Christmas has arrived 10 months early for all you car enthusiasts. The 2014 Canadian International AutoShow officially opens its doors today and promises to dazzle the auto-obsessed  crowd with new cars aplenty. Our suggestion? Bring sunglasses.

Roughly 1,000 radiant vehicles are on display at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, with a handful of them making their Canadian debut. Expect to see a whole spectrum of vehicles — from concept cars (the Lexus LF-LC luxury sports coupe hybrid) and classics (the 1985 Chevrolet Corvette) to updates of established market models (like the Audi S8 or Volkswagen Golf).
“They all look amazing, that’s all I can say,” one bystander gushed at yesterday’s media preview.

Beyond displaying awe-inducing new cars, one of the major trends being highlighted at this year’s CIAS is intelligent transportation.

“The intelligence of vehicles is growing very dramatically year to year,” says Stephen Beatty, vice-president of Toyota Canada. “You see it in the cars on the road right now in terms of intelligent cruise control, cross traffic alerts, all those other built-in sensors and systems. But today they are largely reactive. In the future, they’re going to learn about you as a driver. Pull information from big data and other drivers on the road and really start to add machine intellect to the driving experience.”

A glimpse into this future is showcased at the new AutoConnect Showcase exhibit. Nine different companies — including Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Mazda — are displaying their most up-to-date assistance and connectivity technologies. A not-so-distant future is also being explored, in which cars will drive themselves and will be next-to-no crashes.

No more having to deal with parallel parking? Sign us up.

The 2014 Canadian International AutoShow runs from Feb. 14-23. Tickets are available online and at the venue. Adult tickets start from $20.70. There’s also a children's rate, senior rate, a two-day pass, and a family pass.