The timing for this year’s Orange County Auto Show in Anaheim couldn’t be better for what is considered one of the largest electric-vehicle markets in the nation, as the $7,500 tax credit to buy them is set to expire Sept. 30.
Also ending this month is the federal Clean Air Vehicle decal program, which enabled EV and hybrid car owners to ride in the carpool lane with just a single occupant. The state has thrown a two-month lifeline to drivers to get used to the loss.
“A lot of people are aware that those tax credits are going away, and they’re going to be out making their purchases so they can benefit from the credits,” said John Sackrison, executive director of the Orange County Auto Dealers Association, which hosts the show. “I think we’re going to see a lot of buying activity between now and the end of the month. The auto show offers that opportunity to see a lot of EVs in one place.”
The Sept. 25-28 auto show at the Anaheim Convention Center will feature plenty of electric, hybrid and traditional models from more than 27 automakers and offer dozens of street test drives featuring models from Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram and Toyota.
Attendees will get a taste of what driving an EV is like at the SoCal Electrified Ride Experience. It will showcase rides with professional drivers behind the wheel of new EVs — from Cadillac, Ford, Kia or Nissan — that will hum along on a large indoor track at the convention center.
Sackrison concedes that these are challenging times for auto buyers.
“I think October is going to be an interesting month,” said Sackrison. “If 27% of our county’s sales are battery electric vehicles, and those sales are going to be significantly reduced after the tax credits go away, it’s going to create a big challenge, because it’s a big part of the Orange County and California markets.”
The new vehicle sales outlook in California is expected to fall in the second half of 2025 due to inflation, stagnant household disposable income and higher tariffs putting pressure on vehicle prices, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.
Sackrison cited statistics from CNCDA showing that total new vehicle registrations in 2025 are predicted to fall just short of the 1.75 million vehicle sales seen in 2024.
EV sales have slowed, with some of that stall coming from a backlash over billionaire Elon Musk’s unabashed involvement in cutting jobs in the Trump administration. The share of zero emission vehicles in the state fell to 19.5% in the first six months, down from 22% in the same year-ago period — largely due to the drop in Musk’s Tesla sales.
Also see: OC Auto Show rolls into Anaheim with latest vehicles to check out
While OC Auto Show attendees may see an opportunity to get under the wire with buying or leasing an EV, Irvine-based electric carmaker Rivian’s latest R2 SUV model won’t be at the show to see.
Neither is Tesla coming.
Both of these EV automakers have different levers to pull for marketing that rely on showrooms in upscale settings where they can reach wealthier buyers.
A Rivian spokesperson says the company — which recently laid off 200 workers — is all “heads down on bringing the R2 to market in the first half of 2026.” On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Rivian broke ground on a $5 billion plant east of Atlanta, Georgia, where it will begin assembling the R2 in 2028.
“It’s a loss,” said Sackrison of Rivian’s absence from the show, even though the automaker has never attended since landing in Orange County five years ago. “I think they are missing a great opportunity to connect with the largest audience of car buyers in a market that buys more EVs than 45 states. Rivian’s market share is only about 1% in Orange County, so they would really benefit from the more than 350,000 in-vehicle experiences that take place at the show.”
There’s still a silver lining for what is billed as one of the nation’s first auto shows — including Southern California venues in Los Angeles, scheduled for Nov. 21-30 and San Diego on Jan. 1-4.
“The turmoil is going to lead some people to want to trade in or trade up,” said Brian Moody, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book, an Irvine-based vehicle valuation and automotive research company. “As an example, if you had an electric car mainly for the purpose of getting into the carpool lane, and now you don’t get to do that, do you really love the electric car that much, or would you maybe rather have something else?”
People who visit the auto show at the Anaheim Convention Center will kick the tires on a variety of so-called green energy vehicles. They’ll see plug-in hybrids that can run on gas and an electric-powered battery to get an extra bump of 30 to 50 miles of driving, or EVs that use only rechargeable batteries to power electric motors for propulsion.
