Feb. 25--Ford enchanted the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, earning three of the five best in show awards bestowed by auto experts and show attendees.
"Best of Show voting has become a benchmark measure for our exhibiting manufacturers, and winning in any category is quite significant," said John Webb, chairman of the show.
The Ford GT supercar, sheathed in silver and eliciting comparisons to jet plane styling, won best all-new production vehicle from automotive experts, edging out the Acura NSX supercar and Mercedes-Benz AMG GT sports coupe.
Launched in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit the stunning Ford GT was a late addition to Ford's exhibit in Chicago, announced less than two weeks before the preview.
It wasn't just some well-executed PR suspense that elevated the GT, the halo of Ford's performance division. Last built in 2006, the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 supercar that is expected to hit the $200,000 mark and be sold in limited quantity drew crowds throughout the nine public days of the show.
Ford had no problem attracting crowds to other areas. Between the hourly 150-mph revving of the 2015 Ford Mustang 5.0-liter GT that was hooked up to a dynamometer, the irrepressible and eerie Hank the Robot who charmed crowds before enticing them with $50 cash for taking a test drive, and the little truckers display of seven mini F-150s to be driven by toddlers and chased by parents, Ford edged out Jeep for the best exhibit.
Most notably, attendees voted the Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 as the car "I'd most like to have in my driveway."
BMW's i8 plug-in hybrid supercar earned best green car honors, and the Toyota FT-1 supercar inexplicably beat the Buick Avenir as best concept. C'mon, "auto experts," the FT-1 is old news.
The 2015 Chicago Auto Show wasn't just a win for Ford but for all exhibitors. Attendance was up seven percent from the snowstorm-plagued 2014 show, which also had one more public day than this year. Attendance was down slightly from 2013, but the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA), who produces the show, doesn't release sales numbers, just statements.
"From where we were several years ago, it feels really good," CATA President Dave Sloan. "Automakers are doing a great job making displays more interactive."
It's got to feel good for area dealers. A reported 55 percent of showgoers intend to buy a car in the following 12 months, according to polling data from the 2014 show. And the vehicles that debuted at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show are more likely to be purchased by consumers than the performance cars that launched in Detroit and the luxury models that grace the Los Angeles Auto Show circuit in November.
Whereas Detroit averages over 40 product world debuts, and Los Angeles might have more than 25, the Chicago Show gets about six. For automakers, it can be an opportunity to grab the spotlight.
"Automakers get a lot more attention because they're not competing with as many vehicles as Detroit," said David Thomas, managing editor of Cars.com, which is a sponsor of the show. "The Honda Pilot was one of the most popular searches of the season for us."
The redesigned 2016 Pilot stood out among refreshed models such as the Acura RDX, Toyota Avalon, Chevy Equinox, Kia Rio, and the not-for-civilians Ford Police Interceptor Utility, as well as concept models by Kia, Nissan and Mitsubishi.
They may not be headturners, but they find their way to homes.
"These are the cars that more people buy," Thomas said of the Chicago debuts. "Pilot sells better than any nonluxury debut in Detroit, and the RDX sells better than any luxury car that debuted in Detroit."
Still, the Chicago Auto Show would do well to land a few more product debuts to give it the stature it had fifteen years ago, when it dwarfed the other shows.
"I'd like to see a couple more consumer-focused big-seller debuts," Thomas said, expressing a desire shared by many Chicago Auto Show fans.
Considering that the 1 million square feet of space at the McCormick Place offers exhibitors the chance to showcase nearly 1,000 vehicles, more than the Detroit, Los Angeles and New York auto shows combined, the Chicago Auto Show manages to court Detroit's flashy intros and provide an unparalleled breadth of product.
"Consumers get the best of both worlds," Thomas said.
That's what it's all about.
rduffer@tribpub.com
