Benjamin Yong photo

Although coming in late in the auto show season being the second to last stop on the Canadian tour before Edmonton, the 94^th Vancouver International Auto Show (VIAS) — held at the gorgeous Vancouver Convention Centre — doesn’t disappoint with a smattering of cars Western Canada has never seen before. There is even a North American debut of an exotic sports car from a certain British manufacturer with deep roots in Formula One. Not every nameplate had something new to unveil on opening day, but Jaguar Land Rover stunned audiences early on in the auto show season with the introduction of the Range Rover Autobiography Black, and has brought the vehicle to wow viewers in Vancouver too. The company calls this the “pinnacle of the line-up”, and rightly so, as it features high-grade perforated Semi Aniline leather seats, a leather headliner, a 1700-watt Meridian sound system, a 510-horsepower 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, and an optional cooler compartment in the front console. Next door, BMW’s booth relives the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, adorned with pictures of athletes posing with medals—a reference to the company’s involvement as an ongoing sponsor for the Canadian Olympic Team. Even gold medalist and BMW owner Kaillie Humphries made a surprise appearance. Sports aside, taking centre stage is the fully electric 170-horsepower BMW i3 hatchback, and the Batmobile-esque 362-horsepower BMW i8 hybrid sports coupe that has a top speed of 250 kilometres per hour and an amazing fuel consumption rating of just 2.5 litres per 100 kilometres. Another German brand has a trio of redesigned vehicles to show off. Audi Canada president Wolfgang Hoffman stated at a presentation on press day, “Last year when I introduced the RS7 I said that this would be the car I would be driving for the rest of my life … So then I had to correct myself… now my choice would be the Audi S8.” The full-size luxury performance sedan now sports Matrix LED headlights that have 50 ultra-bright diodes in each lamp, continuously shifting light to provide maximum coverage while avoiding blinding oncoming drivers. First published on MONTECRISTOMagazine.com. Read the full story.