Chicago >> It is the biggest consumer auto show in the U.S. and Chicago is proud of this huge display, which fills two halls of the McCormick Center.
Big as it is you could simultaneously hold the Detroit and New York auto shows at the same time. But once you’ve found the right door it is perhaps the easiest and most comfortable show to see.
There were several awards presented, first off was the Chrysler Pacifica winning the 2017 Family Vehicle of the Year by the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA),
In another set of awards, Motor Week is the longest-running automotive TV show, and runs on PBS stations throughout the country.
Winner of this year’s Best of the Year car category was the Chevrolet Bolt EV. It got into the overall win by first winning the Best Eco-Friendly award. The Nissan TITAN half-ton pickup won the Best Pickup Truck category winner. There were a number of other winners, which you can see on MotorWeek’s website.
This year it was tough to find a theme, probably the only one that truthfully applies is that is was the trim-level show. Most manufacturers did just that – announced a special edition or a new trim level for existing models. There were a could of exceptions which actually involved sheet metal.
Nissan was first, showing their third body style of the TITAN. They call it the King Cab body and it joins TITAN’s Crew Cab and Single Cab configurations. It will be available on both the TITAN half-ton and TITAN XD with 6.5-ft. bed length. You can also buy both in 4×4 and 4×2 drive.
Nissan also announced some new trim levels, adding their Midnight Edition package to the Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Rogue, Murano and Pathfinder
Ford did show their new Expedition, now with an aluminum body, but it wasn’t a debut or reveal of the model because they’d done that the week after the Detroit Auto Show in Dallas. The truck’s standard engine is Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and will be coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It should be available later in the spring.
Hyundai revealed their 2018 Elantra GT at the show, which for the U.S. is a new model. It is the European i30 hatchback, and it quite different than the Elantra sedan. There will be two models, the GT and the GT Sport. Two engines will be available when the small hatchback with lots of space inside hits the streets this summer.
When it comes to trim-level intros, Toyota showed three, the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure, 2018 Toyota Tundra TRD Sport and finally the 2018 Toyota Sequoia TRD Sport. They add dynamic cosmetic features to both their exteriors and cabins.
Mitsubishi showed a Limited Edition of their Outlander Sport, which gives customers some extra technological features compared to the base model. Its place in the lineup will be just above the base ES Outlander Sport.
Dodge unveiled the 2018 Durango SRT edition, a surprisingly appealing look. More than that this SUV gets a 475-hp. Hemi V8 engine. It really will be a hot-rod three-row truck, adding great appeal the family motorhead.
There are close to a thousand cars and trucks on the show, from a display of supercars to commercial vans and trucks. Most of the displays are of cars and trucks that appeal to those wishing they could be driving in a new car rather than living with another couple of months of winter. I will point out that it was plenty warm in the show.
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