The Ice Crew

     With all of the fun going on at the Chicago Auto Show, even the Blackhawks had to get involved. The team is sponsoring a family fun area in the Northwest corner of the South Hall. It features a B96 stage, games, cars, and even a table where Chicago sports stars are making appearances throughout the show. Daniel Carcillo was there earlier in the week, and Dan Hampton will be there coming up. Also making appearances throughout the show are the Blackhawks Ice Crew. The Ice Crew is a team of "creative, energetic cheerleaders who want to give [Hawks] fans the ultimate hockey experience". They make appearances at home games throughout the year, as well as special events(like the Auto Show for instance). They were also posing for pictures and I got one:

     Along with the appearance being made, there was a specially branded Blackhawks vehicle on display as well. The Auto Show continues through Sunday, with much more to see and experience.

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Getting Smart at the Show

     Tucked away in one corner of the Mercedes-Benz exhibit are curious little vehicles going under the smart brand. They look kind of like this:

     These vehicles have been in production since the 1990s, but they've only been available in the American market on a large scale since 2008. At the beginning of 2009, interested buyers were required to pay a $99 reservation fee and spend 12 months on a waiting list in order to buy one of these vehicles. 6 months later, there was no waiting list, and buyers could purchase a vehicle right at the dealership. smart has had a presence at the Auto Show for the past few years, further exposing consumers to the benefits of owning such a car.

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Fun with Ford

     One of the major exhibitors at this year's Chicago Auto Show is Ford. And while they have all the normal auto show stuff you'd expect (cars and other displays) they also have two interactive experiences for attendees to enjoy. The first one is a custom-designed pinball machine celebrating 50 years of the Ford Mustang(an anniversary that came around last year). Here's what it looks like:

     You can play it at the show to your heart's content and enjoy the narration provided by an actual professional race car driver, but here's the cool part: You can take the experience home with you! That's right, Stern Pinball is selling these bad boys. They'll send you your very own model for the modest price of $5,995! What a steal!

     Also featured at the show is the Ford Performance Simulator. This gives attendees the chance to experience what it is like to drive one of Ford's High-Performance vehicles. Here is a video from the simulator being used at last year's show:

     These cool experiences are just two more of the many things that you'll find at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, which runs through Sunday at McCormick Place.

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Toyota Goes Back To The Future

     The biggest hype over Back To The Future in the past year has been October 21, 2015 and it's prediction about the Cubs. Back To The Future Day came and went with many a commemoration, and the Cubs failed to win the World Series. But 2 elements from that movie are present at this year's Auto Show. First off, let's look back at an iconic scene from the movie(pardon the double vision):

     If you ever wondered what kind of truck Marty got at the end, turns out it was a black Toyota Tundra. And yes, Toyota is displaying an updated version of that same car at this year's Chicago Auto Show. Sitting right next to it is a concept vehicle, one that is supposed to be quite environmentally friendly. It is set up like the DeLorean from this scene up above, right down to the gull-wing doors and Mr. Fusion generator. Alas, the production vehicle does not include the Mr. Fusion or the gull-wing doors, but it still makes for a cool tribute. Stay tuned for more cool things going on at the Chicago Auto Show, which continues on through this Sunday.

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Kicking Things Into OverDryve

     When you think of Rand McNally, you probably think of maps. Or those big honkin' road atlases that your parents always used on road trips. Well, not anymore. Like everybody else who is looking to run a profitable business in 2016, Rand McNally has stepped into the 21st Century. Nowadays the company offers a full line of GPS devices that do everything that we've come to expect them to do. But Rand McNally has just upped their game. At the Media Preview for the Chicago Auto Show back on Thursday, Rand McNally announced...OVERDRYVE. OverDryve is a car-connected tablet that gives directions, recommendations, and SO much more. The following is only a small list of what OverDryve has to offer:  

* A voice-controlled smart assistant 

* Hands-free calling and texting 

* Music from drivers' favorite sources 

* Audible news, weather, traffic and sports 

* Forward collision warnings 

* A dash camera and available high-resolution wireless backup camera 

* Customizable gauge clusters and vehicle information 

* Available tire pressure monitoring 

* Award-winning trip planning and navigation 

* An FM radio 

* Wired and wireless connectivity to in-dash radios 

* And available roadside assistance and accident notification

     One of the more unique things about the OverDryve is its unique dual-use potential. When in use in the car, it is magnetically attached to a mounting base on the dashboard. But for 'away missions' it can be detached from its base and be transformed into a state of the art entertainment tablet, with all of the amenities we've come to expect(video capability, the internet, etc...). Rand McNally has been driving innovation forward in the world of maps and mapmaking for 160 years, and the arrival of OverDryve leaves them well-positioned to do that far into the 21st Century and beyond.

Safe Driving AND Life Rolling On: Auto Show Preview #3

This morning the National Road Safety Foundation gave out their Drive Safe Chicago awards, which rewards excellence in creating innovative content to ensure driving safety. The first honoree was an outlet called Text Ninja, which enables non-distracted driving by automatically putting phones in what amounts to airplane mode via the connectivity technology in cars. The phones don't even give a message notification, allowing completely distraction-free driving. In addition, an automatic response is sent to the texter to indicate that the intended recipient is driving. Next up, there was an awards presentation. Three area high schoolers had an opportunity to produce an anti-distracted driving commercial. After a quick presentation, the finalists were brought up on stage where they had a chance to present their ads. The winner was announced, and the press conference was over. Then we went over to Ford's exhibit, where the representative was talking about upcoming innovations in the Market. Then she called over the founder of Life Rolls On, a group founded by Jesse Billauer. The goal of this group is to provide adaptive experiences to folks with disabilities. Jesse was present to talk about a new accessible SUV(the first of its kind). The auto show is going well, with more to come.

LIVE from the Media Center: Auto Show Preview #2

     Right now, Room N426 at McCormick Place is abuzz with activity. Journalists are filing stories, reporters are filing spots for Newsradio 780, the Media Team is busy handing out credentials, bags, and tickets for tonight's event, and I'm right here in the middle of it!

I'm also auditioning for a part in Zoolander 3 apparently.

     Time to hit the floor to check out the cool stuff this year's show has to offer, but I'll be back with plenty more updates today, tomorrow, and for the duration of the 2016 Chicago Auto Show.

New Cars and Old Rappers: Auto Show Preview #1

     It's that time of year again. Starting on Saturday, 1 Million square feet of vehicles will be on display at McCormick Place for the 108th Chicago Auto Show. Even though the public won't get to see the show till Saturday, there are several days worth of Media previews beforehand. Tonight I attended a Nissan welcome event for the media. The centerpiece of the night was the new 2017 Nissan Armada. I spoke briefly with one of the Nissan representatives at the party about this new vehicle:

     But that wasn't the only thing going on. Oh no. There was a GREAT selection of food, including such delicacies as a tater tot bar, Fried mashed potatoes, shrimp quesadillas, and a whole host of other foods. On the way out I even got my picture taken!

     But that's not the only pre-show buzz. In a press release put out a few days ago, Toyota announced that they would be bringing the musical stylings of Doug E. Fresh to their Auto Show stage on Saturday. Cause it isn't a true auto show without a Barbadian beat-boxer, right? Something like that. I'll be at Friday's media preview as well as most of the public show itself, so you can expect many more updates through the end of the show on the 21st.

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