|
|
Latest Auto Show Coverage
Exclusive cars.com Coverage From the 2004 Chicago Auto Show
Members of the media with GM executive Robert Lutz at the 2005 Buick LaCrosse unveiling |
2/10/04 4:15 p.m. CST Most of the roughly 20 new cars and trucks unveiled at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show, which runs through Feb. 15, are the real thing. Not merely meant for show, they are production models that will go on sale in the coming months. Read more  |
| Saleen Sends Speedy S7 to Chicago Show | 
The Saleen S7 made its Chicago Auto Show debut this week. |
| | For the first time in its 20-year history, specialty-car maker Saleen has a presence at the Chicago Auto Show. The automaker displayed its S7 supercar Thursday morning, along with the nitrous-oxide-powered Focus previously shown at the Detroit auto show in January and the 20th-anniversary Saleen Mustang. |
| Nissan Thinks New Frontier Crew Cab Is a Work of Art | 
Nissan promises the 2005 Frontier Crew Cab takes the vehicle ''to a new level of capability in the compact segment.'' |
| | A new Nissan Frontier Crew Cab and a redesigned Altima were on the menu Wednesday night at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, where Nissan showed the two vehicles in conjunction with the Chicago Auto Show. |
| Redesigned Subaru Outback Arrives This Spring | 
The redesigned 2005 Subaru Outback goes on sale this May. |
| | Subaru unveiled the 2005 Outback, with a distinctive new look, a host of standard features and a sport edition, for the first time in North America Thursday at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show. It is scheduled to begin arriving at dealerships in May. |
| Jaguar Brings Racing Technology to Concept XKR | 
The XK-RS concept is said to hint at Jaguar's future performance direction. |
| | Jaguar showed a concept Thursday at the Chicago Auto Show that was inspired by its successful XKR-based racecars and built by the same company -- Rocketsports Racing of Lansing, Mich. -- that built the Jaguars that won two Trans Am championships. George Ayers, vice president of marketing of Jaguar Cars North America, called the XK-RS concept “the ultimate XKR.” |
| Kia Joins Fray of Pickup Concepts With Transformable Mojave | 
Peter Butterfield and the Kia KCV4 Mojave concept vehicle |
| | South Korean automaker Kia unveiled a pickup truck concept called the KCV4 Mojave at the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday. It is Kia's first stab at a pickup truck of any sort, concept or production. |
| Mazda Ibuki Concept to Point the Way for Next Miata | 
Robert Davis and the Mazda Ibuki concept |
| | The Ibuki that Mazda showed Thursday at the Chicago Auto Show is a concept in the truest sense of the word, resembling the next-generation Miata MX-5 in theory more than practice. |
| The Rarest of the Rare: A Limited-Edition Bentley | 
Only 26 copies of the Bentley Arnage R by Mulliner will be built. |
| | A year after officially becoming part of Volkswagen AG and separating from Rolls-Royce, Bentley Motors unveiled its Arnage R by Mulliner, a special edition model, at the Chicago Auto Show. |
| Special-Edition Mini Recalls Marque’s Racing Past | 
Paddy Hopkirk with the 40th-anniversary Mini Cooper S MC40. |
| | Mini, a brand built on heritage, made another homage to its 1960s heyday Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show with the unveiling of the Mini Cooper S MC40. The car commemorates the 40th anniversary of the original Mini’s win in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally. |
| LaCrosse Unveiling Turns Buick’s Focus to Car Lineup | 
Media personnel scramble to get a good first look at the 2005 Buick LaCrosse. |
| | After concentrating in recent years on building a light-truck presence (the Rendezvous and Rainier sport utility vehicles and the Terraza minivan), Buick has returned its focus to cars -- in particular, the LaCrosse. The midsize sedan was unveiled Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show and will replace the Regal and Century, which combined account for nearly half of all Buick car sales. |
| Mercury Bolsters Its Chicago Ties With Montego Sedan | 
The 2005 Mercury Montego will be available with all-wheel drive. |
| | Mercury unveiled the Montego on Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show. The sedan will be built at parent Ford Motor Co.'s Chicago assembly plant. The automaker further announced it will build a crossover vehicle that also will be produced at the Chicago plant. |
| Ford Predicts Auto Industry Will Continue to Drive U.S. Economy | 
Bill Ford addresses the Economic Club of Chicago. |
| | William Clay Ford Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Co., announced today that the automaker would create 400 to 600 more jobs than originally planned at its Chicago assembly plant and its nearby supplier campus. |
| New Tacoma Expands the Definition of ‘Compact’ Pickup | 
The 2005 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner is a high-performance offshoot of the Tacoma. |
| | Toyota continued its efforts to change the image of its pickup trucks as undersized with the release of the next-generation 2005 Tacoma compact pickup, which is bigger than its predecessor. |
| Small Truck Competition Heats Up With New Dakota’s Debut | 
The redesigned 2005 Dodge Dakota arrives in dealerships this fall. |
| | Today the Dodge group continued its several-year tradition of debuting new trucks at the Chicago Auto Show when Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler Group executive vice president of sales, marketing and service, unveiled the 2005 Dakota. Taking aim squarely at the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, as well as the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma, Eberhardt claimed the new Dakota would retain its place as the largest, most powerful and most capable pickup truck in its class. |
| Camry Solara Goes Tastefully Topless | 
Don Esmond hosted the 2004 Toyota Camry Solara convertible introduction. |
| | Toyota General Manager Don Esmond promised a “tasteful” presentation Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show, crossing his arms across his chest in a reference to Janet Jackson’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday and drawing a laugh from the assembled media. |
| Hyundai Enters Compact SUV Segment With Tucson | 
Ed Bradley describes the 2005 Hyundai Tucson's features. |
| | Hyundai broadened its sport utility vehicle lineup Wednesday with the introduction of the 2005 Tucson at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show. When it goes on sale in the United States in late summer 2004, it will join the company’s only other SUV, the Santa Fe. |
| BMW Celebrates Success in U.S. | 
Tom Purves addresses attendees at a breakfast hosted by the Midwest Automotive Media Association. |
| | Brand, brand, brand — that’s the key to BMW’s success, Tom Purves, chairman and chief executive officer of BMW North America, told attendees of the Midwest Automotive Media Association breakfast that opened press days at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show. |
| New Models to Battle Winter, Harken Summer Planned for Show | 
Mercury will unveil the Montego sedan, to be built in Chicago. |
| | Chicagoans fresh from the harshest weather of the season will find a spate of vehicles equipped for winter driving, along with sportier models holding the promise of summer fun, among the introductions planned for the Chicago Auto Show. |
|
