2018 Chicago Auto Show: What To Expect

Although as of writing Hyundai is beating out sibling brand Kia in terms of U.S. sales volume this year, far more internet searches were dedicated to Hyundai. Unsurprisingly, the majority of those searches were based on the brand’s most popular models: the Sonata midsize sedan, the Elantra compact car, and the Santa Fe crossover. “Hyundai Genesis” came in fourth place, even though Genesis has since been broken out as its own standalone luxury brand.

In Chicago, Hyundai will show hybrid versions of its recently refreshed Sonata sedan for the first time. Most of the same exterior styling cues from the pure gas-powered version should carry over, with both the standard hybrid model and the plug-in hybrid model making their debut. New design tweaks should also follow in the cabin, which is expected to get a rear USB port for the first time, and Amazon Alexa integration. 

Lexus won’t be showing a special edition SUV in Chicago, thankfully. Instead it will be opting to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its F Performance line. The luxury marque will bring limited-edition versions of its RC coupe and GS sedan to Chicago. Both cars will feature a matte nebula gray paint job and blue accents in the cabin. Of course, both still come with 467 horsepower on tap, and the RC will be limited to 240 examples, while the sedan will see just 100 examples built.

Following the success of its Winter Warrior concepts in 2017, Nissan will debut a duo of cool concepts at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. And we do mean cool. A 370Z Roadster riding on snowmobile tracks – dubbed the 370Zki – will be shown alongside a special-edition Armada SUV dubbed the Snow Patrol. Both cars were designed with winter in mind, naturally.

Subaru has kept pretty quiet about Chicago, but rumor has it the brand could celebrate 50 years in the U.S. with a few special anniversary edition vehicles for the Windy City, complete with unique trim treatments and badging throughout. What we do know for sure, apart from the rumored 50th anniversary celebrations, is that the 2019 Ascent will be on display, but we’ve already seen the handsome three-row in Detroit. 

Toyota has been teasing its new and improved 2019 TRD Pro range for a few weeks now. Just today, the company released a shadowy image of the updated Tacoma TRD Pro, complete with a snorkel. But for the second year in a row, Toyota will show off its TRD Pro range in Chicago, complete with the Tundra and 4Runner alongside the Tacoma. Unfortunately we don’t know all the details about Toyota’s updated TRD Pro range just yet.

The lovely VW Arteon has been on the market outside of the U.S. for a few months already, but Chicago will be home to the CC replacement’s long-awaited American debut. The 2019 model year Arteon will make its debut in Chicago later this week, riding on the same MQB platform that underpins cars like the VW Golf, Audi A3, and new VW Jetta. Our colleagues in the U.K. have already driven it, but we can’t wait to get our hands on it stateside.