Guide To The 2015 Chicago Auto Show
In 1901, residents of Chicago could pay 50 cents to explore the city's first car show: the National Automobile Exhibit, held at the city's storied Coliseum hall. Displays of horseless carriages were gathered along the 51,000-square-foot show floor, and only the city's best-connected families were invited to opening night.
This history, available on the website for the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, stands in sharp contrast to the sprawling event that will span more than a million square feet at McCormick Place from February 14 to 22. The largest auto show in the country, it will feature nearly a thousand new cars from automakers around the world.
The annual car show, produced by the Chicago Automobile Trade Association dealership organization, represents one of the best ways to poke around in today's crossover SUVs as part of your shopping research, to ogle some of the hottest unattainable luxury machines on the market, and to take in the concept cars that preview the industry's future trends. In general, visitors will get a chance to experience the full breadth of today's automotive marketplace – and a glimpse of tomorrow's.
Exhibits will include everything from from the $12,000, 109-horsepower Nissan Versa subcompact sedan to the $300,000, 568-horsepower Aston Martin Vanquish performance coupe, plus hundreds of cars in between. And unlike at a car dealership, the staff on hand is paid only to answer your questions – not to persuade you to buy today. Other automotive-related exhibits round out the experience, with booths and displays for automotive accessories, racing vehicles and antique cars.
The Newest Cars
The Chicago Auto Show is also one of a handful of the major automotive exhibitions around the world that feature first-time debuts of never-before-seen vehicles. Although most of the Chicago debuts will be announced closer to the show – and unveiled during media preview days on February 12 and 13 – a few automakers have already made their announcements.
Honda has taken the lead, promising to show off an all-new 2016 redesign of the Pilot, its popular midsize crossover. Early previews promise sleeker styling, and recent examples from the company suggest it will also boast new technology and improved safety. Not only will the redesigned Pilot have its world debut in Chicago, but Honda's luxury brand will also unveil a 2016-model update to the Acura RDX entry-luxury crossover. And Honda will also preview its redesigned 2016 Ridgeline pickup truck, either with sketches or a concept car.
Visitors to the Chicago show will also get the first look at a blacked-out limited edition of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, and will see the North American debut of a concept SUV that Mitsubishi calls "the return of a legend" – referring to its once-popular Montero, which hasn't been sold in the U.S. in a decade. As noted, other debuts that aren't yet announced will add further appeal to showgoers.
Attendees will also get to see cars that debuted in January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which are not yet on sale. These include pricey performance cars like the Acura NSX, Cadillac CTS-V, Ford GT and Shelby GT350, and Lexus GS F; eco-friendly models like the redesigned Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Bolt electric concept car, and redesigned hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Hyundai Sonata; and luxury cars and crossovers like the Audi Q7, Buick Avenir and Infiniti Q60 concepts, Jaguar XE, and Mercedes-Benz GLE.
Getting to the Show
The Chicago Auto Show is held at McCormick Place, 2301 South Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60616, with public days from Saturday, February 14, through Sunday, February 22. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., except February 22, when the show closes at 8 p.m
Tickets typically cost $12 for adults, $6 for seniors aged 62 and older, $6 for children aged 7 to 12, and free for children 6 and under when accompanied by a paying adult family member. Half-priced adult admission coupons, valid any weekday, are available at some Chicago-area car dealerships and Shell stations.
For more information, visit www.chicagoautoshow.com.
Brady Holt, a Washington D.C. newspaper reporter, has had a lifelong interest in cars in the automotive world, and he'll share his thoughts at every available opportunity. Brady has written for Examiner.com since 2008, publishing hundreds of car reviews, automotive news pieces and other features. His work can be found on Examiner.com.