Chicago Auto Show 2016 Coverage

Known as The Nation’s Largest Auto Show, the event, first produced in 1901, has been staged more times than any other auto show in North America and continues to be one of the best-attended in the world. Over one million visitors attend each year. The Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA), the United States’ oldest and largest metropolitan automobile dealership organization, has organized and presented the show since 1935.

2008 marked the Chicago Auto Show’s 100th iteration. It is the first auto show anywhere in the world to have achieved this distinction.

Due to the vast amount of space available, several auto manufacturers have implemented creative uses of their exhibit space in recent years. For example, at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show, Pontiac and Chrysler hosted free concerts at their exhibits. The BoDeans and Ok Go are among those who performed at Pontiac’s stage. Chrysler Group created the world’s largest indoor test track, and allowed attendees to ride along on a test-drive of their SUVs and trucks in extreme simulated conditions in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Toyota configured a similar experiential ride course for the 2011 show.

The 2016 Chicago Auto Show was held from February 13 through February 21, with press days starting on February 11. This year featured and introduced the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro, 2017 Chevrolet Trax (refresh), 2016 Chrysler 200S/300S Alloy Edition, 2017 Ford Explorer XLT Sport, 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe (refresh), 2017 Kia Niro, 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Worker, 2017 Nissan Armada, 2017 Ram Power Wagon (refresh), and finally the 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. Among these new introductions, there were also many other vehicles that were either currently popular making sells being featured and even discussions of future vehicles with new ideas soon to come in the years of the 2020’s.

Personally, as I got in through a few cars with my auto expert friend Braulio, who told me many good advice when buying a car and good key pointers if its legit or not, many of the new models had great assets such as touchable screens, TV’s, and new enhanced technologies that were implemented. I also loved a racing car simulator that I also tried out with my friend that showed how it would feel to be on a race car. The Auto show also had VR headsets to show younger crowds how it would feel to drive a car for the first time, and also had the ABC 7 news cast and small stage set up where you can be seen on a TV and see how it would feel to give the news for yourself.  I can’t wait for next year’s auto show in 2017, to see what’s next to expect!

What do you expect in next year’s Auto Show?