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2016 KC Auto Show provides one-stop shopping

Posted at 2:07 PM, Mar 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-06 15:16:45-05

More than 500 brand new luxury and economy vehicles packed Bartle Hall for the 2016 Kansas City Auto Show.

Officials say more than 58 percent of people who go to the auto show are looking to buy a car in the next year.  Consumers are able to browse, compare prices, and see the new technology manufacturers offer.

 

 

Larry Carl, CEO of the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Kansas City, said technology is playing a big part in the increase in car sales in Kansas City. Nationwide, car sales are up for the seventh straight year, and the metro is following that trend with a 3-5 percent increase from last year.

"Cars and trucks are now becoming computers on wheels. You have a lot of safety elements that are part of computerized systems. There are anywhere from 35 to 40 mini computers in every car," Carl said.  "They keep people safe. Technology in cars from every manufacturer is on the rise."

Technology brought Dennis Welzenbach out to the show. He's looking to buy more work trucks for his employees.

"There are a lot of electronic features. The maps, the Bluetooth, things like that," Welzenbach said. "Since the guys get telephone calls, we don't want them to let go of the wheel, so some of these have hands-free."

Carl said car dealers will usually see about a 10 percent increase in sales after the KC Auto Show wraps up.

"With all the new cars out there and with gasoline prices low, there is a spectrum from the lowest-priced car to the highest-priced car. People are buying cars," Carl said.

"We don't want to get in the $50,000 - $60,000 price-range, so we don't want it so tricked-out," Welzenbach said. 

 

 

The 2016 Auto Show featured more attractions this year, like the new 'Kids Korner.'

Parents could drop off their children in a kid-friendly play area where Auto Show officials said retired teachers who passed a background check provided supervision. The kids made car-themed crafts sponsored by Paradise Park, and built cars out of LEGOS, sponsored by the LEGOS KidsFest Tour.

 

 

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Sarah Plake can be reached at sarah.plake@kshb.com.

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