Written by / Zhu Lin
Edit/Windsor
Design / Shi Yuchao
Source/thedetroitbureau, poweringchicago, by Joseph Szczesny, poweringchicago Staff
Carmen Ceja stressed that he is not an off-road driver.
"I'm not an adventurer." But at the annual Chicago Auto Show, she said, she enjoyed riding the Ford Bronco on an indoor test track in the Ford Show Area, which simulates part of an off-road trek.
"It's amazing." Saiha sighed, "The vehicle climbing is very exciting, and the handling is also very good. She drove the Bronco along the "steep hill" with a professional driver.
The test driver takes you on a test ride
The route was taken by Seha, one of six test tracks laid at the McCormick Place, where the Chicago Auto Show is held — a new record that auto show organizers call a new record, paved by different automakers or organizations, all to showcase the best performance of a particular vehicle.
But if you want to highlight the functionality of a new product, you need someone to drive the car, and that's what Mike Klusendorf does.
Toyota's new Tundra climbs over a bridge designed to demonstrate its off-road capabilities▼
In the coming weeks, he will take visitors on a toyota 2022 Tundra pickup at the Chicago Auto Show for a short-distance test ride on a purpose-designed runway. Jennifer Greenfelder, a senior analyst in communications at Toyota Motor Corporation, said it would give riders a better idea of what the new Tundra is capable of.
Toyota's runway, which began with a straight line about 300 yards (about 274 meters), then began to twist and bend, passing through a compact space on the show floor, followed by a pile of concrete to demonstrate the Tundra suspension system. The vehicle then drives over a small metal bridge covered with small obstacles that make the road even more rugged.
The bridge has a small slope to reach the top, but this slope is far less than Jeep's metal bridge. To showcase his new Camp Jeep car, Jeep erected a metal bridge with an incline of nearly 45 degrees in the display area.
Toyota's runway uses concrete blocks to showcase Tundra's suspension system
Krussendorff, an AMCI professional driver, didn't drive his car on the runway, which did contain several solid road obstacles to test the vehicle's suspension system. The car is easy to pass through Michigan's famous winter potholes.
"We do want consumers to see how the vehicle performs in real-world situations." He said.
The test track provides sales opportunities
The test drive also gave Krussendorff a chance to pitch Tundra to visitors and introduce some new technologies in the cab.
Jiyan Cadiz, a spokesman for the Ford Motor Company, noted that during the test drive, even on the short tracks of the auto show, the time visitors spend in the car is invaluable.
At the Chicago Auto Show, Ford highlighted the capabilities of the new Bronco on the test track
At the 2022 Chicago Auto Show, the company set up two test tracks — one dedicated to showing Ford's electric cars and the other to show off-road vehicles for the Ford Bronco.
He added: "A lot of people never get the chance to drive up a 20-degree hill. ”
The test track is also highly competitive
Mike Levine, Ford's director of North American product communications, said the aim was not to overtake Toyota, noting that "the two companies are evenly matched."
But in today's automotive industry, competition is everywhere. Jeep proudly launched a new test track and claims it is the biggest and best.
Ford Bronco is on the runway, which isn't all concrete and smooth pavement
"Competition is a good thing, competition makes people progress." Jeep brand president Jim Morrison noted that his mission was to fend off an attack from Ford Bronco.
"We need to do something different because there are a lot of (potential) customers who can't wait to experience Jeep's four-wheel drive capabilities. And we like to show it in ways that our competitors can't do. Morrison said.
"That's why we made this hill so big: 25 feet (about 7.6 meters) high, a slope at a 45-degree angle. With the exception of Jeep, few other vehicles have been able to handle this gradient. ”
Jeep was impressive
Jeep's interactive test track is larger and steeper, with a 28-foot (about 8.5-meter) hill that's 10 feet (about 3 meters) taller than in previous years, with 45-degree approach and departure angles.
As is the case with other runways, experienced drivers will guide visitors through a variety of routes in the 28,000-square-foot (2,600-square-meter) exhibit area that highlight Jeep's off-road capabilities.
The Jeep Camp test track has a 25-foot-high hill at a steep angle of 45 degrees▼
Visitors to the Chicago show were impressed.
"It's pretty cool," John Macelli said after riding the Jeep Gladiator up the hill, "it's impressive." ”
"For a moment, I thought we were going to slide down, but it didn't." Mike Palasino, sitting in the back seat of the Gladiator, said.
Kelly Enright, of Stellantis' regional public relations Chicago office, said that over the past 18 years, the Camp Jeep test track has been extremely popular with visitors. She added that during this time, more than 53,200 people had conducted test rides.
The Jeep test track is designed to push these vehicles to their limits▼
Enright added that more than 30,000 visitors are expected to participate in the test ride during this year's auto show. New exhibits include: ground clearance step climbing, hill-bending driving maneuvers, limit breaks, 30-degree wedges and a new 28-degree descent.
Runway 6 for charging networks
Toyota, Ford, as well as the Ram and Jeep brands from Stellantis, had five separate test tracks on site.
The sixth runway belongs to "Powering Chicago," the result of a joint effort by local electrical contractors and The 134 Division of the International Brother electrical workers association, which is dedicated to expanding the charging network throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
Powering Chicago lays the test track
"Deciding whether to invest in electric vehicles can be a difficult option for many Americans who may not be familiar with the operation and use of electric vehicle technology. Powering Chicago wants to make visitors more aware of electric vehicles. The organization said.
Powering Chicago's test track is the first indoor EV demonstration track in the show's history, where visitors can get up close and personal with demonstrations of some of the latest electric models on the market, offering test rides of cutting-edge electric vehicles including the BMW i4 M50 and Kia EV6.
Dave Sloan, general manager of the Chicago Auto Show, said the advent of the test track gave the Chicago Auto Show a unique temperament. In 2021, a manufacturer also offered test drives at local malls, but it was far less large and popular than this One Chicago Auto Show.