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Editor's Note: Chicagoist got David Thomas, online editor of mph Magazine, to give us this report 
on what's going down at the Chicago Auto Show so we know what to expect this weekend.
Today the Chicago Auto Show opens to the public at McCormick Place. But for the last two days the press has been crawling all over the huge hall scrutinizing the latest offerings from the world’s automakers.
For the jaded auto snobs, the only vehicles of importance are those that haven’t been seen anywhere else before their Chicago unveilings. But this year’s show didn’t offer many of those thrills. Here’s a rundown of new vehicles (and others that will probably be new to you) so you can impress your friends while battling the masses for seat time.
The first unveiling of the show was the Lexus ES350. It’s Lexus’ big seller and the new design will sell even better. Then Dodge debuted its first mid-size SUV ever, called the Nitro. This might be an option for Chicagoans looking for a manly alternative to the Jeep Liberty on which it’s based. Dodge also rolled out the high-power version of the Caliber, their replacement for the Neon. This Caliber SRT4 actually packs 300 hp, the same as a Ford Mustang GT. They rounded off their display with a truck concept called Rampage.
But the coolest car revealed on the first day, especially for Chicagoist readers, was a high performance version of the Honda Civic Sedan called the Si. Just like the currently on sale Si Coupe, this “concept” will actually be built and at dealers by the end of 2006. It’s a great alternative to those contemplating the more expensive VW Jetta GLI.
Speaking of VW, they rolled out the all-new Golf. The only problems? It’s been out in Europe for the past two years, no price was given and it still won’t be on sale stateside until summer of 2006. More impressive are VW’s new GTI and the retractable hardtop convertible called Eos. If you don’t see the Eos here, you’ll soon see every Trixie behind the wheel of one in the near future.
There is actually a lot of very cool metal that dropped at the industry-heavy Detroit show last month but will still be new to 99% of those coming to McCormick. The must-see of that batch is the Chevy Camaro Concept. Even if you’re not a muscle car fan, this sure-to-be-built concept is simply gorgeous. It’s much more pleasing than the completely retro Dodge Challenger concept that also debuted in Detroit. Surprisingly Buick has a winning concept in the almost-ready-to-be-built Enclave SUV.
Shocked that SUVs are still everywhere? Don’t be. The automakers aren't ready to fold-up their SUV shops and there are even quite a few hybrids on display like the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Saturn Vue Hybrid, Ford Escape Ethanol Hybrid and tons of Ethanol capable trucks, SUVs and cars.
Get familiar with the word Ethanol. It is the next green buzzword. Ethanol is high-octane fuel made primarily from corn and Illinois is one of the few states with an infrastructure for what is referred to as E85 (85% ethanol, 15% petroleum). It burns clean and actually adds performance if not mileage. There was a huge push here the last two days to expand Ethanol use in the midwest and then throughout the rest of the country.
Lincoln has a bunch of new SUVs on display including the Navigator and smaller MKX. Both feature very nice interiors and overly chromed grills. Cadillac’s all-new Escalade (you might’ve seen it at the Super Bowl) is a better done bling-mobile and is worth a look. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
For the upscale shoppers the new Porsche Cayman, Jaguar XK and BMW M Coupe are imperative stops. They’re pretty, pack a punch and are exquisitely designed.
There are literally dozens of other brand new vehicles I’m too tired to run through (this is the largest auto show in the country, size wise, so wear VERY comfortable shoes. I've been hoofing it from one press conference to the next for the past two days and am ready for a long weekend). Feel free to check out mph-online for more information or great car blogs like Jalopnik.
The Chicago Auto Show is open to the public Feb 10 - 19. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for kids 7-12, and free for kids under 7. They can be purchased at https://tickets.drivechicago.com/tickets/
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Hey Chicagoist are you really referring to the The Seventh Annual Auto Show SHUTDOWN Festival celebrating the impending end of the automobile age? You know, that festival that begins at Daley Plaza on Saturday, February 11th at 11 am, and continues with a short bicycle ride to the Auto Show, arriving at 12 noon at the McCormick Place King Drive Entrance?
O.K, but on the real and all jokes aside, a spokes person from Break the Gridlock, Michael Burton in a editorial in the Suntimes points out how ironic it is that, on the heels of Bush's admission that America is addicted to oil,The 2006 Chicago Auto Show is celebrating America's gluttonous appetite for oil and our fetishization of the car. We consume about twice as much oil per person as other industrialized nations due mostly to our over-reliance on automobiles.
The question is when are we going to prioritize and adequately fund efficient forms of transportation such as bus, rail, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure?
I'm glade the Break the Gridlock folks will be on hand to remind people about the true costs of our costly oil addiction: the pollution, the billions in health-related costs due to car crashes, our military forces that keep oil flowing.
Maybe people should instead of spending their time looking at their dream S.U.Vs consider what it means to free ourselves from our oil addiction by working toward a sane national transportation policy instead of the current one designed by Exxon, General Motors, etc.
I attended the shut down last year and was amazed at how many obviously poor and working poor families turned out to "ow and ahhh" over million dollars cars. Some thing is very wrong here people!
I went to the auto show seven years ago when I first moved here. I took the CTA there. When I left, I walked outside into a very bitter cold and waited (with scores of others) forty minutes for a CTA bus. The irony was not lost on me or my fellow passengers.
I hate cars. Especially cabs.
I think they should bury Lake Shore Drive.
Anybody who isn't driving a car that gets at LEAST 60 mpg by 2010 should be hung up by his/her nuts.
/Chicks with dicks
This will be my 18th annual visit to the Auto Show (I'm 25.) And, for the record, I ride my bike to work every day and hate SUVs.