Chicago Auto Show

  • Volkswagen ID Neo concept, 2016 Paris auto show

    Last summer, Volkswagen Group chairman Dr. Herbert Diess said that he doesn’t believe new-car shows will exist (in their present form) a decade from now, and that “motor shows are dead.” You might think Volkswagen of America didn't get the memo. This year it's investing more of its marketing dollars in auto shows, and it will have a presence at 60 auto shows. It also sees them as a pivotal step to get more people interested in their upcoming electric cars. The discord wasn’t lost on VW's U.S. officials, who attempted to explain the distinction last week at the Chicago...

  • 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
    2019 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid video preview

    As they say: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The first Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, launched for 2011, wasn't one of the better examples of the class for drivability. But Hyundai has updated its mid-size hybrid three times since then, with each generation getting markedly better. DON'T...

  • 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
    2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid released at Chicago auto show

    What the auto industry calls a "mid-cycle refresh" can range from indistinguishable to very evident. The 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid falls into the latter category, with new front and rear styling, changes to the interior and dashboard, and numerous added safety and connectivity features. The hybrid...

  • 2018 Lexus RX L, 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show
    2018 Lexus RX 450hL hybrid three-row SUV priced from $51,600

    Lexus invented the idea of a luxury hybrid utility vehicle in a version of its RX crossover well over a decade ago, but sales haven't been strong of late. Cheap gasoline, better fuel efficiency from all types of vehicles due to rising CAFE rules, and a lack of interest in hybrids have all hurt the...

  • 2019 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
    2019 Ford Transit Connect Wagon gets "EcoBlue" diesel option, no hybrid so far

    The last time Ford released a new hybrid or plug-in electric model was for the 2013 model year, and that's a long time ago in electric-car years. Detroit's second-largest automaker continues to work on boosting the fuel-economy ratings of its vehicle lineup, however. The latest example is a new...

  • 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT Sport
    2018 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback unveiled at Chicago auto show

    Over the last 10 years, the Hyundai Elantra has emerged into the top tier of compact sedans, joining longstanding leaders like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta as well as more recent contenders like the Chevrolet Cruze and Subaru Impreza. The last-generation Elantra...

  • 2017 Kia Niro, 2016 Chicago Auto Show

    The 2017 Kia Niro "hybrid utility vehicle" revealed this morning at the Chicago Auto Show marks the South Korean brand's ambitious entry into dedicated hybrids. While dedicated hybrids have traditionally been hatchbacks--think Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, even the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt--none have yet been designed as crossover utility vehicles. Even better, Kia promises that there's a Niro plug-in hybrid version coming after the conventional hybrid launches late this year. DON'T MISS: 2017 Kia Optima Hybrids: Details On 27-Mile Plug-In Hybrid Given that the larger, heavier Kia Optima...

  • Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV
    Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV Full-Size Plug-In Hybrid SUV: Chicago Auto Show

    At today's Chicago Auto Show, Mitsubishi showed off a new concept for a full-size SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Called the Concept GC-PHEV, the large and angular design exercise had previously been seen at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show last fall, but its appearance in Chicago represented its...

  • 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
    2016 Chevrolet Equinox: Updated SUV Unveiled At 2015 Chicago Auto Show

    The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox gets a handful of styling and trim changes.

  • Kia Trail'ster Concept, 2015 Chicago Auto Show
    Kia Trail'ster e-AWD Soul Hybrid Concept Unveiled At Chicago Auto Show

    At the very first automaker press conference of the Chicago Auto Show, Kia pulled the wraps off its Trail'ster Concept: an all-wheel-drive hybrid versions of its Soul that uses an electric motor to power the rear wheels. Bolder styling cues, a ride height more than 2 inches higher, and a fully...

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV concept, 2015 Detroit Auto Show
    GM Officially Confirms It Will Build Chevy Bolt Electric Car With 200-Mile Range

    Six days ago, Reuters broke the story that GM would indeed build and sell the Chevrolet Bolt electric car, but that production would start late next year--not in 2017 as previously expected. This morning, the company's North America President, Alan Batey, officially confirmed at the Chicago Auto...

  • Kia Trail'ster Concept teaser image, 2015 Chicago Auto Show
    Kia Trail'ster Concept In Chicago: New 'DE' Dedicated Hybrid SUV? (UPDATED)

    Kia has now issued another teaser photo of the "rugged runabout" crossover utility vehicle concept it will unveil next week at the Chicago Auto Show, and it now has a name: the Kia Trail'ster Concept. The photo shows the rear of the vehicle on a dirt road, with an upswept black bumper shield and...

