Chicago Auto Show renews hope in EVs, cars
Filed under: Weekly test drives, Features, Autos
Kia’s new electric EV6 is shown prominently at the current Chicago Auto Show.
By John Gilbert
CHICAGO, Ill.
There may be a better site for a revival than McCormick Place in Chicago, but it’s hard to think of a bigger one, particularly if it’s a revival of the nation’s auto show culture, which is showing signs of returning to normalcy with the currently running Chicago Auto Show, which will continue through this weekend and ends on February 21.
Auto shows took a beating, as did everything in this country, if not the world, and the common conjecture was that we may have seen the last of the major gatherings of the newest vehicles from all over the world in one large facility. Manufacturers have continued to overcome parts shortages and shipping woes and have moved onward and upward to meet the demands of a new world order, and the Chicago show is an example of our future driving concepts might shape up.
Perhaps the most significant change in tendencies is to move onward and upward from our consuming passion for all things SUV, and perhaps take a serious look at electric-powered vehicles. In Minnesota, major dealership spokesmen have tried to throw cold water on suggestions that automobiles might be shifting away from internal combustion powertrain toward electric motor operation. When you look into those dealer claims, however, you find that all of them are making huge profits selling big trucks and SUVs, and would just as soon leave the status quo where it stands.
Ford’s hot-selling Bronco adds a widened and strengthened Raptor model to go anywhere.
But if you get the chance to visit the Chicago Auto Show — which happens to be the oldest and largest-attended of the major U.S. shows that also include Los Angeles, Detroit and New York — you will find large gatherings at virtually every stand as consumers try to get closer looks and more information about the futuristic-looking array of EVs.
But you’d better hurry. A quick flight or drive to Chicago for a weekend walk around at McCormick Place can be done in a day, but only through President’s day on Monday, then it will close up shop. As it is, we might call this year’s show “Chicago Auto Show Light,” because some manufacturers have stayed away, possibly worried that the COVID-19 pandemic could knock out another round of the auto show circuit.
All-electric cars dominate the South Exhibition Hall of McCormick Place, where along with looking closely at the vehicles on display, you might get in line for a short on-site run around the short cone-lined course laid out on the paved floor. The Kia EV6, the BMW iXM60 flagship, and various other EVs did more than just show off all angles of their vehicles.
BMW’s new flagship is the iXM60 — pure electric and loaded with swiftness and luxury.
Kia and its South Korean partner and benefactor Hyundai both displayed numerous hybrids and EVs. At the Kia display, you could examine the basic chassis, exposed with its full-width battery pack that fills the whole lower area of the floorpan between the axles. Hyundai, Kia’s South Korean partner, has the same drivetrain in its new 2022 Ioniq5 models. Their drivetrains have a range of between 270-300 miles, and will recharge a large percentage of it in 15-20 minutes.
Nearly every manufacturer has their latest electric vehicle on display, and some have cars on the mini-track to offer examples of what driving an electric car will be like, for those who haven’t had the experience yet of the swiftness and silence.
The show kicked off with media preview days on February 10-11, leading into the show, which runs through Monday, February 21. One of the luxuries is that you can get a room at the connecting McCormick Place Hyatt, which means you can walk from your room to the arena itself without going outside into what is predictably a cold, harsh and windy experience.
A number of prominent companies — Mercedes, Audi, Honda, Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac, Genesis, Porsche, Mazda, and Tesla, for example — were nowhere to be seen. Those who did put up displays were very limited in the presentations they offered. Curiously, several companies generously gave out the very neat little carrying bags into which you can stash dozens of press brochures you acquire on your rounds of a typical show, but Hyundai was the only one that offered an actual brochure to show off its many impressive new models.
Of course, the move to electric is arriving in a glancing blow from the popularity of hybrid powertrains, which run a little bit on electric and have gas engines to keep the power on while also recharging your battery pack, resulting in unusually high fuel economy.
