On February 12, local time in the United States, the 115th Chicago Auto Show officially kicked off.
Founded in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show, along with the Detroit Auto Show, the New York Auto Show, and the Los Angeles Auto Show, is known as the four most influential auto shows in North America. The Detroit Auto Show, which is the most "eye-catching" in terms of scale and global influence, although slightly inferior, it is still an important stage for many new car launches in the United States, and it is also the most frequently held auto show. And it is very personalized, and it attracts a group of loyal car enthusiasts.
Although for various reasons we could not go to the scene to see the exhibition, the four-wheel drive sister summed up a lot of first models for everyone. First, let's take a look at the concept cars at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show.
The concept car, a prototype built to demonstrate creativity, test new styling directions or highlight advanced technologies, first appeared at the auto show in 1938 with the Buick Y-Job. At this year's Chicago Auto Show, in addition to the "Nissan Frontier" mentioned by the four-wheel drive sister before, there are many other models:
Silverado EV
Chevrolet
The Chevrolet Silverado EV, a brand new full-size electric pickup truck that can accommodate up to five passengers, is GM's first such truck and is officially expected to be available to consumers in 2023. Its competitors include the Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T and GMC Hummer EV.
The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado EV will be available in three models of interiors: WT, Trail Boss and RST. The WT models are for commercial use and fleet-only, while the Trail Boss and RST models are aimed at individual consumers and range in price from $45,000 to $105,000.
Full drivetrain details have yet to be announced, but Chevrolet promises range of up to 400 miles (about 644 kilometers) for the WT and RST models, as well as up to 488 kW of power and 1057 N·m of torque. The RST is expected to have a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pounds (about 4.5 tons) and a payload capacity of up to 1,300 pounds (about 0.6 tons). WT and RST can achieve a dc fast charge of 350kW and 0-100 km/h acceleration in less than 4.5 seconds. All current specifications are estimates and do not represent the final production model.
Some models will also be equipped with GM's semi-autonomous driving system, Super Cruise (which allows drivers to operate vehicles "hands-free" on specific roads and under certain driving conditions).
The model on display is the Silverado EV RST
F-100 Eluminator
ford
The F-100 Eluminator concept car is based on a 1978 Ford F-100 pickup, designed and built by Ford Performance in collaboration with MLe Racecars, and is released to demonstrate the flexibility of the Muskang Mach-E battery electric drivetrain.
It is painted in Avalanche Gray and has a Cerakote Copper trim used by Brand X Customs. Inside, it features jJR Fabrication's billet aluminium instrument panel and MDM Upholstery's avocado tanning interior. The chassis is made from the Roadster Shop custom chassis and is also equipped with custom Forgeline 19x10-inch square billet aluminum three-piece wheels wrapped in Michelin Latitude Sport 275/45-19 high-performance tires.
Powered by two powerful motors (shared with the 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition), it delivers 353 kW of power and 860 N·m of torque, and the electrified powertrain is now in series production.
EV9
Kia
Kia EV9 is a new pure electric SUV concept car, based on the E-GMP pure electric platform to build, the exterior design of science fiction avant-garde, the technical concept is also very advanced.
According to the live shooting, the overall shape of the Kia EV9 concept car is basically the same as the official picture announced earlier, and the front face can see the shadow of the Kia family design, but whether it is a high-brightness trim or a narrow light group, it creates a strong sense of futurism.
The interior design of the new car is very simple. Officials said the car's seats have multiple modes, such as in autopilot mode, the first row of seats can be rotated backwards 180 degrees, while the second row of seats will fold into a table, making it easy for passengers in the first and third rows to communicate and use.
At the same time, the official announcement is that the Kia EV9 concept car will be equipped with a new generation of ultra-fast charging technology, equipped with a 350kW charger, which can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes, and can travel 300 miles (about 483 kilometers) on a single charge.
Tacozilla
Toyota
The Toyota Tacoma Tacozilla is a camping concept car that pays homage to the original Toyota Hilux Chinook camper that was popular in the late 70s.
Toyota Hilux Chinoo
The concept is based on the Tacoma TRD Sport Crew model, reinvented by Marty Schwerter and his team Toyota Motorsports Garage. In addition to a "miniature housing", the whole vehicle includes TRD performance components and corresponding outdoor configurations, which took hundreds of hours to produce, and the rigidity of the body has been specially strengthened. The overall structure shows that the cab not only leads directly to the living space, but also has a bed and a Lexan pop-up sunroof above.
The 51mm lift kit, winch, General Grabber X3 tires, 17-inch hubset, and 3.5L V6 engine are mated to a six-speed manual transmission and a low-speed four-wheel drive system.
However, this concept car is 100% customized, and it is probably far from being able to really mass-produce it.