  • Kia 2015 Chicago Auto Show teaser image

    Kia will unveil a concept car with electric all-wheel drive at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.

  • 2015 Kia Soul EV launch at 2014 Chicago Auto Show
    2015 Kia Soul EV: Details From Execs Who Brought It To The U.S.

    The upcoming 2015 Kia Soul EV is not only the Korean carmaker's first battery-electric vehicle sold in the U.S., it's also one of less than a dozen all-electric cars offered for sale. Launched last week at the Chicago Auto Show, it adds a new and much greener model to the very popular second...

  • 2015 Kia Soul EV launch at 2014 Chicago Auto Show
    2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car: Chicago Auto Show Live Photos

    Yes, they're still selling these things with hamsters. If you can get over the rodent-based adverts, Kia's new electric Soul, the 2015 Soul EV, is quite an interesting vehicle, and it's the first electric car sold by Kia in the U.S. It's making its debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, and gives...

  • Nissan & Cummins Frontier Diesel Runner, 2014 Chicago Auto Show
    Nissan, Cummins Present Frontier Diesel Project At Chicago Auto Show

    More and more automakers are slotting diesel engines into pickup trucks, and at this year's Chicago Auto Show Nissan and Cummins have made one of the most compact yet, the Frontier Diesel Runner. Based on the Frontier Desert Runner 4x2, Nissan has dropped a 2.8-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine into...

  • 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid
    2014 Kia Optima Hybrid Updated: Aerodynamic Tweaks And More

    The 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid was unveiled at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show.

  • 2015 Kia Soul EV
    2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Unveiled At Chicago Auto Show

    Call it electric Soul: Kia took the wraps off its first electric car to be sold in the U.S. this morning, officially launching the 2015 Kia Soul EV at the Chicago Auto Show. The Soul EV was one of three Kia vehicles featured at the Chicago show. It was shown alongside the Kia Niro Concept, a hybrid...

  • Kia Niro concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show

    Kia's Niro concept, a subcompact-sized urban hybrid, is making its U.S. debut at the Chicago Auto Show today. First unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Niro points the way to possible future models for Kia, a potential rival for models like the Nissan Juke and upcoming Honda Fit-based crossover. It's the latest take on Kia's ever-evolving design language, so while the front grille will be familiar to owners of existing Kia products, the rest of the car is very different. Kia describes it as "ready to take on the city environment with style and a fun-to-drive attitude", which...

  • 2015 Chevrolet City Express van, 2014 Chicago Auto Show
    2015 Chevrolet City Express Small Van Launched At Chicago Auto Show

    Chevrolet has announced full details of its 2015 City Express van, launched at this year's Chicago Auto Show. Basically a rebadged version of Nissan's NV200 van--best-known in its more fenestrated guise as New York City's "Taxi of Tomorrow"--the City Express promises greater fuel efficiency than...

  • Ford C-Max Solar Energi Concept at CES 2014
    2014 Chicago Auto Show: Green-Car Preview

    Chicago isn't as big as some annual auto shows, and at this year's show green vehicles are a little thin on the ground--March's Geneva Motor Show will provide more to that effect. Nevertheless there are a few significant vehicles set to appear in Chicago, so we've pieced together a green car...

  • Henrik Fisker speaking at Economic Club of Chicago luncheon, 2013 Chicago Auto Show
    Henrik Fisker, A Comment On New Investors? 'Absolutely...Not'

    Last week's Chicago Auto Show had relatively few debuts; the Chevrolet Cruze diesel and a redesigned Toyota Tundra pickup truck were the most noteworthy. But the featured speaker at a luncheon thrown by the Economic Club of Chicago drew a full room: Henrik Fisker, cofounder of struggling startup...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, 2013 Chicago Auto Show [photo: Steve Fecht for Chevrolet]
    2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel: More Details From Chicago Show

    Three years after the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan was launched as a 2011 model, it gains a new model with a diesel engine for 2014--although there appears to be some confusion over just what that variant is called. The turbodiesel sedan was launched at the Chicago Auto Show last Thursday. Absent...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, 2013 Chicago Auto Show [photo: Brian Kersey for Chevrolet]
    2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel: Chicago Live Photos

    As one of two new U.S.-built diesels going on sale in 2013, the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is a hugely important car. Chevy launched the Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel (to use its full, rather awkward title) earlier this morning at the Chicago Auto Show, and now we can bring you photos of the car from...

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