Opinion

OC Auto Show in Anaheim Convention Center is quite electric

Hope Li, Opinion Editor

October 5, 2019

Accolade staff writer Hope Li sits in a 2018 BMW i3 Oct. 3 at the Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center. Photo taken by Accolade adviser Tommy Li

I don’t like cars.

Nice cars are exactly what they sound like … nice.

But on Oct. 3, I had the chance to visit the 2019 Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center with no expectations.

I walked onto a black carpeted “road” with yellow lines in the middle and right into the Subarus and Acuras and Volkswagens.

Wow.

I’m in the market for an electric car once I get my driving permit and later my driver’s license, so I stopped by Electric Avenue first, which is also the first time that the auto show has opened such an exhibit area. All the cars in the Avenue were unlocked for anyone to climb inside and take a look-see.

I first stepped into a 2018 BMW electric i3 with cool doors. The driver’s door opens first, and then the passenger door the opposite way. The i3’s dashboard looks like wood but feels like recycled plastic. The thin black screens also impressed me, but the rear doors were hard to open and the backseat was a little cramped.

Besides Electric Avenue, several car manufacturers’ exhibit spaces also feature their own line of electric vehicles.

At Jaguar, for example, a representative offers a short two- to three-minute tour of the I-Pace, which starts at nearly $70,000 — probably a bit too pricey for me. Unlike the BMW, which sells for nearly $45,000, the tour does not allow anyone to step inside.

The 2019 Orange County Auto Show guide that contains a map of where each exhibit is inside the Anaheim Convention Center features the concept car Kia HabaNiro. The actual car display, however, does not have its car doors open as in this image.
At the Kia exhibit, visitors can only look at the HabaNiro from a distance. Kia officials at the exhibit say Kia has not decided whether to actually manufacture the all-electric automobile for consumers to buy, hence the label "concept car." (Photos by Accolade adviser Tommy Li)
Accolade staff writer Hope Li hops into the driver's seat of Acura's 2020 NSX, which starts at $157,500 and comes in Sunny Hills yellow and black.
Originally produced 25 years ago, the Acura NSX sports car features similar door handles as the Tesla Model 3.
Hope Li sits in one of her dream cars, the Volkswagen Beetle, which used to be known as the VW Bug. VW officials at the exhibit say the 2019 Beetle will be the last line that VW will produce of this make of car.
The Toyota exhibit area features a virtual reality experience to "test drive" one of its vehicles. Hope (left) gives the VR a try with a Toyota representative.
Hank, an "artificially intelligent" robot, talks to visitors every so often at the Ford exhibit.
Hyundai's Veloster sports the same color as Hope Li's 2019-2020 Accolade hoodie.
Hope Li sits in the driver's seat of the 2018 BMW i3, an electric vehicle with passenger doors that open the opposite way from how car doors usually open.
A Jaguar representative offers a tour of its all electric vehicle, the I-Pace.
Hope Li competes in a trivia game using an iPad as part of a Nissan exhibit. Everyone wins a prize in the game ranging from a battery charger for the top scorers to Nissan socks.
The auto show also features an "exotic cars" exhibit, though many of them like the Sunny Hills yellow and black Lamborghini are there for display only.

Neighboring Electric Avenue, I check out the other gas-fueled cars that catch my eye (Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia to name a few).

Volkswagen’s show area features an attractive orange 2019 Beetle (also known as the VW Bug — one of my dream cars and the last version VW will make). A five-seater with two doors, the the car starting price falls just over $20,000. VW allows visitors to climb inside and sit down. The backseat feels cramped and hard to get into, but the front is surprisingly and conveniently roomy.

I still love the Beetle’s exterior look, but it might not be the best choice for me if I drive my four siblings around (and it’s not an all-electric vehicle).

Besides just looking at cars, each show space offers various interactive activities.

At Toyota, I put on a virtual reality headset, which provides a visual feel for what it’s like to sit in the front passenger seat beside a mannequin driving a Toyota Corolla hatchback. Looking around, I get a clear view of the dashboard, the road ahead of us and some of the backseat.

At Nissan, visitors get a chance to win some cool prizes by signing up to play a trivia game (spoiler alert: most of the questions relate to Nissan). Everyone wins a prize ranging from Nissan-marketed socks to a power bank to charge electronic devices.

But away with the commonplace cars and on to the sports and luxury cars.

The second-most expensive Acura at the show, the 2020 NSX, requires having to wait in line to sit in it.
It’s a neat feel to sit inside the bright yellow and black car with silver Tesla Model 3-like handles, blue outlines and a spoiler. It’s also cool that the colors are that of Sunny Hills’ yellow and black.

A separate section called “Exotic Cars,” tempts visitors to check out the Lamborghinis and Aston Martins. And unfortunately like the Jaguar’s I-Pace, most of the vehicles are for display only with only one or two that’s allowed for sitting inside.

Finally, the front of the auto show map features a cool image of the Kia all-electric HabaNiro, its concept SUV with all doors that open up similar to the falcon wing doors of Tesla’s Model X. The operative word here is “concept,” which means it’s for display purposes only.

And the doors disappointingly don’t even open.

Though the auto show will not settle for me the kind of electric vehicle I hope to own someday, it’s still worth checking out, especially for those who are looking for an alternative to the Oct. 5 homecoming dance.

The Auto Show runs to Oct. 6. It ends at 10 p.m. on Oct. 5, but the next day it goes from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $13.50 for adults 13 and up.

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About the Contributor

Hope Li, Opinion Editor

Following in her father’s footsteps as a professional journalist in the ‘90s, senior Hope Li has been pursuing journalism for three years. From writing about the Los Angeles Times’ Festival of Books to having her distance learning column featured in The 74 Million, Li seeks to amplify student voices in all facets as The Accolade’s opinion editor. She has attended the Journalism Education Association- and National Scholastic Press Association-hosted spring and fall 2019 national conventions in Anaheim, Calif., and Washington, D.C., respectively; she received an honorable mention in commentary writing at the D.C. convention. A piano player for over 10 years, Li is involved in Certificate of Merit. She enjoys telling puns to anyone listening.