Auto Show Pulls Up for 10 Days at Convention Center

Showing off new makes and models from more than 42 manufacturers at the Washington Convention Center, the Washington Auto Show begins Jan. 23 with ten days of exhibits, entertainment, celebrity sightings and contests.

The auto show has doubled the length of its stay in D.C. from the previous five days and touts itself as “Washington, D.C.’s largest public show” as well as — and many auto enthusiasts agree — “new-car heaven.”

Sponsored by the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association, the show will run Jan. 23 through Feb. 1.

During the show’s preview day on Thursday, Johan de Nysschen, president of Cadillac, gave the industry keynote speech, while in the afternoon Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz gave the government keynote.

The two-story convention center will be “fully stocked” with an automotive showcase that not only will display new cars but will be “showcasing the latest innovations in sustainable technologies and drawing the most influential leaders in the industry.

The car brands run from Acura, Audi, BMW and Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford to Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln and onto Mini, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo — and more, like electric and concept cars.

Beside the cars, part of the fun at the convention center is going with friends or family and meeting such notables as Brooks Laich of the Washington Capitals, Randy Orton of WWE, along with Redskins legends Dave Butz, Mark Moseley and Charley Taylor. Add to that list: Ximena Cordoba of Univision and Géraldine Bazán Ortíz and Sadie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty,” including characters from “The Lego Man,” Red Bird from “Angry Birds,” SpongeBob and Crash Test Dummies, Vince and Larry.

This year, it’s the Hyundai Hands On Contest — where whoever is the last one touching the car gets it; restrictions and rules apply.