This year, Chicago is getting is getting a lot of attention. Normally in the shadow of the much bigger and more internationally relevant Detroit auto show (oops, I mean the North American International Auto Show), the Chicago show has long been where U.S. manufacturers and imports alike have debuted their more-mainstream, more-midwest, more-truck-focused offerings. This year is no different. Half a dozen truck makers have held back something special for the Chicago show, and we think a lot of people are going to like what they see. Big names like Hummer and Porsche will be showing vehicles to the public for the first time, while a few others (can you say GMC and Suzuki?) have huge surprises up their sleeves, ready to show vehicles that will stop people in their tracks.
GMC is hoping to reveal a piece of the future of the pickup truck, while Suzuki starts their journey down a path that is likely to include several pickup iterations over the next seven years. Additionally, International Navistar, a hometown favorite, always seems to have something to make the crowd gawk with wide-open mouths. Finally, others will use this show to make announcements we knew were coming, but will still provide some clever problem-solving choices to the work-truck mindedness in us all. Look for GMC to announce a new 2-Mode offering, as well as Ford to blast from the mega horns that they have the highest towing and payload capacities in the segment. Look for all this and more in our full coverage to follow, and don't be surprised if we have to come back with a few updates, even after we.
Vehicles:
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle
2008 Ford F-650 XUV by Alton Truck Company
2008 GMC Denali XT Concept
2008 Chrome Shop Mafia Ford F-650 Super Duty
2008 Lexus RX350 Pebble Beach Edition
2008 Toyota 4Runner Urban Runner
2009 Chevrolet HHR E85 FlexFuel
2009 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ
2009 HUMMER H3T
2009 Suzuki Equator
2009 Ford Edge sport
2009 Ford Transit Connect
2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid
2009 Volkswagen Routan
International Lonestar