Big Trucks Abound in the City of Big Shoulders

International uncovered its MXT concept, the smallest of the company's three giant-sized pickup trucks.

Chicago’s own International Truck and Engine Corp. unveiled its MXT, a behemoth with the ability to tow up to three regular-size pickup trucks. It uses the hulking cab of an International commercial truck but the entire vehicle is lowered. It comes with four-wheel drive and a diesel engine that delivers 300 horsepower and 530 lbs.-ft. of torque as well as a towing capacity of 16,000 pounds.

The MXT, which has piqued the interest of the U.S. military as well as government agencies such as the border patrol, will be sold at retail, ranging from $69,900 to $85,000, beginning this summer.

Dee Kapur, president of International’s truck group, kiddingly noted that the MXT costs far less than the $400,000 Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR displayed across the aisleway at the Chicago Auto Show and can haul one of the SLRs in its pickup bed, tow another few behind it and still achieve the same fuel economy in the mid-teens.

This is only the third pickup to be introduced by the company, which has roots that go back to the 1830’s in building agricultural equipment. Two years ago International rolled out its first pickup, the megasize CXT. It followed that up with the slightly smaller RXT last year. Although it is still quite large, the MXT is the smallest of the company’s three pickups.

2007 Toyota Tundra + click to enlarge | view slideshow >

In more truck news, Toyota took the wraps off its much-anticipated Tundra full-size pickup, which takes direct aim at the top-selling Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado. The Tundra is a 2007 model that goes on sale in about a year.

The new Tundra is bigger and bolder in design, as Toyota had promised. It will come in more versions than the current Tundra, which was first introduced in 1999. And, the new one is more rugged than the current one, targeted to what Toyota calls “true truckers.” They are the opinion leaders among full-size truck owners who “use, punish and demand the most out of the pickups they buy,” said Jim Lentz, Toyota’s group vice president and general manager.

To that end, Toyota will not display the Tundra on its regular stand at the Chicago show. Rather, it is presenting the Tundra Territory experience in a ballroom at McCormick Place. Leading into the ballroom, Toyota has constructed an imitation logging camp and ranch to suggest the Tundra’s ruggedness.

While Toyota’s Lentz claims the Toyota will set new benchmarks in the truck category in terms of power, the automaker refused to give horsepower and torque figures. Toyota will offer a new 5.7-liter V8 engine in the Tundra as well as a 4.0-liter V6 and a 4.7-liter V8.

One number that Toyota revealed — the Tundra’s 10,000-plus-pound towing capacity — did impress the journalists attending the press conference. Consumers looking for a truck that can haul a boat or horse trailer may be impressed as well.

The Tundra will come in three cab configurations. In all, it will be offered in more than 30 different models, nearly double the current one.

Despite the dominance of big trucks, some cars were also introduced.

Volkswagen of America held the North American debut of the Golf, which goes on sale as a 2007 model this summer.

2007 Volkswagen Golf + click to enlarge | view slideshow >

Introduced first in the U.S. in 1974 as the Rabbit, the Golf is one of the world’s bestselling cars in history and is the perennial bestseller in Europe. David Wicks, Volkswagen of America director of sales, said at the company’s press conference here that the Golf set a milestone on Aug. 11, 2005, when production hit 24 million over its lifetime, surpassing the Volkswagen Beetle and Ford Model T. The Toyota Corolla retains the No. 1 spot for most vehicles produced in history. About 2,100 Golfs are built daily worldwide, Wicks said.

In the U.S., the Golf is not as popular as the sportier GTI, the newest version of which officially goes on sale Feb. 11, though a few hundred have already been sold. Still, the Golf is important to VW as it is “the entry point to the brand,” noted Wicks.

The fifth-generation Golf has been a long time in coming to the U.S. It went on sale in Europe in October 2003. Its import to the U.S. has been delayed due to efforts to meet U.S. emissions standards and the weak dollar against the Euro, which made it too expensive to bring the Wolfsburg, Germany-built small car to the U.S., a VW spokesman said.

The U.S. version of the hatchback comes in two- and four-door versions. It is powered by a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine that generates 150 horsepower and is paired with five-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic with Tiptronic for manual shifting of the automatic. Standard features include anti-lock brakes, traction control, front side airbags, side curtain airbags, manual climate control and anti-theft alarm with remote locking. Among the options are electronic stability program.

Price was not announced though a VW spokesman said consumers can expect the Golf to start at about $16,000, approximately the price of the current model.

The Golf brings to four the number of new vehicles introduced in the U.S. by VW in the past year. It joins the new Jetta, Passat and the GTI.

In the fall, VW brings to the U.S. the midsize Touareg sport utility vehicle with a V10 diesel engine and the Eos, a four-passenger convertible with a retractable hardtop. As it introduces new models, VW has ended imports of the Phaeton, the pricey flagship sedan that failed to attract sufficient buyers. The only Phaetons left for sale are those on dealer lots.

2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca + click to enlarge | view slideshow >

Subaru of America revealed the 2007 B9 Tribeca with its weird front end toned down somewhat, though only slightly. Subaru also adds a new rollover sensor system to detect a potential rollover and deploy the standard side curtain airbags. A rear vision camera is a new option. A new special edition package, which adds $1,295 to the $30,695 price tag, includes XM Satellite radio. 

2006 BMW M Roadster + click to enlarge | view slideshow >

BMW hauled out roadsters from its past to display at the Chicago Auto Show. They include the Z3 that starred in the James Bond film, “Golden Eye,” the first Z3, and the Neiman-Marcus James Bond Z3 developed for the 1995 Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalogue. BMW has updated its Z4 roadster this year and added the M roadster. A coupe version of the Z4 arrives in June.

Honda captured yet another award. MotorWeek, the weekly automotive televisions program, announced the Honda Civic as the 2006 MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Award, which was presented at the show.

Read more ForbesAutos.com coverage of the 2006 Chicago Auto Show.