A one-stop opportunity to check out an impressive array of new vehicles has hit downtown Denver’s Colorado Convention Center. The 2025 Colorado Auto Show, the updated title for the local automobile showcase which dates back to 1902, offers a chance to eyeball and step inside dozens of new cars, trucks and SUVs, with an indoor test track to experience a variety of new electric vehicles. It runs through the afternoon of Sunday, April 20.

According to the event’s organizers, the Colorado Auto Dealers Association, the state’s automotive sector employs more than 120,000 people and generates nearly $750 million in state tax revenue, with some $21.2 billion in new car sales.

Our Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association group hit the event Thursday morning for a preview, as well as an opportunity to name our annual Vehicles of the Year, all of which you’ve read about in this column – with the Toyota family nearly cleaning up.

Our 2025 RMAP Car of the Year is the diminutive but powerful Toyota GR Corolla, a 300-horsepower, all-wheel-drive rally car that’s been refined for fun year-round driving. Electric Vehicle of the Year was the spacious and powerful Kia EV9 SUV, and SUV of the Year went to the classy and comfortable Lexus GX 550, the upscale rendition of the Toyota Land Cruiser. Finally, and not a surprise for Colorado, Truck of the Year was the all-new Toyota Tacoma.

Among the vehicles on display, we got some additional time with Nissan’s heavily revised Murano – full review in the near future — plus the impressive Nissan Armada SUV, and its bulky and capable Pro4X version.

Ford says that 2025 versions of the F-150 Lightning are now available, as well as the all-season and all-terrain, 480-hp Rally version of the Mach-E. All buyers also qualify for an extended version of Ford’s Power Promise promotion, which provides a free at-home charger for all new EVs. Federal EV tax credits are still available, as well, on models that qualify. 

You can check out the heavily revised Expedition SUV, which is outfitted with a nearly Lincoln-styled interior featuring a new 24-inch panoramic video display, and can be ordered in an even more rugged Tremor edition.

We caught an early glimpse of the new Jeep Wagoneer S, Jeep’s long and low brand new EV – a whole new direction for the brand. The high-tech vehicle starts at $65,000 and packs 500 electric horsepower, with a 294-mile range, while the fully-loaded Launch Edition version is upgraded to 600 horsepower and features multiple screens and a 1,200-watt McIntosh stereo system. To serve more traditional drivers like myself, it’s also got a regular start/stop button, and offers Jeep-styled off-road capability.

The flashiest vehicle of the bunch was the new Dodge Charger EV, a revolutionary all-electric muscle car that’s wider and in many ways more striking than the departed, gas-powered versions. All-wheel-drive is standard and the two-door cars start at about $60,000, with power that ranges from 496 to 670 horses. A flow-through wing on the nose, like the Polestar 3, helps create extra downforce, with a liftback in the rear to provide more cargo access; we’ll have to see what the simulated exhaust noises sound like during a real-world drive.  

For tickets and more information about the Colorado Auto Show, visit http://www.colorado.auto/colorado-auto-show.

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.