Chicago Auto Show

Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his sons, saw lots of new products.

I noticed that more and more vehicles are coming with low profile tires as factory equipment, and many new vehicles have the C-pillar moved back behind the rear strut perch, to about the middle of the deck lid. The result is a more aerodynamic appearance but lower head clearance when getting into and out of the back seat. Hard-top convertibles are becoming more common - Volvo had a new one at the show, besides the Lexus, Mercedes, etc. ones already available.

The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.

The Yaris will come in a 2-door hatchback and 4 door sedan and is nicer looking in person than in pictures. It is less quirky-looking than the Echo or Scion xA and should be a decent seller.

The 2007 Tundra is completely re-styled and will have a 5.7 liter V-8 engine, assembled in Princeton, IN and at the new plant in Texas. The hood dips down a little over the headlights, similar to past Dodge pickups. The

10,000 lb. towing capacity is a big improvement over the current Tundra. While it is a nice truck, I do not think it will convert many buyers from Ford, GM, and Dodge trucks. It may convert some Nissan Titan buyers.

The FJ Cruiser on display had an estimated MSRP

Reply to
Ray O
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I'm tired of hearing these exaggerated mileage claims. I have NEVER, in my life, no matter how ell I maintained a vehicle, no matter how new it was even came REMOTELY close to the claimed mileage figure.

Reply to
Sharx35
  1. Lucky Bast...
  2. Thanks for the run-down. I guess I should have gone to the Boston show, Eh?

Reply to
Hachiroku

Thanks for the detailed post.

Reply to
Art

What this all goes to show is that Japan is as out of touch with what American males want as Detroit is.... Give us a midsize pickup with a

350 cid pushrod V8.
Reply to
Bret Ludwig

Had you gone 15-20 years ago, you might have run into me handing out bags!

Reply to
Ray O

My pleasure (really!)

Reply to
Ray O

It is not maintenance that determines your mileage. It is payload, driving conditions, and most importantly, driving technique. I have driven over 100 different Toyotas and I always get at or better than the EPA mileage figures. I believe there are others in this group who routinely get equal to or better than EPA figures in Toyotas.

Reply to
Ray O

Good report.

Reply to
dizzy

Have you ever stopped to think that you're too dull-witted to use a calculator?

Reply to
dizzy

I forgot to mention that I was very impressed that Lincoln Mercury had a sign language interpreter signing while the male model gave his pitch. It is the first and only time I have seen this and thought that it was very considerate.

Reply to
Ray O

thanks!

Reply to
Ray O

THAT qualification would make me a LIEbrawl, a DEMONrat or both.

If DEMONrats used calculators they just might understand that one does NOT cure poverty by throwing money at it.

Reply to
Sharx35

Most informative Ray thanks...

Reply to
Gord Beaman

You, Middle-aged Asian-American Guy, were once a "Booth Babe"?!? Who'da thunk it?... Must have /really/ good legs... That's a picture that'll be seared on my retinas... ;-P

(I could take this a LOT further, but I'll be nice and stop here. Not that you have to explain the maniacal laughter coming from your office or anything - they already know...) ;-)

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

You're welcome

Reply to
Ray O

Sorry, but that's not it - because the old pushrod models were fuel drinkers. Like it or not, OHC is here to stay until they come up with something better.

We want a truck that gets up and moves LIKE it has a big engine when we see a vehicle approaching on a potential collision course and need to do the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" and be somewhere else, NOW. You can do this with proper design and/or forced induction.

If I call up the engine room to order up Flank Speed and get an answering machine - "Your call is important to us, please hold..."

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

My experience with CAFE figures generally, and I buy a lot of vehicles, is that one will get 2 to 4 MPG better than the highway figure when driving exclusively on the highway and 3 to 4 MPG fewer than the city mileage when diving exclusively in the city ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

LOL! Besides the models and dealership salespersons, Toyota has at least one Toyota employee at the show to make sure the salespersons are doing their job, answer questions that the salespersons do not know the answer to, and to take care of any problems with the displays. You do get to meet all sorts of people and handle some unusual situations. I've had to separate salesmen who were arguing over who was going to work with a very pretty young lady, pull mangled tapes out of VCRs, and politely tell a guy who claimed that he tore his snakeskin cowboy boots on the corner of one of the displays that he should have obeyed the signs that said "keep off displays." When the show is over, getting the cars out of there is a challenge because the gas tanks have usually been drained by order of the fire department and customers pull pieces out of the engine compartment and dash that are needed to start engines.

The San Francisco auto show is held around Thanksgiving, and when I was first hired, I got Thanksgiving day for the first two years because I was low man on the totem pole and didn't have any family in the S.F. Bay area. I'd moved up enough on the totem pole that I didn't have to work the shows during my last few years. The Boston regional office covered the Boston, MA and Providence RI shows. The nice part about working the shows is preferred parking, the bad part is that you are so busy that you generally do not get to see any displays but your own.

Reply to
Ray O

Mike,

How do you like the Zephyr compared to the LS?

Reply to
Ray O

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