2010 Chicago Auto Show Visitor's Guide
The Most Important Vehicles To See in Chicago
By
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor | Published Feb 12, 2010
Click here for Inside Line's full coverage of the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.
Some 1.3 million square feet of display space are available at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show and every inch is stuffed with automobiles you can buy — about 1,000 vehicles altogether. They've been doing this since 1901, so they've got a pretty good handle on it.
Unfortunately it's hard to make it rain money after a couple years of recession, so you won't see very many altogether new concepts and production vehicles. But you can get next to cars that have only been pixelated images before. About 1 million visitors will find their way to McCormick Place for the exhibition, which takes place February 12-21.
There's no telling what you'll find on the show floor, from the concept version of the 2011 Honda Odyssey to an educational display of knives
confiscated from prisoners at the Cook County Jail. As always, you'll find many of the concept cars that have appeared at the
2010 Detroit Auto Show and
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Also as before, Chrysler will have its unique
indoor test tracks, which allow show visitors to ride along with professional drivers in a selection of its vehicles. It takes 30 semi-trailers of landscaping material alone to set up Jeep's dirt track, which includes a short but steep hill with a 35-degree incline on the way up and a 45-degree incline on the way down. Rides are given on a first-come, first-serve basis, and some 64,000 people generally take the trip over the course of the show. If you're looking for a more real-world experience, a test-drive program of the
2011 Kia Sorento has been organized outdoors.
Here is
Inside Line's guide to the most significant vehicles of the 2010 Chicago Auto Show:
2010 Audi R8 Convertible: This is the most expensive Audi you can buy, a version of the midengine R8 sports car with a 525-horsepower 5.2-liter V10 on the premises plus a power-operated convertible top. First seen at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, the R8 convertible should be here late in the summer.
2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Furious Fuchsia: Such has been the enthusiasm with which the Dodge family has greeted its beloved Challenger that Chrysler has elected to expand the availability of its heritage hues for this car to include Furious Fuchsia. Dealers will begin taking orders in March, with deliveries scheduled for May. To be one of the lucky 400, bring $45,150.
2010 Nissan 370Z 40th Anniversary Edition: Yes, some 40 years have elapsed since the introduction of Nissan's sports car, and the event is celebrated with this special edition of the 2010 Z-car. The differences are mostly cosmetic, with a choice of black or quartz paint.
2011 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty: This heavy-duty version of Chevy's truck has an upgraded frame, and the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel can run on B20 biofuel. More important, a six-speed automatic transmission should improve fuel economy.
2011 Ford Edge: The Ford Edge crept quietly onto the stage as just another crossover when it was introduced, but now it's getting serious about being a family vehicle. There's more styling drama both inside and out, and more important there's more drama under the hood as well, with three different engine choices: a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4, a 285-hp 3.5-liter V6 and a 305-hp 3.7-liter V6.
2011 Ford Shelby GT500: Only a year after a serious makeover, the Shelby GT500 has been upgraded with useful hardware — including the supercharged all-aluminum 550-hp 5.4-liter V8 formerly seen only in the Ford GT — and the availability of a performance package with even stickier tires.
2011 Lexus LFA: All the moaning and groaning about whether a Japanese-brand supercar is worth $375,000 has disappeared and instead major players are angling to be among the fortunate few to lease a U.S. model. One shriek of the 552-hp 4.8-liter V10 will do that to you.
2011 Toyota Avalon: The lightly face-lifted Avalon might well be the poster child for the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, as it represents a worthy effort to put a good face on a car that hardly anyone will remember 15 minutes after the doors to the show close next week.
Honda Odyssey Concept: This concept is simply a lightly disguised version of the forthcoming 2011 Honda Odyssey, which will be in Honda showrooms next fall. It's an interesting new look for our favorite minivan, and the distinctive "lightning bolt" beltline is designed to improve visibility for the kids in the third-row seat. Underneath the same platform endures, but we'll have to wait to discover the innovations it holds.
Kia Ray Concept: This concept showcases Kia's latest hybrid technology, as it's a plug-in hybrid that combines a 1.4-liter engine, a powerful electric motor and a CVT (continuously variable transmission). More significant might be the styling, which interprets the plastic, liquid forms that are the fashion of the moment in a very successful way.
General Information
Chicago weather is far from friendly in midwinter, but fortunately McCormick Place is surprisingly self-contained, with hotel and restaurant facilities as well as the halls for the auto show. When we're at the show, we try to stay right there and not risk frostbite.
Take advantage of the Chicago auto show's excellent
Web site, which provides all the details you need to arrange a visit, from the
$11 ticket price for adults to the long list of
special events, autograph signings and radio broadcasts scheduled to take place on the floor of the show. Take a look at a
map of the show floor to help find your way around. You might also want to get a sense of perspective by looking into the
history of the show.
What with the winter weather, the Web site is invaluable for its description of
parking and
shuttle bus routes. If you hate to venture outdoors, you can park right in the Hyatt garage, or if you're brave enough to face the weather, the far end of the Soldier Field South lot is adjacent to a shuttle bus stop.