The LG Chem battery pack fits low and wide between the axles of Kia’s EV6, delivers nearly 300 miles of range and can recharge swiftly during a lunch stop.
The term “range anxiety” refers to the worry that your electric car might run out of juice before you get to either your destination or home — or at least a charging station where you can replenish its batteries. An ever-increasing number of battery companies and electric utilities are expanding almost by the week to place more and more charging and high-speed charging stations up, all around the country.
Here is a brief rundown of the new cars on display at Chicago’s show:
The new Corvette Z06 — the first Corvette with an engine lacking pushrods! It has a high-tech dual-overhead-cam, 5.5-liter V8 with 870 horsepower in the mid-engine machine. It is right next to Ford’s display with its original GT40 LeMans race car on a stand adjacent to the newest, and reportedly final, new Ford GT that looks like the old one grown up, with its mid-engine powertrain.
Historically a pushrod stalwart, the 2023 Corvette Z-06 will get a high-tech, DOHC 5.5-liter V8 with 870 mid-engined horsepower.
Of course, both Chevy and Ford have their latest offerings, and both have pure-electric full-size pickups on hand. Other eye-catchers are Lexus, with expanded versions of its flashy LC500 coupe and convertible. But after that, and the assorted Volkswagen Golf R and Arteon, plus new compact SUV fleet that includes the Taos, Hyundai and Kia were among the few stressing cars.
The focus on trucks has not diminished, of course. Ram held a presentation for its special-service debut of the fire department first-responder red pickup; Chevy showed off its new Silverado, which now includes a new electric version; Toyota displayed its new Tundra and Tacoma, and large SUV 2023 Sequoia and had a meaningful presentation; GMC had a display mounted by a white Hummer EV, with a bed in back; Jeep showed off a variety of Grand Cherokees and the new Grand Wagoneer; Hyundai had its new Santa Cruz and Tucson; sKia its new Sportage’ and Ford, as usual, took the truck lead. Along with its array of F-150s, Ford showed its hybrid and its electric Lightning, and its hard-to-get Maverick with hybrid power. Its feature though was the difficult to get Bronco Sport in Raptor trim — bright orange, on a pretend rocky peak with its doors removed, presumably ready to take on Jeep’s best. Along with the widened and toughened Raptor Bronco Sport, Ford unveiled the new Bronco Everglade — a well-trimmed model with a winch in front, and the ability to drive through water 34.6 inches deep, probably in pursuit of alligators. Kia also presented a display with the new EV9, but that overlaps into our electric category.
The rush toward EV (electric vehicles) may not have taken over yet, but the momentum is building, and virtually every week you hear about new high-speed charging locations as they spread across the country. BMW, for example, is offering free charging for the first two years you own your BMW EV. We know Mercedes and Audi have a lot going on in EVs, so they were spotting BMW a stronghold by not appearing.
Better late than…Toyota jumps into EV class with the bZ4X concept car.
For pure EVs, the list shows: Volkswagen’s iD.4 and Golf e; Mustang had a couple Mustang Mach e models; the aforementioned Hyundai Ioniq5 and compact Kona EV, plus its all-new Tucson, rivaling Kia, which showed the EV6 and the Niro EVs amid several hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, and had a concept EV9 for those needing more room; Nissan displayed its new Ariya EV, Toyota had a Rhombus concept vehicle and its new bZ4X sporty car, and Subaru had a very impressive display featuring newly enlarged models and a new Solterra EV. Those are just some of the newest EVs ready to hit the market.
Hopefully, some of them will overcome the publicized resentment some dealers have shown toward Gov. Tim Walz, who had the wherewithal to adopt the California emission laws that will push for more more timely switchovers to electric power. In that case, more
The Hummer is reborn as a GMC pure-electric SUV with a pickup bed.
may come up to the Minneapolis show, which is basically a regional dealership presentation. Otherwise, you can hurry and get to Chicago in time to catch the final days of the Chicago Auto Show.
We’ll get to test most if not all of the newest models in upcoming weeks and months, but for now, pictures can be better than words.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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