Weekly auto agenda: Washington Auto Show

(AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN)

As the North American International Auto Show winds down next week major automakers will be packing up and heading to Washington, where they'll be hoping to attract the eyes of policymakers who didn't make it to Detroit.

69th Washington Auto Show
January 28 - February 6
Washington, DC, US

Billed as a show attended by policy-makers, the Washington Auto Show will place a strong emphasis on green vehicles this year. Highlights include the "Advanced Technology SuperHighway", a 65,000-square-foot display housing the latest innovations in safety and sustainability from clean diesel to electric vehicles, and a keynote from GM CEO Dan Akerson.
http://www.washingtonautoshow.com

94th NADA Convention
February 5-7
San Francisco, CA, US

The North American Dealers' Association Convention brings together automotive dealers from across the US to discuss issues in the industry and receive training - but it's also likely to contain some insightful speeches and data from notable figures such as Toyota's US boss Jim Lentz and websites such as Google and AutoTrader.com.
http://www.nadaconventionandexpo.org/

Rally Sweden
February 10-13
Karlstad, Sweden

Expect a high-octane opening to the World Rally Championships season from Sweden, which boasts a heavily-revised route to counter previous problems with the surface. Snow, slush and skidding are par for the course here and Scandanavian drivers tend to come out on top. Several automakers, including Ford and Mini, will be giving new cars their first rally run at the event.
http://www.rallysweden.com/

103rd Chicago Auto Show
February 11-20
Chicago, IL, US

The Chicago Auto Show is the longest-running in the US and also one of the largest - exhibition space spans some 121,000 square meters and over 1000 vehicles are traditionally on display. Therefore, there's plenty of room for demonstrations and the show is popular with people looking to purchase, rather than see new debuts.
http://www.chicagoautoshow.com

5th Boca Raton Concours d' Elegance
February 25-27
Boca Raton, Florida, US

Jay Leno will be the star guest of the fifth Boca Raton Concours d' Elegance, one of the most prestigious automotive events in the US. DuPont sponsors the annual Hanger Party, a veritable who's who of pistonheads, while the new "Legends of Indy" exhibition celebrates 100 years of the Indianapolis 500.
http://www.bocaratonconcours.com