Chicago Auto Show 2009 (Day 2)

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty including Chassis Cab and Pickups | Chrysler 200C

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty including Chassis Cab and Pickups

by Jim Choate

Day 2

The Chrysler 200C

Jason Monroe from Chrysler stopped the Chrysler 200C turntable and not only allowed me access to the inside, but joined me and gave me a personal demo of some of the features. I honestly thought the dash graphics were a static mockup; but they were live, and it all worked. A lot of it is tech for tech's sake; the iPhone remote controller is amusing, and the passenger touchscreen laptop is overkill.

There's no carpet for the flooring - just a swatch in the places your feet normally go. Not sure how that would fly in a production car. Back seat is a bit tight, but no more so than in my Stratus. Seats were hard. Sightlines were good out the front, typical C-pillar compromise in the rear.

My initial impression - even if they built it with a traditional drivetrain and dash, it'd be a hit.

We hope to have an interview with Jason soon.

See the rest of Jim’s photos on our Chrysler 200C Concept Page (it’ll open in a new window)

The rest of the show

A very scaled-down C-D-J test track is present at the show - good news as it's a big draw and a good way to generate interest. The Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep areas are enormous in size, especially when compared with their digs at the Detroit Auto Show; part of that is the vastly larger hall in Chicago.

Jerry Cizek, Chicago Auto Show General Manager, said that the most important part of the show is the part that’s open to the general public, not the press preview. He asked the media, "How many of you have experienced the magic of the Chicago Auto Show on the first Sunday of the show, or the second Saturday. Have any of you stood by a concept car or a new production model and watched reactions of real people, who aren't tied to the industry? ... the show doesn't even begin until the minute thousands of consumers start streaming through the turnstiles on the first public day of the show."

Cizek noted that while some exhibitors have downsized their exhibits, the Chicago show has not seen the kind of exhibitor exodus experienced by other shows.

Ford is showing off the Transit van, and plans to have a full electric version (and 3 other full electrics) in the next 4 years; Automotive News reported that Magna designed the electric part of the vehicles. Ford is also unveiling the Taurus SHO with the EcoBoost engine. (They note the large online enthusiast SHO base, but never mention the site name or URL.)

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty including Chassis Cab and Pickups | Chrysler 200C

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