Chicago Auto Show: Muscle cars, EVs and a more 'normal' year for consumers
After no show, a summer show and a half-sized show, all thanks to COVID-19, Thursday's media preview of the Chicago Auto Show felt ... normal.
There was a new Mustang, an electrified Blazer and a three-row Grand Highlander, plus Camp Jeep's iconic high-rise track at the show, which runs from Saturday through Feb. 20 at McCormick Place.
And despite volatile interest rates with a hiccuping supply chain, experts think there's nowhere to go but up in 2023.
“I haven't got any official word from Ford saying we'll have this much more production or that much more production, but there is definitely more coming,” said Greg Webb, a partner at Packey Webb Ford in Downers Grove.
What about incentives for buyers shellshocked by high prices? “They're coming,” Webb said.
It wouldn't be an auto show without hype, and manufacturers obliged at press events.
Jeep celebrated the 20th anniversary of its “most-storied nameplate,” the Wrangler Rubicon, with new editions.
“The traditional 20th anniversary gift is fine china or porcelain,” said Jim Morrison, head of Jeep Brand North America. “We're delivering the complete opposite of delicate and fragile.”
Reworked Rubicon features include 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels and steel bumpers, but amid the muscularity, one model — the 4xe — is a plug-in hybrid offering “silent off-road driving.”
Subaru took the wraps off its revamped Crosstrek. “Now with its bold new design, the 2024 Crosstrek offers great styling, improved performance, a 10% stiffer chassis with enhanced safety features and the latest multimedia technology suite,” Subaru of America CEO Tom Doll said.
Hyundai executives focused on new services for consumers.
The manufacturer is rolling out the Evolve+ program, which lets “EV-curious” drivers obtain cars on a month-by-month basis, said Olabisi Boyle, Hyundai vice president of product planning.
“It gives you access to EVs on your own terms,” Boyle said, adding that customers can register using a smartphone app.
Hyundai plans to offer Evolve+ nationwide by the end of 2023; currently available EVs are the KONA Electric and IONIQ 5.
In 2021, organizers canceled the February auto show and held an outdoors event in July. In 2022, the show was held in just one of McCormick Place's massive halls.
“This is the most normal (show) we've seen since COVID-19,” Consumer Guide Automotive Publisher Tom Appel of Palatine said. “It fills both halls, and it's nice to see some big reveals, too.”
Vehicles that caught his eye were the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV — and a sedan.
“I was really excited to see a redesigned (Honda) Accord,” Appel said. “It's always been a really great car, and this is a fully freshened Accord.”
The new Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with carbon fiber wheels and a 500 horsepower V-8 engine, floats Webb's boat. “I'm old-school, so I love performance cars,” he said.
To supplement the plethora of electrics on display, the Powering Chicago EV Learning Center features licensed electricians who will answer consumer's questions.
Before buying an electric vehicle, “you need to do a site assessment,” Powering Chicago Executive Director Elbert Walters III said, “and that means partnering with a licensed qualified electrician and electrical contractor. No DIY.”
Another exhibitor is the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, which provided a reality check on hoopla over massive dashboard multimedia displays at the show.
“The larger things are on screens in the car, the more distracting it's going to be for people,” AAIM Executive Director Rita Kreslin said.
“You can't multi-task,” added Dr. Chuck Nozicka of Green Oaks, AAIM board president.