Supercars Unleashed, Green Tech Takes Over at the 2026 Toronto International Auto Show

This year, with the 2026 Canadian International AutoShow, I decided to go about things a little differently, compared to years past. All the major car vehicles manufacturers are there – led by luxury brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Cadillac, BMW, Audi. Heading down to the Toronto international auto show, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, on Family Day this past Monday, would be a less-packaged, more authentic experience. That was my thinking anyway.

Man, was I right. What I didn’t expect were the high number of visitors. Yesterday, the auto show PR people sent out a news release talking about how attendance over the first four days of the show was up 37% compared to last year. Yes, it was Family Day, and what better way, in what has been the harshest winter in memory to break hibernation, grab the kids, and go check out cool cars.

Talking to people at the show booths, visitors don’t come to buy cars. The Toronto international auto show is more for car fans looking for experience, as well. It’s to look at a new luxury vehicle, touch it, maybe climb in behind the wheel. There’s an aspirational energy to the whole thing. Work hard, play hard, and buy your dream car. The Toronto international auto show is both for kids and for kids-at-heart.

And that’s where this year’s version of the show eclipsed previous incarnations I have been to – a wider selection not only of luxury car exhibits but supercars as well.

Toronto International Auto Show Ticket Prices

I parked on Front St., for $20, then made my way to the north entrance of the Metro Convention Centre. Judge for yourself about ticket prices for the show – $30 for a general admission ticket (ages 17+), $22 for a general admission ticket after 5 p.m. (the show runs through Feb. 22, and is open until 9 p.m. the rest of the week, then 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. on Sunday), $20 for youth (ages 12-16), $10 for a child aged 7-11, and children six and under get in for free. It’s $21 for a seniors ticket (ages 65+).

Toronto International Auto Show: How Is It Set Up?

After I picked up my media pass, and had a quick word with the staff there, I made my way up the escalator to Level 300 in the North Building, turned right into the first mix of car manufacturer booths.

On the luxury front, you’ll find Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes Benz, Infiniti, Tesla, Lucid, and Grand Touring Automobiles, a Toronto dealership that sells a variety of luxury brands, like Range Rover, Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar and Rolls Royce, mixed in with brands like Suburu, Jeep, Kia, Nissan, and Hyundai.

The first cars that caught my attention right out of the gate, which also caught a lot of people’s attention, judging by the number of people behind the barriers, snapping pics, were the McLaren cars, led by the McLaren P4 Hybrid Hypercar (max speed 350 km/h (216 mph), 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in 2.8 seconds).

L200 is where the main entrance is, off Front St., including the media centre, and if you go downstairs to L100 you’ll find the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as well as the Barrett-Jackson classic car booth, the Lotus booth, and others.

When you walk across the bridge to the South Building of the Convention Centre, you’ll find another three levels of cars, led by BMW, which has their own Level (Level M). L700 features the Audi booth, and Castrol Alley, as well as the Lego display, and the Mini booth. On L800, for the luxury car enthusiast, you’ll find Cadillac, Polestar, Lexus, Lincoln, Volvo, packed in with Ford, Buick, Chevrolet, Toyota, as well as the show’s experiential test track.

It’s a massive show, more than 650,000 square feet of exhibits, displays and attractions. I was there for just under three hours, and didn’t cover half of it. Have a plan beforehand. Know what car booths you want to hit or else it will bury you. There’s a lot of people staffing each booth. All friendly, all willing to engage in conversation about the cars.

$85,000 Contests, Giveaways and Food Courts

It was tough to nail down some of those people to talk, folks who aren’t PR people. Frankly, they were way too busy with the Family Day crowd. Fathers and sons, entire families with infants, pushed around on strollers, or just an elderly husband and wife, trying to navigate a sea of people. The people I spoke with were the folks who point people in the direction of a test drive, and take down their personal information into an iPad, which in the case of the Alfa Romeo booth, people were entering for the chance to win $85,000 to buy a new car.

