Fasten those seal belts, everyone. The Aston Martin AM-RB 001 is now being prepared to make its long-awaited auto show debut. You could even book your tickets now because the hypercar will be in attendance at the…Canadian International Auto Show. Wait, what?

Yes, you read that right. The AM-RB 001, arguably the most eagerly awaited auto debut of the year, won’t make its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Instead, Aston Martin is making the hypercar the crown jewel of the CIAS in Toronto later this week before it makes an “appearance” in Geneva in March.

Venue notwithstanding, there’s a lot riding on Aston Martin to make an impression in Toronto and it’s no surprise that the British automaker is making its big wigs available for the occasion, including CEO Andy Palmer, who has confirmed his attendance at the CIAS where he will lead the unveiling of the hypercar that he himself describes as the “defining hypercar of this decade.”

For now, neither Aston Martin nor Red Bull Technologies, its partner in this ambitious endeavor, have made any comments regarding official details about the AM-RB 001. We do know though that the hypercar will make use of a naturally-aspirated V-12 engine to go with a small electric motor. Together, they should be good for an output that will exceed over 1,000 horsepower as part of the automaker’s goal for the hypercar to achieve a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio.

So set those calendars and alarms ready, ladies and gentlemen. The Aston Martin AM-RB 001 will not debut in Geneva as you might have expected. It’s happening much earlier in Toronto when the Canadian International Auto Show starts on February 17, 2017.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Surprising venue to make a debut, but it’s not going to matter at the end of the day

So who saw that coming, huh? I certainly didn’t, so when I first heard about it, I had to do a double-take to make sure that it’s actually happening in Toronto instead of Geneva. But it’s all true so if there’s anyone who already made plans to go to Geneva with the expectation of seeing the AM-RB 001 in the flesh there, you might want to rebook your itinerary.

Let me be clear though. This is not a shot at the Canadian International Auto Show. I’m not implying that the CIAS isn’t worthy to host a debut as big as the AM-RB 001. It’s definitely a great opportunity for organizers of that show to really put themselves on the map and having the AM-RB 001 in attendance there is well-deserved.

That said, automakers usually use the Geneva Motor Show, historically considered as the biggest auto show event of the calendar year, as the venue for unveiling cars that are as important as the AM-RB 001. That’s not something I’m making up because there’s a long list of notable cars that made their debuts in Switzerland in the past years.

Ultimately though, the venue of the AM-RB 001’s debut shouldn’t matter because wherever it is, the car is going to attract everybody’s attention. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Toronto, Geneva, or some far-flung location in this great big world of ours. People will come to see the AM-RB 001 and all of us will see and hear about it, wherever we are. That’s how important this car is and you can be sure that just because the event is happening in Toronto, there’s going to be a lot of people in attendance there to get a real good look at the hypercar that’s expected to reshape the way we think of these super exotic machines.

And if you think about it, the AM-RB 001’s debut in Toronto works better for all those who have been dying to see it in the flesh for the first time since the Canadian International Auto Show opens its doors on February 17, 2017. Check those calendars again, ladies and gentlemen, because that’s literally three days away.

Read our full review on the 2018 Aston Martin AM-RB 001 here.