Twin Cities 2022: It's Back Outdoors!

The Twin Cities Auto Show is back at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. 

For the second year in a row, most of the show will be outdoors. And, hopefully, it will be sunny and warm without being too humid. The show also welcomed back Camp Jeep and a proper Luxury Lane inside the Progress Hall. Plus, you will see clubs and the Classic Car Walk inside the Grandstand.

Of course, you’ll get your fill of pronto puffs, Sweet Martha’s Cookies, and all of the State fair goodies that will keep auto show goers from starving.

In the past year since the Twin Cities Auto Show opened up at the State Fairgrounds, other auto shows did their best to do a mix of indoor and outdoor displays. Some have went back to their traditional schedules inside their respective convention centers. The Twin Cities Auto Show decided to enhance and change up a few things to improve on the experience. 

For one, most of the vehicles have left the Midway for Machinery Hill. Stellantis set up Camp Jeep just steps from the Ram Main Gate. Toyota took over the area that Mitsubishi had by that west entrance. 

Up on Machinery Hill, you get everything else, including several electric vehicle displays by Xcel Energy and Connexus Energy. There is a ride along of select EVs – including the Hyundai IONIQ5, Kia EV6, and the Audi eTron GT – that is part of that electric vehicle display. There is also an ATV show and electric motorcycles, too. 

Some news was made at the Twin Cities Auto Show. After its debut at the National Automotive Dealers Association show earlier this year, the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV broke cover for the first time to the general public to check out. 

The plug-in hybrid version of #VOTY2021 will feature a larger gasoline engine and an expanded battery pack. It is one of the few plug-in hyrbids that can be charged at a DC Fast Charger, using a ChAdeMO plug. No word on fuel economy, all-electric range, and pricing was available at this time. Expect first deliveries to arrive at Mitsubishi showrooms this summer. 

The Grandstand is worth checking out. Our friends at the Minnesota Car Enthusiast Club, Car Queenz, and Minnesota Nissan Infiniti make up the Lifestyles Neighborhood, which is another word for enthusiast cars and trucks. Club members will be there to talk to you about their rides. You can also check out some of Driveify's rental car fleet, too!

Do me a favor, though. Don’t even think of touching any of these rides inside the Grandstand. You’re welcome. 

The parades are back, too. They usually run down Machinery Hill into the Midway area once a day. 

Tickets are available at the Ram Main Gate right by the free parking area on the Fairground’s west end. Tickets are $15 for adults, with a reduced price on Wednesday May 18 for $10. You can also get tickets online at twincitiesautoshow.com 

Also, log on to the Twin Cities Auto Show website for specific open times each day, along with programming for that day. 

If “you gotta go the auto show,” think of it as another day at the State Fair. This time, it’s in May.

All photos by Randy Stern