The Montreal International Auto Show (MIAS) finally reappeared on the calendar, after a two-year absence. The 78th edition was held from January 20 to January 29 at the Palais des Congrès and was presented by iA Auto and Home Insurance.
The iA Auto and Home Insurance, iA Auto Finance, and its iA Services divisions will remain sponsors for the next three years. “At a time when it is more difficult for the automotive industry, it is a great pleasure to be able to support this long-awaited event,” said Sébastien Alajarin, Regional Vice-President Quebec, iA-Dealer Services at iA Financial Group.
This year will mark Bertrand Godin’s 20th year as spokesperson for the Show. President for this year is Martin Taillandier, the General Manager of BMW Canbec and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation of Montreal Automobile Dealers (CCAM). Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, spoke a few words just before the official opening, talking about the transition to electric vehicles and government’s EV incentives.
Although this year’s event was on a smaller scale, due to the supply-chain challenges of manufacturers, visitors still admired and discovered many new vehicles and technology, including the 67 electric vehicles (EVs) plug-in electric, hybrid and hydrogen, in addition to Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Lexus, MINI, VinFast and Tesla Laval models.
The Canadian auto dealer and Affaires Automobiles team saw the unveiling of the Kia EV6 GT, Hyundai’s SEVEN concept and the 2024 Subaru Impreza, and were there to meet former National Hockey League (NHL) players Yvan Cournoyer and Marcel Dionne at the Hyundai booth. Visitors could also admire Luc Poirier’s auto collection, including a dozen Ferraris such as the 288 GTO, LaFerrari Aperta, the F40 and F50, a few Porsches and the all-new McLaren Artura.
“We are very excited to be back with an in-person event,” said Luis Pereira, Executive Director of MIAS. “Many have not had the chance to see new models for a long time.” Test drives of green vehicles were made possible thanks to CAA-Quebec. “MIAS is the best place to discover and see all green vehicles. And that’s how we’re going to get electric Quebec rolling,” said Martin Taillandier.
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) took advantage of MIAS to present the winners of the twelve categories in the race for the titles of Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year 2023. The category winners are: Mazda3, Genesis G90, Hyundai Elantra N, Toyota Corolla Cross, Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Telluride, Lexus NX, Volvo XC90, Ford Maverick, RAM 1500, Hyundai IONIQ 5 and BMW i4. The winners of the 2023 Canadian Car of the Year and 2023 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year awards will be presented at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on February 16, 2023.
