2023 Chicago Auto Show Recap/Gallery: Step in the Right Direction
The Chicago Auto Show has often been a dreary event from a new-vehicle launch perspective. A fun event for consumers, sure, but often overshadowed in terms of vehicle debuts by the shows in Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles.
This year felt different. While there were only three automakers that had major debuts -- Subaru, Volkswagen, and Toyota -- the show felt quite busy.
Some of that was a bit of catchup as I checked out vehicles that launched between the 2022 L.A. show last November and now. Some of that was related to the drumbeat of the non-show news cycle. But there seemed to be a consensus among attending media and PR professionals that the show seemed to signal better signs to come. Even if the debut schedule was a tad light. There just seemed to be a feeling in the air.
I suppose it helps that the weather was relatively warm for Chicago in early February. I think there's also a sense that while the COVID pandemic is very much not over, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. The world has already mostly returned to pre-pandemic normal (though some of us are still masking. I still mask most of the time but I've been letting my guard down slowly).
Furthermore, there seems to be a sense that maybe the supply chain and chip problems that plagued the auto industry will peter out and maybe the market madness that has sent both new and used-car prices soaring could ease up.
We'll see if I am right -- vibes are subjective, after all, and not a particularly reliable factor in predicting the future. In the meantime, here's a random assortment of vehicles I shot pics of during the media days. Some you may have seen before -- either from our L.A. show coverage or over the past few days -- but I figure a nice photo dump will help you ease into the weekend.
Check 'em out below, after the photo credit tag and newsletter promo.
[Images © 2023 Tim Healey/TTAC]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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The 300 looks great, but the Ram looks rather odd.
The RAM looks like something from a '90s sci-fi show.