Highlights from the Arizona International Auto Show (AIAS) 2025

I’m a Philly native; however, I find myself frequenting the state of Arizona regularly to visit my brother James, his wife Lain, and their dog Yoshi. This year, my mom, Princess Peach, and I traveled to Phoenix from Philly for the Thanksgiving holiday. I love it in Phoenix, not only for the temperate weather, but also for its car and truck culture ripe with octane and opportunity. 

When I deplaned at PHX and saw the billboard at the airport for the Arizona International Auto Show (AIAS) 2025, realizing the dates aligned perfectly with my visit, I knew I had to go. As the Editor-in-Chief of RealTruck’s RealSource™ blog, exploring the latest automotive trends and connecting with the automotive community are always top priorities, and AIAS ‘25 provided the perfect backdrop for both.

Having spent my formative years in the automotive retail sector, I am very familiar with the Philadelphia International Auto Show, typically held in February. However, I had never attended the Phoenix, AZ version. 

This guide offers an overview of the Arizona International Auto Show (AIAS) 2025, detailing my experience, providing helpful tips and tricks, and offering an expert comparison to the Philly version I know so well.

At the Phoenix Convention Center, while my cohorts were in the midst of Black Friday sales on RealTruck.com, my family and I arrived on the second day of the four-day-long event. Commencing on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27th, 2025, the AZ Auto Show is timed perfectly with the holiday season for potential car shoppers and gifters preparing for the season of giving.

After parking our vehicle in one of the auxiliary lots, we made our way down to the Phoenix Convention Center located at 100 N. 3rd St. in downtown Phoenix, AZ. Upon walking into the convention center, we were greeted by gleaming, shiny epoxy-like flooring, which gave us a good first impression of what was to follow. Friendly greeters directed visitors to elevators, just past where you could sign up for test drives in a variety of Ford and Cadillac vehicles, and conveyed them to the ground floor where the auto show was located.  In the first room, visitors could purchase tickets at the desk, pick up press passes, pose for a picture in front of the AIAS ‘25 backdrop, and view a smattering of high-line exotic cars from Polestar, Ferrari, and Maserati.

After scanning your ticket at the main entry gate, you are immediately given a raffle ticket, which can be used to enter a $250 sweepstakes. Once you relinquish some personal information to a standing tablet for a chance to win, you’ll make your way into the main convention hall. Here, vehicles are displayed from manufacturers around the world, in addition to classics from some of the area’s local car clubs.

The first two manufacturers you’ll see while walking to the main room are Kia and Ford, featuring around a dozen vehicles for each. Almost every Kia in the presence of AIAS ‘25 had black wheels, which made for a stylish contrast to their palette of colors. Black wheels also help to hide brake dust, which I imagine is the functional reason for their styling choice. It was nice to see some shades of green in the mix, a trend I have seen recently coming back into style.

In the Ford booth, FoMoCo had one, if not two, of every popular model they make and manufacture. I had the chance to inspect a basic Bronco Sport next to their top-spec “Badlands” to experience the difference between trims. The rubber-lined interior of the Badlands, including the cargo tray, was impressive and reminded me of Honda’s Element from decades prior. The cargo tray in the Bronco Sport Badlands appeared to be thicker and tougher than any of the other Fords in attendance, and made Toyota’s thin cardboard and carpet cargo trays look like an afterthought.

Ford also had one of their full-motion racing simulators present for visitors to sign up and test. I had the chance to check out the full-size Bronco, Maverick Tremor, as well as the new Ford F-150 Lobo, which had ground effects in place of running boards and a well-trimmed interior. The big Bronco had excellent visibility from the driver’s seat, and I especially appreciated the F-150 Lobo’s rear bumper, which featured cutouts for dual exhaust tips.

Next, we briskly strolled through the selection of vehicles from RAM, Chrysler, Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Dodge. The all-new 2026 Jeep Recon Moab 4xe, in bright orange press color “Joose,” was present alongside fellow media members, who polled representatives about the off-road capability of its unibody platform.

The lineup of RAM trucks at AIAS ‘25 was impressive, but many of the new models lacked running boards or steps. I could see RealTruck’s catalog of boards, bars, and steps coming in handy for new RAM truck owners who are vertically challenged.

After walking through the Stellantis section, we made our way over to Toyota’s booth, where they had Highlanders and RAV4s chocked with racks and carriers, demonstrating their capabilities as outdoorsy lifestyle SUVs and CUVs. Further on, we saw Toyota trucks and large SUVs flexing impressive factory wheel and tire setups.

Right next door was Honda with its all-new Prelude in Winter Frost Pearl and Passport Trailsport Elite in Sunset Orange. This was the first time I saw the Prelude up close and personal, which distracted me from the Passport. As a lifelong Honda enthusiast with a fleet of golden era Hondas registered in my name, the new Prelude did not impress me; however, the prior Prelude generations never really did it for me either. I appreciate the slim and slippery-looking body of the 6th-generation Prelude Hybrid, but I would have to drive it before giving you my blessing. I’m not sure it can justify the sticker price with a $10k Honda tax, as many dealers are reported to be quoting that as their markup.

Arizona’s International Auto Show had something for everyone. In the middle-ish of the hall, a fenced-off section was set up for kids, donning cardboard crowns as they scooted around on miniature electric vehicles. It was delightful and reminded my brother and me of our Jeep Power Wheels from the 90s.

The tuner car section was open for visitors to poke around, and even sit in some of the gutted, caged race cars. The pink NSX racecar, with its fiberglass widebody, was really cool to stand beside and touch. The white EF Civic racecar reminded my brother and me of some of the previous and current vehicles we own.

Lowriders, classic Mustangs, Chevys, and trucks were all staged toward the rear corner of the room near the restrooms. The hydraulic-suspension-clad lowriders flexing and displaying detailed underbodies with notched frames were a sight to behold. The black Chevy C10 on Dayton Knockoff wheels was one of my favorite classics at the show, without a doubt.

There were several similarities and differences between the Arizona and Philadelphia auto shows. Since I am more familiar with the Philly auto show, held at the Philadelphia Convention Center, I felt like a fish out of water at the Phoenix Convention Center. The nice thing about the Arizona show is how simple and clean the layout is. The Philly auto show is much larger, but it’s much more spread out and can be confusing. There are also many more vendors at the Philly auto show as opposed to Arizona’s auto show, where I only saw half a dozen or so. 

The Arizona auto show at the Phoenix convention center is one of the nicest, cleanest, friendliest auto shows I’ve ever been to personally. The Philly auto show can be a bit gritty, but we have better food vendors as well as a larger area for novelty goods and tchotchke retailers.

Finally, here’s a list of tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions about Arizona’s international auto show.

• Use the SpotHero app to locate parking for the event. Premium parking was $40 the day we went, but we ended up finding a wide-open lot on Van Buren St. with parking for the day for $22.

• Get there early. We arrived just after the doors opened at 10 AM, and the show runs until 8 PM most days. The test drives run until 5 PM, so be wary of that.

• For local grub, James recommends LATHA on E. Adams for fancy Ethiopian fare or, his favorite, Via Della Slice Shop on N. 5th for a quick bite to eat. 

• Wash your hands. After you get in and out of all the new cars, don’t forget to wash your hands or use some hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of germs and disease. I sound like my mom talking here.