The Silicon Valley Auto Show got cancelled due to the coronavirus in 2021. The 2022 show was scheduled for January at the San Jose Convention Center, and later postponed to July at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Not anymore. This year’s show got postponed to February 2023 at the Santa Clara Convention center. Not because of the coronavirus, but supply chain issues.

Primary Purpose of The Silicon Valley Auto Show

The primary focus of the Silicon Valley Auto Show is to present new cars and trucks to the public. All those new vehicles come from dealerships around the San Francisco bay area. Not direct from the auto companies.

Why would dealers provide brand new vehicles for a car show?

The dealers want to reach potential customers who would go to an auto show but not visit a dealership. Let them look around, kick the tires, and sit behind the wheels. The dealers can talk them into buying a new car and visiting a dealership. In short, the Silicon Valley Auto Show is a sales job.

What do dealers need more than customers willing to buy? Inventory.

Due to a shortage of computer chips, auto companies had shut down assembly lines on less popular vehicles. Inventory has been slim to nonexistent and very expensive when available.

Becki & Chris’s Truck Struggles

Becki and Chris posted a video about buying a Ford F-150 truck for their home renovation series. They called the dealerships in Buffalo, New York, and couldn’t buy a truck for the last two years. No one had any available inventory to sell.

They wanted to get the new Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck. Since they didn’t order the Lightning on the day that it got announced last fall, the waiting list is two years long. Since they couldn’t wait another two years, they had to get a gas-powered truck.

When a dealer called about two trucks on the lot, they bought the Ford F-150 XLT that came in silver. Becki’s favorite colors are black, white, and 50 shades of gray. She had a local company wrap the entire truck in matte black vinyl.

Will There Be A Show Next Year?

Will the Silicon Valley Auto Show take place in February 2023? Maybe.

New chip manufacturing is coming online next year. Although lower than expected production yields may extend the chip shortage into 2024.

If the show does happen next year, I expect gas-powered vehicles to have better availability. If high gas prices and consumer demand continues into year, electric vehicles will still have waiting lists.

If February doesn’t work out, there’s always July. Or 2024.