Opening day at Philadelphia Auto Show

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The doors opened Saturday for day one of the annual Philadelphia Auto Show.

"It looks like the garage Mahal. Man its rocking - you can feel the vibe. We are looking for a super strong Saturday," said Kevin Mazucola, Philadelphia Auto Show executive director.

Thousands are expected to pack the Pennsylvania Convention Center during the nine day event to peruse 700,000 square feet of cars from 40 manufacturers.

"It's actually a tradition we started like three years ago," said Andrea Salazar.

"Just seeing them having fun and checking out the new cars," said Anna Digiulio.

Even kids not old enough to drive are thinking ahead.

"Suburban, my favorite car is the Suburban," said Jordan Lauletta.

The adults are thinking ahead too.

"My father-in-law says you get the best deal at the Auto Show," said one attendee.

"About $2.5 billion in sales are influenced by this show so you can see how and why it's so important to the manufacturers, to the dealers," said Mazzucola.

Camp Jeep is back this year for those people that really want to get a test drive.

Technology upgrades are now across the board and not just in luxury vehicles.

Lower gas prices are giving consumers more money to work with and here dealers will get a better idea of what drivers want.

"What the industry looks at, in this show particularly, is the influence in the market place and how strong that is," said Mazzucola.

Organizers are reminding people that public transportation is still an option even with severe weather.

And if football isn't your thing, Super Bowl Sunday is a great day to stop by.