Breakfast at MAMA's

     Kicking off Day 1 of the Media Preview, the Midwest Automotive Media Association hosted its annual breakfast for the attending media. After we made our selections from the buffet(bacon, eggs, and sausage links for the win!), we were welcomed by Jill Ciminillo, president of MAMA. After assuring us that her recent election to the position was in no way influenced by the Russians, she proceeded to offer a brief remembrance of Jim Mateja, a Chicago Tribune auto writer who founded MAMA in 1991. Mateja had just recently passed away at the end of January, and his impact on MAMA and the auto industry as a whole will live on. The discussion next shifted to awards. The Family Vehicle of the Year is a coveted honor in the industry, and the 2017 Award was given to the Chrysler Pacifica. Then we came to the Keynote Address, which was delivered by Ralph Giles, the head of design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Giles oversees the design process for the entire Fiat Chrysler organization, so he is quite a knowledgeable source to talk about the future of automobiles. He shared with us several new trends in the automotive brands of Fiat, and gave us some glimpses of very interesting concept vehicles. With many more brands hosting media events at the Preview over the next two days, interesting things are doubtlessly in store.