The hybrid vehicle category may be the lone bright spot in California’s auto market after the tax incentives go away.
In California, registrations of hybrid vehicles that run on electric and gas engines increased 54% in the first half of 2025 and accounted for 19.2% of the market, totaling 181,192 registrations, according to CNCDA.
Turning a new leaf
“It’s probably the first auto show that the consumer is going to get a look at the all-new Nissan Leaf, an inexpensive electric car,” Moody said.
The third-generation 2026 electrified Nissan Leaf features a range of 303 miles, starting at $29,990 for the S+ model, considered one of the least expensive EVs on the market.
Also getting a first-time look at the show will be the 2026 Ram 1500 with a 5.7 liter HEMI V8, reintroduced in the Ram lineup after being dropped in the 2025 model year. Ram acknowledged it made a mistake by discontinuing the legendary V8 and reversed course due to strong customer demand for the engine’s 395 horsepower.
Attendees also will get a sneak peek of the Dodge Duragon SRT Hellcat, a 710-horsepower 6.2 liter HEMI V8 engine that has three rows of seating to accommodate a larger number of passengers, typically up to seven people.
Other new models to be seen at the show include:
- Toyota Prius Nightshade and Toyota Crown Nightshade, both of which come as hybrids (Prius also has a plug-in version) featuring blacked-out exterior accents on wheels, window trim, door handles and other trim pieces.
- Dodge Charger’s twin-turbo SIXPACK with an engine that produces 550 horsepower.
- Honda Ridgeline TrailSport, an off-road-truck with a slightly raised ride height;.
- Honda CR-V TrailSport, a hybrid for light off-road use.
- Ford F-150 Lobo, with lowered rear suspension, 22-inch gloss black wheels and powered by a V8 engine producing 400 horsepower.
- Chevrolet Suburban Premiere, a carry over from the 2025 line that offers updates to the entertainment and in-car camera systems, the latter of which allows the driver to monitor activity in the back seats.
- Jeep Cherokee hybrid, an SUV that provides 210 horsepower and an estimated 37 MPG.
Exotic cars roll in
The exotic vehicle display at the auto show offers an up-close look at ultra-high-end vehicles from automakers such as Bentley, Lamborghini and McLaren. A local dealership in Irvine, Lamborghini Newport Beach, plans to roll up with a sporty Lamborghini and McLaren, both priced at more than $400,000.
The Pacific Coast Corvette Club will also feature a showcase of Corvettes, spanning every generation from the classic C1 that debuted in 1953 to the cutting edge C8 unveiled at the Tustin blimp hangar in 2019.
‘Glamping’ market
According to Sackrison, the outdoor vehicle recreation market — sometimes referred to as “overland” — is a growing niche for the show. These so-called OVR vehicles are pitched for outdoor enthusiasts who drive overland in remote areas — oftentimes along rugged and boulder-strewn trails and fire roads in mountains — just to get to a backcountry spot to sleep under the stars, or park next to a river.
The global off-road vehicle market size was estimated at just over $22 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research, and cited by Sackrison.
“It’s definitely a market that is growing,” said Mark Han, co-founder and manager for the Torrance-based OVR website, whose company rented 22,000 square feet at the convention floor to show off more than 20 off-road vehicles rigged for the outdoors lifestyle. “When we first started doing these shows two years ago at the LA auto show, 90% who came over to our space said the overland market was new to them. Now we’re speaking to the indoctrinated.”
Nuts and bolts
Automotive exhibitors — 27 participating manufacturers (as of Sept. 18, 2025): Acura, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, GMC, Honda, Hummer, INEOS, Jeep, Kia, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mazda, McLaren, Nissan, Porsche, Ram, Toyota and Volkswagen
Location: Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim.
Tickets: $15 for adults children age 13 and over, $12 for seniors 62 and older. Children 12 and younger are free. Members of the military, first responders and their families can attend the auto show for $12, with ID.
Show hours: 4-9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25; noon to 9 p.m. on Friday; 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Saturday; and 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Parking: $25
For more information: AutoShowOC.com.
