What’s new at the Silicon Valley Auto Show: Pizarro

Our relationship with cars is, well, complex. We’re increasingly unhappy with them because of things like pollution, ride-share drivers, tech buses and the four hours a day everyone sits in traffic — and that’s just on 101. If only there were no automobiles, we muse, life in Silicon Valley would be grand.

But, boy, do we like to look at new cars, old cars, weird cars and reaaaaaaally expensive cars at events like the Silicon Valley Auto Show, which opened to shoppers and gawkers alike Thursday and runs through Sunday at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Two of the big, new draws at this year’s show, which is produced by the Silicon Valley Auto Dealers Association, are the super-sleek 2020 Chevrolet Corvette and the 2020 Ford Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric crossover version of the classic pony car. Around the Corvette, you could practically hear guys (and maybe some gals) planning their upcoming mid-life crisis.

But the Mustang appearance is actually a bigger deal since it’s the only place to see one of the crossover SUVs, which won’t be on display at Bay Area dealerships until later this year. Capitol Ford General Manager Stephanie Malone said the buzz around it is probably the most she can remember for a Ford vehicle.

“It’s an amazing vehicle,” Malone said, adding that the San Jose dealership has already taken 65 orders for the car, which has sold out of its initial production run. “We’re not even advertising it. It’s word of mouth. It appeals to everybody.”

Everybody who can afford the price tag, which ranges from mid-$40,000s to mid-$50,000s. Of course, that’s not anywhere near the high end on display at the show, which includes your normal luxury cars like the Audi e-tron, Lincoln Aviator and a souped-up Toyota Supra. Really cashing in some stock? Los Gatos Luxury Cars has a Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV on display that runs about $370,000 — but it does have a champagne cooler and storage for cognac snifters.

Don’t look for any Tesla cars or Elon Musk’s zombie-apocalypse-ready Cybertruck, however, as the Bay Area automaker isn’t there, along with Volvo, which has been cutting back its car show appearances lately.

But there’s a lot to see, even if you’re not shopping or looking to take a test drive. There are classic muscle cars, low riders and custom vehicles on the east and west ends of the convention center, San Jose State’s mechanical engineering department has brought out its all-electric and autonomous vehicles. Even before you get into the show, you can check out the “Back to the Future” DeLorean created by San Jose resident Michael Vistan, who has the car on display to support the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center.

And you can even leave with a pup, as Subaru has a pet adoption event going on Friday through Sunday, working with Silicon Valley Pet Project, Humane Society Silicon Valley and South County Tail Waggers. The dogs will be out from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.

The auto show is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for seniors, military, students and kids 7 and older. On CEFCU Family Day on Sunday, kids 12 and younger are free with a paying adult. Go to www.svautoshow.com for more details.

THANKS FOR THE SMILES, DR. JERRY: Both Japantown and the San Jose arts community as a whole lost a big champion last month when Jerrold Hiura, known to most as Dr. Jerry, lost his battle with esophegeal cancer Dec. 26 at age 72.

Raised in San Jose, Hiura joined his father’s Japantown dental practice not long after earning his DDS from Washington University in St. Louis in 1976 and took over the practice in 1987. However, he brought smiles to people’s faces with more than his skill as a dentist.

Hiura supported artistic endeavors in Japantown and beyond and was appointed to arts commissions for both San Jose and the state of California. He served on the boards of the San Jose Museum of Art and the Japantown Community Congress, helping to start the Japantown Mural Project — and, with Steve Yamagura and Miki Hirabayashi, the Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene. A celebration of his life is planned for later this year.