The countdown begins! There are only seven more days until the 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo that will be held on the 1,600 acres of the Longhorn River Ranch nestled in the rolling Texas Hill Country. There are 69 journalists registered to attend the two-day event with 19 automotive brands being represented with their latest in pickup trucks, SUVs and CUVs for our journalist members to evaluate. This includes first-time attendee Maserati and the return of Mitsubishi.
For over 20 years, the Texas Truck Rodeo has been a unique opportunity for the journalist members of the Texas Auto Writers Association to evaluate pickup trucks, SUVs and CUVs in a side-by-side comparison. We can literally drive one vehicle and immediately drive the competitors on the same roads to do a real-time comparison of fresh products, an opportunity found in very few places. This is an important aspect of the event as journalists continue to learn about the evolving automotive industry and develop stories for outlets that reach potential automotive consumers. Once the evaluations are completed and the votes from each journalist are accumulated, the Truck of Texas is crowned.
"In Texas, where almost 25 percent of trucks are sold and where many journalists are focused intensely on pickups, winning a head-to-head comparison is no small task. We have 19 brands represented this year, and while it is regrettable that General Motors and Ford have decided not to attend, the Texas Truck Rodeo will continue to provide our members with outstanding and unique opportunities to research important vehicles. We continue to have strong support from journalists this year, and there is a growing number of event sponsors that will be in attendance. While we look forward to General Motors and Ford rejoining the event again in the future, many of our participating manufacturers are bringing more vehicles this year for our members to drive," said Mike Marrs, President of TAWA.
Event credential pickup starts at noon Sunday, Oct. 14, with activities starting as early as 5 p.m. for the TAWA general membership meeting. Then it is "put the pedal to the metal" with a full schedule of activities for two days. Look for more information this week as we finalize plans, and by all means, safe travels to the Rodeo.