Tires screeched from the test track as the Houston Auto Show, delayed due to the pandemic, got back in motion Wednesday at NRG Center to the delight of shoppers and enthusiasts.
Eyes wide, Usife Saleh, 11, pointed around the showroom at the vehicles he wanted to sit in. His late uncle made it a family tradition a decade ago, he said, and it’s lived on after his death two years ago.
“We still come every year because we love cars,” Saleh said.
The show runs through Sunday and is open from noon to 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $12 and are available at the door.
The Houston Automobile Dealers Association organizes the event each year, usually in January. It’s calling this year’s event its first Summer Auto Show, also featuring autos and an RV and boat display.
Masks are recommended at the door, but not required — a change in policy since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention altered its guidelines for vaccinated people last week. Of the nation’s car shows, the Houston Auto Show is the largest to return after the pandemic began roiling the industry last year, said RoShelle Salinas, executive vice president of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association.
Attendees can take a first look at the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, scheduled for release this summer. The new 2021 Ford Bronco is also on display.
In an awards ceremony that kicked off the auto show, the Chrysler Pacifica took “best family vehicle” from the Texas Auto Writers Association; the Toyota Supra won “best performance vehicle,” and the Lexus LC 500 took “best luxury vehicle.”
Greg Moore came to shop for a new vehicle before his current warranty expires. He’ll probably buy another SUV, but it’s not set in stone. “I really just come with an open mind.”
Moore isn’t the only one in a buying mood lately. Retail sales of new vehicles in greater Houston rebounded above prepandemic baselines in April and March, according to the TexAuto Facts report from InfoNation Inc., a Houston-based provider of automobile data. Dealerships in the region sold 27,007 vehicles last month — fleet sales excluded — up from 18,750 in April 2019 and 13,412 last April.
The Ford F-150 pickup continues to dominate the local market, according to InfoNation. The F-150 has topped the list since 2013.
Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 pickup and the Ram 1500 pickup took the second and third spots, respectively. The Toyota Rav4 SUV was the fourth-most popular vehicle in the region by volume last year, according to InfoNation, and the Toyota Camry was fifth.
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