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Today was Social Media Day at the Chicago Auto Show, which granted entry to guys like me who like cars and have a Social Media presence.  I got my invite from the Chicago Region of the BMW Car Club of America.  Hope they invite me again as this was the best way to see the show.  The crowds were non existent and the manufacturers had their reps on hand to actually talk to you about their products as well as listen to your comments.I started off by visiting the Jeep display, because I have one and also because Jeep is now offering AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) equipment in the Mopar catalog.  The rep was interested in my opinion of the new engine (haven’t driven one) as well as how I felt about my 2011 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon as a whole (like it a lot, but dangerously weak headlights).From there I went to Nissan and got an eyeful about the Leaf, their all electric vehicle.  If they could only install the charger inside the car and only require a cord, it would be truly practical as an around town car.  The new Pathfinder didn’t work for me as it is starting to look more like a minivan than a capable off road truck.The world class race facility Road America is at the show with a booth of their own for the first time.  Previous years they had relied on the Chicago Region of the Sports Car Club of America to pass out schedules and promote racing, but the SCCA’s booth was always in some dark corner of the show that they thought a booth of their own was needed.  Race attendance is down so get out there and enjoy a day in the sunshine.Porsche was back, although maybe it was the huge amount of snow we got right before the show last year which kept them away.  The new Cayman R (or was it S?) looked like a fun track day car.  Not sure why it was locked and the $125000.00 Carrera wasn’t.  Does anybody want that goofy looking 4 door Panamera?  Looks like somebody stepped on it.Jag is there with their new XK.  Forgot to get a photo.  Didn’t want my wife to find out they make a convertible version.The American car manufacturers had plenty of square footage and lots of cars, but nothing new, just hotrod models of their already fast cars.  Although Chevrolet did have separate spaces for the Cruze and Sonic (along with a Sonic concept car).Audi has S models returning in the fall!  S4, S6 (or was it an RS6?), S7 and even an S8 were on display.Mercedes Benz has brought AMG models of a few of their cars, most notably in my mind is the E63 AMG wagon. However if money were no object, I would still buy the AMG G wagen.  Where do I put the machine gun ports?I know I have missed your favorite.  That always happens.  So I guess the answer is to go to the show yourself. #gallery-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } Ford Boss 302 Fiat 500 Abarth Road America – Elkhart Lake, WI Kia concept Subaru BRZ Scion Xb Scion Xb Ford Shelby Cobra Hyundai Veloster Porsche Carrera Porsche Cayman S Lexus Volvo concept Chevrolet Sonic concept Chevrolet Sonic concept     » original news

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Chicago Auto Show 2012 was originally published by Audi: News, Blogs and Reviews - Recent. Read the full story by clicking here.