Central Illinois Auto Show - Press Information

For Immediate Release
August 16, 2023
Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association logo

The goal of the Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association has always been to produce the biggest and best show possible for attendees in Central Illinois and our community. Rising event costs, changing manufacturer support, and the chip shortage has created an unfortunate funding situation for the Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association when planning to produce an Auto Show in Central Illinois.

At the Dealer Association membership board meeting held August 15, 2023, it was determined by the association membership that due to lack of funds and absence of manufacturer participation to discontinue future Auto Shows. Therefore, being unable to produce the quality show that our community has come to enjoy year after year the Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association will not be hosting the Central Illinois Auto Show in March of 2024 or in 2025 at the Peoria Civic Center.

Moving forward, what are our plans for the Central Illinois Auto Show? As it is said: “Time will Tell”! The Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association will revisit an Auto Show event with the Dealers and Manufacturers sometime down the road. To coin the phrase Never Say Never - the Central Illinois Auto Show may return at some time in the future.

Allow me to thank our Central Illinois Attendees who supported our Auto Show each and every year at the Peoria Civic Center. Without your support and attendance each year the Central Illinois Auto Show would not have existed!

Thank you for understanding our planning dilemmas. We did not want to cancel our Auto Show event. However, the inability to provide the best Auto Show experience possible for Central Illinois and our community we had to make the difficult choice to discontinue the Central Illinois Auto Show.

On behalf of our Executive Board and our association’s full membership we would like to thank everyone for their involvement over the past 31 years enabling the Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association to produce one of the best Auto Shows in downstate Illinois!

Kind Regards,

Jim Scherer signature

Jim Scherer - 2023 President
Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association
Dealer Principal / Scherer Mazda & Scherer Volvo Cars

Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association - 2024 Executive Board

  • Jim Scherer, Past President
    Scherer Mazda, Volvo Cars
  • Brian Dennison, President
    Ray Dennison Chevrolet / Buick-GMC-Cadillac
  • Joe Phillips, Vice President
    Uftring Nissan
  • Mike Mangold, Treasurer
    Mike Mangold Ford
  • Pat Fort, Delegate
    Fort's Toyota of Pekin
  • Jeremy Busjahn, Delegate
    Autohaus of Peoria
  • Mike Murphy, Delegate
    Mike Murphy Ford
For additional information, Contact Association Manager Carl Bunker, 309.693.9667, or visit the Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association.