Greater New Orleans International Auto Show

If you are in the market for a new car, the Greater New Orleans International Auto Show will give you an opportunity to compare some the mainstream models from Ford, Chevy, GMC, Honda, Toyota and Nissan.
However, the name «International Auto Show» is truly misleading as this show has gotten relatively smaller and smaller each year. I was very happy to see Porsche in 2015, even though I failed to write a review; and I thought the show was on an upswing. However, 2016 was a dismal disappointment. Missing from this event was Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Infinity, Acura, Volkswagen, Mazda and Subaru. How can you call yourself an international auto show, and not have the above 9 manufacturers present? (You can’t!)
I am a die hard car guy, so I’m going to return in 2017 and see what happens. But if the show grows any smaller, they should pull the plug, as there are far too many manufacturers missing. Kudos to nearly every car being open so that you could sit in it, try out the back seat, look in the trunk or pop the hood to check out the engine.
There seemed to be the same Corvette exhibit at the rear of the convention center that they had last year, but it was still cool to see. The big hits this year were probably the 350 Hp/​350 lb/​ft torque AWD Ford Focus RS and the Nissan GT-​R, aka Godzilla.
Unlike in 2014, there was a small concession stand open in the rear; so at least you could get a small bite to eat or drink. But the bottom line is that this show needs major help and a commitment from several more manufacturers. I was fortunate enough to receive free tickets, so it was definitely worthwhile to me. However, if I was not a «car guy», I probably would not pay to see this small show and perhaps visit one of the bigger shows in Detroit or Los Angeles.

As long as your expectations are not high and you’re not paying much to get in the door, it may be worth a look. However, «International auto show» in car rags usually means NY or Detroit, etc., and that is not what this «show» is about. It’s a convenient one-​stop tire-​kicking look-​see at some ordinary cars.
There are no Porsche or Lamborghini vehicles, in fact, I don’t think I saw an Infiniti. Lexus, Lincoln, and Cadillac is as upscale as it gets. I guess the fact that the web site doesn’t list the participants is a broad hint at the content.
HOWEVER, if you’re looking for a midsize sedan, for example, and like the idea of being able to compare them in rapid succession, the show could be a value to you. In most cases you can sit in a vehicle, I also felt that glancing and comparing back seat legroom could be meaningful… though I find cars.com’s compare feature will give you actual inches to compare.
They did have a prototype preview of the new Lincoln Continental, which frankly looked better in photos than in person, the reverse of the usual case. Lincolns were locked «for your protection», so I guess the only thing you can do is kick the tires when their backs are turned.
Hope this gives you some perspective if you are thinking of attending…