the R2 can be ordered in two battery sizes, with the larger pack providing over 480 km of range on a single charge. The quickest powertrain configuration enables 0-96 km/h acceleration in under 3 seconds! An impressive package that will be coming to Canadian roads commencing in mid-2006 starting in the $66,500 price range.
For F1 fans seeking to experience a realistic simulator, the Red Bull Fan Zone lets attendees can get behind the wheel of a virtual F1 car next to the real one at the show.
One of the coolest displays is the The Lego group who returns for another year at the AutoShow with a fun display of a life-size 1:1 scale Lego McLaren P1 made of over 300,000 pieces. There is also a real P1 to accompany it.
Kudo’s go to the marketing guys at Subaru. Each year they line the bridge hallway from the north building to the south building with full height silk screens of their current models. They placed LEDs behind the headlights in each image for a realistic effect!
Corporate recognition was given to Hyundai for their support of Hope on Wheels, where this year providing a groundbreaking research grant of $1,000,000 to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. It was earmarked with an appropriately decalled Santa Fe displayed in their booth along with the the Canadian premiere of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 SUV.
Tesla is present to cement its leadership in EV development. Along with the Cybertruck and refreshed models 3 and Y, Tesla showed the Robotaxi — A 2-seater autonomous EV with no steering wheels or pedals. There’s no rear window either,. Not really needed if there there is no driver!
Another EV lacking a rear window at the show is the Polestar 4. It was on display in a rather sterile booth along with Polestar 2 and 3 models — all in white with light grey subdued interiors. Subdued except for the bright yellow seatbelts in each one. The Swedes do like to emphasize safety but why the this colour that will no doubt discolour from grabbing them.
They look like there are a result of a logistics error on the assembly line! And something I pointed to the Ontario Provincial Police who where exhibiting right across from Polestar — those bright yellow belts make them the easiest vehicles for them to spot for seat belt enforcement!
Check out this photo gallery with 250 more pics of the Canadian International AutoShow 2025: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC3Ptu
The show runs from February 14 to 23, with tickets available to purchase online or on-site at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.