New Models Soon to Bluster in Chicago

Trucks and the promotion of ethanol as an alternative fuel were the major themes at the Chicago Auto Show last year, and it looks like those themes may carry over to this year’s show, held at McCormick Place and open to the public Friday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 18. Admission is $10 for adults and free for children 6 and under.

Toyota will have a busy show in Chicago after a relatively subdued presence at the recent Detroit auto show. The company is set to show the redesigned 2008 version of its midsize Highlander in both regular and hybrid versions. It will be based on the new Avalon platform.

Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand will also show off two new vehicles, the successor to the boxy but beloved xB and an all-new xD compact sedan. Both Scion models, which will be unveiled on Feb. 8, will be simultaneously unveiled in the virtual world of the popular Second Life online game.

Saturn will show off its new 2008 Astra hatchback in Chicago, which looks just as good as its twin, the Opel Astra, unveiled last summer. (Opel is a European subsidiary of General Motors.) If these twins were any closer, they’d be conjoined, but there’s no doubt that the shapely three- and five-door hatchbacks look better than the entry-level Ion they will replace.

There are talks of Ford showing off a revised Freestyle SUV, redone in the mode of the recent Five Hundred sedan makeover, which includes a Fusion-like grille, larger 3.5-liter V6 engine and less bland styling overall.

Nissan is also set to show a revised nose and styling bits for its full-size Titan pickup in an attempt to weather the hit many expect the new full-size Toyota Tundra to inflict on the Titan’s sales.

Hummer will unveil its 2007 Victory Red Hummer H2. The limited-edition package features a bold red paint job and a bevy of add-ons, including a rear-mounted camera to assist in backing up the vehicle.   

DaimlerChrysler may tout three trucks in Chicago, with revisions to the Dodge Dakota midsize and Ram full-size pickup trucks, as well as a new Sprinter full-size work van that gets an even taller interior that would be fit for an NBA center.

The Chicago show’s big thunder may come from General Motors, who plans to show off a large rear-wheel-drive competitor to the Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300 in Pontiac guise called the G8. Some reports claim the G8 is based on the latest-generation Holden Commodore sedan that recently went on sale in Australia, although nothing’s been made official yet.

Though this new 2008 model will likely be imported initially, some expect that it will eventually be built in North America, perhaps in a next-generation version, with production shifting to the Oshawa, Ontario, plant by 2009, as reported in the Detroit Free Press recently. GM has already confirmed that Oshawa will build the upcoming Camaro and Camaro Convertible, and the G8 is said to share the Camaro’s Zeta platform with various other upcoming models, including the Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo and Pontiac GTO.

For more coverage of the Chicago show, check back next week.