2015 Chicago Auto Show – Observations From Media Day

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A few of us from Techaeris had the pleasure to attend Media Day for the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.  While you’ll see some more in-depth articles about some of the great things we saw over the next few days, I wanted to share some pictures and quick thoughts about a few of the cool things, interesting trends, and damn cool looking cars that we saw.

Supercars and Concepts

We got to see Toyota’s FT1 supercar concept last year at the auto show, and this year it was back. We were even able take a closer look at a grey model as it was on the showfloor behind only a short barrier rather than on its own platform.

Chicago Auto Show 2015 Toyota FT1 Concept

It still looks incredible in grey, but it might have even been shown up by another concept, the Ford GT.  Ford made a very sleek looking concept, with deep channels cut on either side.  I can guarantee that I’d never be able to fit in this car, but it’s definitely nice to look at.

Chicago Auto Show 2015 Ford GT ConceptChicago Auto Show 2015 Ford GT Concept Back

We also had a chance to get a much closer look at a concept that we saw last year, the BMW i8.  This super-aggressive looking Electric Vehicle was open for members of the media to sit in and generally admire, and admire I did!

Chicago Auto Show 2015 BMW i8 front

I’m not going to lie, it was difficult to get into and out of this car.  I’m used to that sort of thing being a bigger dude, but I wasn’t the only one having issues.  You practically have to lie down into the seat, but once you’re in the cabin is definitely comfortable.

Chicago Auto Show 2015 BMW i8 dash

The Scissor Doors are still pretty amazing to see.  Having a chance to see them in action and actually get to open/close the doors was definitely cool.

Chicago Auto Show 2015 BMW i8 door

 

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber everywhere.  Seriously, everywhere.  I was looking at a Maserati with loads of Carbon fiber embellishments, and ended up talking with one of the representatives about his Kickstarter for Carbon fiber wallets.  They’re actually pretty cool, I’ll be writing something up on those soon.

Virtual Reality

Where there wasn’t Carbon fiber, there was virtual reality.  Ok, so maybe those two things didn’t encompass the entirety of the show, but they were definitely out in force.

Industrial Strength Press Kits

At shows like this, specifically on Media Day, many of the presenters have press kits showing off what’s new and exciting with their companies this year.  Recently, a cheaper and easier way to provide this kits was to put them onto USB drives.  Members of the press (hey, that’s me!) can pull off any applicable photos, videos, press releases, etc. and then they’re still left with a functional USB drive.  This year the theme for press kits was apparently Industrial Strength.

Chicago Auto Show 2015 Press Kits

From left to right: Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Kia.  Buick and Kia get some bonus points for functionality and attachment options.  Chevrolet loses points due to some sharp edges, and the fact that the USB drive completely crashed while opening the folder for the new Bolt Electric Vehicle concept (that was announced today, but without pictures the announcement is more difficult to write up). Cadillac gains some points because although it might be difficult to tell in the picture, that USB drive actually weighs 6 pounds and has magnets that help open and close the drive.  The winner, however, is GMC, who not only provided a diamond plate USB drive capable of bashing in someone’s skull, they also had the courtesy to use an 8gb drive, which can still be quite useful after the pertinent information has been used.

There is obviously quite a lot more to see at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.  What are some things you’d like to see from the show?  Let us know in the comments or on your favorite social network.

Feature image courtesy claygregory.com

Last Updated on November 27, 2018.

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