In the distance an engine roars and rubber burns.
Closer to the entrance the smell of burgers sizzling on the grille and the sounds of carnival barkers charging up a crowd with giveaways and promises comingles with a five-piece funk band with a heavy bass riff. Overhead floating in the lights are giant balloons of a Death Star and flying pigs. Then there’s the tote bags. The only object more numerous than the tote bags are the nearly 1,000 new vehicles on display at opening day of the 2017 Chicago Auto Show.
It’s a commonly accepted car dealer equation that to move cars off of lots, you’ve got to get butts in seats. Best way to get butts in seats is to put on a show, and the 109th installment of the nation’s largest and longest running car show feels like everything from a wedding reception to a car carnival, with so much in between.
The 2017 Chicago Auto Show opened to the public on Feb. 11 and runs until Feb. 20, 2017 at McCormick Place.
“The automakers have gotten so good at keeping things fresh and interactive,” said Dave Sloan, Auto Show president, whose weariness from putting out figurative fires during the 10-day event that takes a year to plan was kept at bay by an impressive turnout of consumers intending to shop.
“We attract 65-70 percent people who are going to be in the market in the next twelve months,” Sloan said.
“I’m here to check out some SUVs,” said Katie Hart, of Carol Stream, who was with a friend and their two grade-schoolers, who were playing in the bed of a Ford F-150. Hart, who had been coming to the show annually since high school, had her eyes on the all-new Volkswagen Atlas three-row SUV.
Chicago Auto Show: If you go Nausheen Husain and Jemal Brinson The 109th Chicago Auto Show takes over McCormick Place for a little more than a week beginning Feb. 11. The show brings nearly 1,000 kinds of vehicles from more than 30 automakers. When: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 11 to Feb. 20, (10 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 20) Where: McCormick Place North and South, 23rd Street… The 109th Chicago Auto Show takes over McCormick Place for a little more than a week beginning Feb. 11. The show brings nearly 1,000 kinds of vehicles from more than 30 automakers. When: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 11 to Feb. 20, (10 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 20) Where: McCormick Place North and South, 23rd Street… (Nausheen Husain and Jemal Brinson)
Hart was an early bird, arriving after the ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured Gov. Bruce Rauner, who touted the auto industry’s presence in Chicago and Illinois; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who encouraged showgoers to “spend a lot of money"; and Secretary of State Jesse White, who reminded showgoers that licenses can be renewed at the show.
The main lot was filled at 11 a.m., one hour after the show opened to the public. Inside, college kids and retirees, boomers and millennials, young families and new couples from every imaginable demographic strolled the 1.1 million square feet of space at McCormick Place, which has grown from the 75,000 square feet of past shows.
Things to drive at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show Robert Duffer
With an estimated 1,000 new vehicles spread out over 1.1 million square feet at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, there may be temptation to drive one or a hundred of them. The doors of show floor models may be opened to get a feel behind the wheel, but most of the driving will be reserved for another…
With an estimated 1,000 new vehicles spread out over 1.1 million square feet at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, there may be temptation to drive one or a hundred of them. The doors of show floor models may be opened to get a feel behind the wheel, but most of the driving will be reserved for another…
(Robert Duffer)
There are five indoor test tracks this year, up from three last year, and the black-tie kickoff event, First Look for Charity, raised $2.81 million for Chicago-area charities on Friday night, up from $2.6 million in 2016.
“The Chicago show is growing,” Sloan said, citing six automakers present in Chicago who skipped the North American International Auto Show, widely considered the most important show in terms of product debuts.
One of the new products, the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT, powered by a 475-horsepower 392 cubic-inch HEMI V-8 engine, was the object of affection for Stanley Newsome Jr., a 58-year-old retired firefighter from St. Louis who has been attending the show annually for decades.
“I could probably hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, wet or dry,” he said of the high-powered SUV.
Newsome wanted the performance and versatility of the three-row Durango SRT to transport his son, Corey, who was in attendance, and his granddaughter. “I’ve been hoping they’d make this for years.”
For as many attendees intending to buy later in the year, others were there for the spectacle, such as Ashley Junkins, 25, from Bourbonnais, and her friend, Courtney Bragg, 25, of Cary.
Best new cars at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show Robert Duffer
Just when it seems like there couldn’t be any more crossovers, here come pavement-blistering high performance variants capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Just when it seems like a brand has defined itself, it breaks form and delivers a fastback sports sedan.
At the 109th installment of the…
Just when it seems like there couldn’t be any more crossovers, here come pavement-blistering high performance variants capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Just when it seems like a brand has defined itself, it breaks form and delivers a fastback sports sedan.
At the 109th installment of the…
(Robert Duffer)
“We both love looking at nice cars, so what better way to spend a Saturday,” Junkins said.
Younger car admirers were back for a second spin.
“It was really fun last year,” said John Bee, 11, a Boy Scout from LaGrange Park who helped set up the Pinewood Derby before the show.
The fun part, other than the Jeep Wrangler and other vehicles on the test tracks?
“Free swag,” his brother, George Bee V, added, holding up his tote bag.
The Chicago Auto Show runs through President’s Day, Monday, February 20.
rduffer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @DufferRobert
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