Daniel, working the booth, handing out posters, passing out iPads, told me the crowd to sign up when I was there – three separate lineups of 3-4 four people deep, around mid-day – was nothing compared to what they would see later in the afternoon, based on what they saw so far during the show, and last year’s show. There will be a lineup around the corner he told me, to enter the contest and get an Alfa Romeo poster.

Daniel doesn’t work in sales. He works for Stellantis with their marketing crew, and is manning the Alfa Romeo booth.

“We just want to make sure that everyone’s experience here goes as well as it possibly can,” he says. “Give them a free poster. But our main objective is to get them to sign up for the contest.

“No one is here to buy cars. Very few are. They’re coming here to check it all out, and enjoy the cars.”

Record-Breaking Crowds

Judy Kovacs, a sales specialist with Grand Touring Automobiles, specializing in Jaguars and Land Rovers, says most people who go to the Toronto International Auto Show are just looking for experiences.

“I think I would just like everyone to have a peek at something they don’t get to see every day, and also maybe sit in a Range Rover and get to feel that comfort, and then hopefully come for a test drive,” she says. “It’s getting to know what each client needs.”

Says Emine from Maserati Ontario: “I have been shocked by the amount of people who actually love the cars. They buy the tickets, they observe, they walk around. So they basically spend the whole day watching the cars, because they really love it, with the kids. That was a big surprise for me.”

BMW’s Dominance

There were two big features of the show, for me. One, BMW’s dominance, with their takeover of Level 600, telling the story of the brand’s legacy, especially their M Series cars, then the introduction to the new iX3, which is set to go on sale in Canada this fall. Built on BMW’s Neue Klasse platform, the new iX3 will feature improved efficiency, range, and intelligent connectivity, with what the company says is efficient electric drivetrain, advanced battery technology, and a lightweight design.

The iX3 will offer an estimated range exceeding 650 kilometres, with rapid charging capabilities. Anthony from BMW was asked about price point, saying he didn’t know, that Canadian pricing will be released this summer. People can pre-order the iX3 now, though.

Toronto International Auto Show Highlights

At this year’s Toronto International Auto Show, these are some of the highlights:

• The Global debut of the APMA’s 2nd prototype in Project Arrow series
• The North American debuts for the McLaren W1 Supercar, Audi R26 Formula 1 Concept Car and the, the Mini JCW X Deus Ex Machina concept
• The Canadian debuts for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N, Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4MATIC with EQ Technology SUV, Polestar4 Arctic Circle, Cadillac F1 ® Team Replica Car, Maserati GT2 Stradale Coupe and three Ford Mustangs – the Dark Horse SC, RTR and Mach-E GT California special
• See some of the rarest, most exotic supercars and hypercars in the world
• The Vault, Presented by Simoniz, to see some of the auto industry’s most extraordinary vehicles
• See the past, present and future of Motorsports with journey through CTMP’s storied past and a glimpse into its future, the Gilles Villeneuve Pit Stop, and F1 cars from Audi and Cadillac

Audi Clinic

The experience extended to the Audi exhibit, the second stand-out for me. The Audi R26 Formula 1 Concept Car is on display there. I spoke with Shaughn McKenna from Narrative XPR, the group that put together the booth.

“Everyone’s pretty taken back by the state of the booth, the build and kind of the experience that comes together overall. There have been a lot of questions, obviously, with having the F1 car here, that’s been the big draw,” he says. “We had our big reveal Wednesday. That’s the first time the F1 car has been in the Canadian market.

“We are just trying to showcase the new lineup. We’ve obviously got the Q3 as our newest release out front. But really we’re just exploring the lineup as a whole, putting a focus on SUVs right now, obviously with the weather. We’re pushing the story of the Quattro technology, and the birth of Audi and the legacy that’s gotten us to the point of now being an F1 team.”

It’s about building the sales pipeline, he adds. There is less so of an actual sales focus on the floor, instead giving people the experience that is Audi.

“It’s more than just the cars,” he says. “It’s about what bringing Audi is to life, experiencing the brand as a whole.”