QC Auto Show: Weekend filled with ‘wow moments’

In between the sounds of car doors slamming and tires being kicked, Luke Burgert was fielding dozens of questions about the new vehicles on display at the 30th annual Quad City Regional Auto Show at the Bend XPO in East Moline.  “There’s been a lot of questions about prices, features and safety. … There’s also […]

In between the sounds of car doors slamming and tires being kicked, Luke Burgert was fielding dozens of questions about the new vehicles on display at the 30th annual Quad City Regional Auto Show at the Bend XPO in East Moline.  “There’s been a lot of questions about prices, features and safety. … There’s also been a lot of ‘wow moments’ here,” said Mr. Burgert, a customer rep at Kimberly BMW of Davenport, one of the many local dealerships participating at the weekend show.

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Mr. Burgert was one of the dealership reps keeping busy Friday afternoon, March 1, during the opening day of the three-day show. During the first two hours of the show, hundreds of people already filled the Bend XPO to look over the 150-plus new vehicles, the many classic cars on display, enjoy the fun and games for families including therapy dogs, a zoo exhibit and much more. This year’s show also presented $54,000 in scholarships to 13 Quad Cities area students. Susan Shrader, the show’s coordinator, called the weekend show a great success with big crowds every day of the show. “Our attendance numbers were up this year. And in comparison to auto shows around the country, that is very positive. As auto shows, in general, have been losing audience numbers.  We feel having features and entertainment alongside the best in the automotive industry, gives us a well-rounded experience. Many people were serious car buyers and the test drives were quite busy,” Ms. Shrader said in an email to the QCBJ on Monday, March 4. She added that show organizers did not yet have a crowd estimate. For many people in the crowd, though, the main attraction of the show's opening day was the new cars. One of those new cars getting a lot of attention was a red 2024 Corvette Stingray Coupe with a suggested price tag of just a tad under $100,000. Tim Duncan of Morrison, Illinois, was one of the show goers looking over the Corvette. He was impressed with the car, and a bit stunned by the suggested price. “I’m on the five-year plan for paying for a car. And considering how much these cars cost, you better have at least five years to pay these off,” he said. The cost of the new vehicles was on the minds of many at the show. Several people on Friday commented that some of the new vehicles were pushing that six-digit price barrier. Some of those new vehicles and their price tags included:

• A 2024 Cadillac Escalade for $99,990.
• A 2024 Volvo Cross Country for $62,000.
• A new BMW X3 for about $55,000.
• There were some new vehicles that didn’t break the budget. For instance, a 2024 Honda Civic had the suggested price of $25,550.

“This is all cool, especially now that more cars are available. It’s good to see them all,” added Mr. Duncan, who was at the show looking for a Corvette and perhaps an SUV for his wife. In addition to the Corvettes, many people at the QC Auto Show were flocking to pickups, SUVs and everything else new. One sales rep said many people were attracted to the new vehicle styles. “Curiosity has been driving everybody to the new body styles. … It’s just getting started here, but we’ve already been busy,” said Adam Quested of Zimmerman Honda, during the opening day. However, at least some of the show-goers were not interested in the latest car models and styles. Some wanted to see some classics. One of those classics  was a 1933 Nash Advanced 8 that was used in the 2008 movie “Public Enemies.” Another popular car at the show was a 1962 Chevy Belair “Bubbletop,” which is owned by Joe and Julie Grant of Eldridge. Other attractions included a military display room with many uniforms, equipment and a drawing of the famous Iwo Jima flag raising from 1945. The show also had several vendors selling everything from Girl Scout cookies, new windows to kitchen knives. But after quick stops to buy cookies and knives, many people went back to the new cars. And many in the crowd said they were happy to hear that local dealerships had a lot of vehicles in stock. “People have been asking me if vehicles are in stock. … We went through a rough patch last year with vehicles, but Kia has  been getting us the vehicles this year,” said Dre Bell of Kia Smart of Davenport. QC Auto Show officials are counting on vehicles being in stock for the rest of the year because they are already making plans for the 2025 auto show. Ms. Shrader said next year’s show has already been scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 2.