2015 Chicago Auto Show Review

4C Spider

First held in 1901 at Coliseum exposition hall, the Chicago Auto Show has become the largest and most popular car show in the United States for the past 107 years.Two great American pastimes have come together under one roof as thousands of vehicles from around the world have been on display. Featuring a Lamborghini Diablo in 1990 and Dodge Challenger SRT8 back in 2008 were among the some of  the heavyweights at past events. Other gas guzzling, high performance vehicles such as the Mercury Bobcat and Cadillac Seville Diesel have been showcased at the Chicago Auto Show as a reminder that Chicago is the city that works and  that our city will always put the hustle behind the muscle for just about any car enthusiast. We welcome all of them with big shoulders and open arms.

Chicago is also known for hospitality, as those ripples of kindness will be noticed far beyond the city limits. This year, the 2015 Chicago Auto Show offered free pinball games for the family, a commemorative Chicago Blackhawks souvenir cup and hours of fun with the biggest and baddest vehicles in the industry. From Super Duty commercial trucks, stylish SUV's to the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider will educate the consumer and give them a chance to see something other than a reckless smoke bomb driving  down Lake Shore Drive.

Ford Super Duty Truck

The big news in Commercial Vehicles this year are the Ford F-650 & F-750 models assembled and built in the United States. Getting the job done in modern comfort, these medium-duty workhorses hold the power of the V10 Turbo Diesel with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Ranked in class of 6-7 vocations, these vehicles feature a clean cab-to-axle design that is head and shoulders above the rest. A new leaf spring suspension, anti-roll bar and re-tuned shock absorbers have been engineered to modify their work load capabilities. Construction, Heavy Hauling and Emergency vehicles are just few of Ford's Super Duty trucks and for past 38 year they used backbone instead of wishbone to get the job done right the first time when one else can.

Russell Datz & Bruce T. Pelletier

Next is the Volvo lineup with safety and fuel efficiency as a top priority. Looking into the past with Volvo's first 3-point safety belt that was introduced in 1959 was just the beginning for engineers. The 2016 XC90 T8 plug-in hybird will feature a 400 hp that can go zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. That is about a second quicker than most SUV's on the market today and with fuel  economy in the T8's Hybird at 59 MPG is definitely worth the research.  "We at Volvo design our vehicles with people in mind," explained, Russell Datz, National Media Relations Manager Volvo Cars. He adds to say, It's our goal at Volvo to make lives easier for the consumer." Easier said than done,  The T8 system can also expect to hold some serious electrical juice and can thrust this SUV for up to 25 miles on electrons using the rear motor. Datz also claims that the recharge time is between 2 to 6 hours using a 230-volt plug-in or 110-volt outage depending on the amperage of the circuit.

Jeep lovers are not alone in this competitive arena as they climb to new heights with the legendary 4X4 capability that features a V6 engine. The 2015 Jeep Wrangler has a 285-horsepower engine ready to conquer the Indiana Sand Dunes this summer. The only drawback for the Jeep Wrangler is fuel efficiency. Tested at 16 in the city it runs better and smoother on the highway at 21 mpg. So with that in mind, you can travel 472 miles on one tank of fuel. As for the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, this was a good event to cover. However, some years have been better and hopefully there will be more concept cars in the near future.