Automakers’ latest concepts among display at car show

Light trucks have been the vehicle of choice for several years in Hawaii with roughly 60 percent of buyers favoring pickups, SUVs and vans over passenger cars.

But at next week’s three-day First Hawaiian International Auto Show, a concept car from Korean automaker Kia, the A1A Optima, figures to attract a lot of attention.

The A1A Optima, an open-top car named after the A1A Highway in Florida, stands out with its turquoise paint scheme, sliced top and shortened windshield.

“It has a sculpted body and inside it’s just breathtaking,” said Dave Rolf, executive director of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association. “Imagine taking it out on the road in Hawaii. That’s what the auto show is about — it’s about dreaming.”

More than 350 new cars, crossovers, trucks, SUVs, luxury cars and classics will be featured during the auto show, which opens its doors at noon March 24 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

The A1A Optima, which Rolf said was a hit among spectators at the 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, figures to gain significant attention at the Honolulu event with its doors that swing open like those of a banquet room.

“It’s a concept car; it’s not in production,” Rolf said. “A lot of concept cars go into production, but a lot of them never do. They’re there for developing certain types of things, and they’ll put some of the features in production cars. It’s interesting to see what the auto industry is thinking about.”

A preproduction 2018 Lexus LC 500h, which was on display on Hawaii island as part of a Toyota Motor Sales media event, has been shipped over for the auto show. The sports car, which features a new hybrid system, retails for just under $100,000 and has 354 total system (electric and gas) horsepower and a 3.5-liter V6 engine. It can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, which is just slightly slower than its all-gas counterpart, at 4.4 seconds.

“The first thing that makes it stand out is that it’s a 2018 vehicle,” Rolf said. “People are going to get a chance to see something that others haven’t had a chance to see.”

Another sports car on display will be a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which has 650 horsepower and retails for just under $80,000.

Other preproduction and featured vehicles on display will include the 2017 Toyota C-HR, 2017 Infiniti Q60 coupe and 2017 Acura NSX.

There also will be a multimillion-dollar exotic-vehicle display featuring vehicles from Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Bentley. And there will be several hybrid-electric vehicles showcased, including models from Nissan, Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.

The auto show will enable attendees to explore the technological upgrades in safety, entertainment and convenience that are being offered on vehicles. There are 360-degree cameras, crash avoidance systems, inflatable seat belts, massive multimedia screens, integrated smartphone apps and rear hatches that open by just waving your foot.

“What cars can do with wireless technology now is like combining a science and technology exhibit with a car show,” Rolf said.

He said many of the new safety features have to do with the level-one and level-two autonomy (five is the most advanced level) features that are coming into vehicles, such as automatic braking and collision avoidance systems.

“These are all precursors to autonomous cars of the future,” Rolf said. “The safety features are astounding.”

Rolf said a large percentage of the people who are thinking about buying a car within the next 12 months attend the auto show so they can sit in a number of cars and talk to product specialists in a nonselling environment.

“That’s the beautiful thing about an auto show,” he said. “There are 350 wonderful stories on the floor.”