Auto 2019 attendance hits 34,000 mark!

With car horns honking loudly, the International Motor Show “Auto 2019”, the largest automotive industry event in the Baltic States taking up three exhibition halls, successfully concluded on April 14. The three-day event was attended by 34,500 visitors.

The Auto motor show combined three thematic sections – New Cars, Auto Mechanics and Auto Exotica. In total 235 exhibitors from several countries presented the latest car models, tuning masterpieces, classic cars, commercial vehicles, car service equipment, tools and other automotive industry news.

“Auto 2019” offered Baltic premieres of several new cars. The most notable of them was the fast and powerful half-a-million-euro supercar Lamborghini Aventador SVJ boasting a 770 hp V12 engine capable of developing more than 350 km / h. Other cars premiered during the motor show – the latest compact hatchback Škoda Scala, the sporty Hyundai i30 Fastback N and the Toyota Camry that replaces the Avensis model.

Title of the Social Media Champion and travelling trophy went to the Škoda Latvija for outstanding social media activities using the hashtag #balticmotorshow2019. Škoda Latvija offered not only the Baltic premiere of the Škoda Scala, but also a signing session with the participation of Mārtiņš Dzierkals and Ralfs Freibergs, members of the Latvia National Ice Hockey team.

Apart from the new passenger cars, the participants of “Auto 2019” also showcased commercial and special purpose vehicles. The greatest visitor attraction was the huge all-terrain vehicle Burlak, which carried the Latvian team across the Arctic ice fields and tundra during the expedition to Yamal, the Land of polar bears.

Racing fans enjoyed an opportunity to see the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo of the Flash Racing team of Latvia, which will take part in the NEZ 6H Endurance Cup, as well as the Baltic Drift Champion Ēriks Ulass’ 900 hp BMW 3 Series (E46) drift car. There were also a variety of rallycross and touring cars on display.

As every year, the international competition for students of secondary technical schools “Young Car Mechanic” finals took place during “Auto 2019”. Ervins Marcinkevics from Zaļenieki Commercial and Crafts High School (1st place), Raivis Veikšāns from Aizkraukle Vocational Secondary School (2nd place) and Rolands Gariņš from Kandava State Agriculture Technical School (3rd place) qualified for the Young Car Mechanic Super Final to be held in Poland.

However, the most spectacular and the most talked about was the “Auto Exotica” exhibition, which brought together local and foreign car clubs, and exhibited both tuned and restored classic cars.

The winners of the Auto Exotica Awards 2019 competition were determined. The title of the Best Car of the Event went to the most impressive vehicle in show – The Kraken, a steampunk-style hot rod from Finland, that answer the question: What would life be like now had the internal combustion engine never been invented? The Lincoln Mark V aka Blue Diamond with a built-in minibar from Sweden won the title of the Best Lowrider, but the prize for the Best Hot Rod was presented to Heat Garage from Finland for its both significantly rebuilt classic Ford cars – Stuart Little and Psycho Express.

The Auto Exotica Awards 2019 in more than 10 nominations were presented to car owners, car clubs, and authors of shows held during the event.

All three exhibition days, children could meet the transformers Optimus Prime and Megatron. Military vehicles of the Latvian National Armed Forces, NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia and Latvian National Guard were showcased in the outdoor exposition. Read more: www.balticmotorshow.com

The next exhibition “Auto 2020” will take place in Kipsala International Exhibition Centre from 17–19 April 2020.

The Motor Show “Auto” is held by the International Exhibition Company BT 1.