2013 Chicago Auto Show Blog

This man's name is Buick. Guess what car he just bought? Oddly enough, it's the first one where he shares the name of what he drives with the name that's on his driver's license--and yet, guess who his great grandfather was? Ah ha! Really? Fist one? Yup.

Ford gave the green light like this only once before: In 1968, management approved a special Mustang – a car that sacrificed nothing in its quest to be the best all-around road-going performance machine ever created by Ford Motor Company. That car became the 1969 Mustang Boss 302, and it remains one of the world’s most sought-after examples of American performance. Forty-two years later, Ford has given the green light again.

Here's some video of the new 2012 Boss Mustang... and we like it even before we've turned the key to the "on" position. What wouldn't be to like?! Nostalgia keeps cresting over the hood for guys my age, as we used to salivate over the unique liveries of the Boss.

Gobs of horsepower.  Gobs of torque. Gobs of curb appeal. It's a gobber!  Here's some video to hold you over until we get some seat time of our own. In the meantime, we'll have Ford peeps on Saturday morning to talk Boss from where it was introduced, at Laguna Seca raceway in California.

Nice...  stay tuned!

The grass is turning green (finally) and our spring/summer driving time is upon us. Many who write us via AskPaul@DriveChicago.com or call on Saturday mornings on Drive Chicago on WLS have questions about what they should be doing before those warm-weather month miles start to click off. I asked Paul Benedetto, Service Director of O'Hare Honda to give us his advice.

Wash the car: If you are able to, begin with a "do it yourself" hand wash of your vehicle. This will provide you with an opportunity to look the vehicle over carefully. Over the winter chips to paint and glass may have been overlooked. If chips in the paint or glass do exist, consider getting them repaired or touched up in short order. Small chips turn into rust spots quickly, and glass chips can spread into a replacement-sized cracks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A good undercarriage bath is also recommended to remove salt that could be eating away at the underside of your vehicle. You can use a lawn sprinkler to accomplish this task, however; a professional undercarriage bath at the local car wash is the best method.

Click for the rest of the story . . .

Even they say it themselves: "Nobody needs a Jaguar."

I suppose they're right, although it did sound strange to hear it from the mouth of one of the storied marque's top executives. What they do freely and happily acknowledge is that while no one needs a Jag, it's hard to find anyone who wouldn't want one. And just so you know early on, I'm one of those who has wanted one for a long time, but for one reason or another, one hasn't appeared in my driveway-yet--but in the spirit of any old-time revival, "There is still time, brother!"

The toughest part is that they keep making it more difficult to choose which one I'd select--and I'll be darned if they didn't go ahead and compromise my thought processes about what I'd select as a full size luxo-sedan if I were in that market. Up until last week's trip to LA to preview the new XJ8, I had thought that my choice would be an Audi A8L. Why? Well, it just seemed to do everything correctly and without a lot of fuss, great seats, instrumentation and power. "Oh, come on, Paul! You can find that in a lot of brand offerings, can't you?" you'd write and ask. Well, yes, but there's a certain element that almost defies description or definition that has just made the XJ8 the new leader in the clubhouse. 

Click for the rest of the story and pics . . .

Around the world, the new Ford Fiesta is a global success. In Europe, the Fiesta is the No. 2 best-selling car. In China, it has earned more than 50 awards. And the excitement is building in the United States where the Fiesta goes on sale this summer.

This past week I was among the first American journalists to get behind the wheel of the Fiesta five-door hatch or four-door sedan. Both models come equipped with either a manual transmission or Ford's North American industry-exclusive PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission that will help Fiesta achieve an expected 40 mpg. We also had the chance to experience Fiesta's 15 class-exclusive technologies as well as the safety, connectivity, and performance typically reserved for more expensive vehicles.

I really try to not break embargoed information. It's not fair to the company that's requested it, yet at the same time when you've got good news it's just SO hard to keep a lid on what you're thinking. So, I tend to find alternative ways to convey the message.

This uncomfortable position presented itself again Saturday morning during my WLS Drive Chicago show. I had spent some time during the week with the Ford Folks in San Francisco driving their snappy new Fiestas--sedan and five-door--that are getting close to appearing in dealership showrooms.  The embargo was at midnight last night and I was reminded by my compadre-in-arms, Dave Sloan, that people would be up at that hour, salivating to read what I thought about the newest offering in the Blue Oval stable. So in full disclosure, I wasn't ready to pop this online until 1 pm Sunday, but then went back to double-check the time for release. Glad I did. The folks who invite us to do such things would like the lid on it until midnight TONIGHT, not last night. More teasing of the Fiesta, but an honest mistake, not a come-on!

So I suggested on the radio that while I couldn't break the embargo on my impressions, I was highly recommending that Ford dealers consider adding a few new desks in their dealership showrooms for what might be a strong surge in business. Did I say I loved the Fiesta? You be the judge.

The fact is--now that it's free game time for impressions--Ford is going to have yet another reason why they're doing great with their entire lineup these days. Fiesta is addressing a small car (B-car as it's known in the industry) need let them fully compete in a highly competitive segment.

First off, it's a really sharp design. Angular, great colors (12 from which to choose) that'll tickle anyone's color palette, a base 1.6L 4-cyl engine that's going to deliver up to 40 mpg (with the manual tranny) and still give the owner room for 4 adults. The interiors are well-designed and I particularly liked that they've taken the Synch System for music, multi-media, satellite and iPod inputs into the next step. It's worth stopping by your local Ford store to see everything Synch does, as fully describing it here would take up more room than I have and more time than you have. The highlight for me, though, were the apps that now will allow real-time streaming of Pandora (for music) and Stitcher (for talk radio content). In connectivity terms, Ford's Synch system leads the pack. Others are nice, but this is the stuff.

Driving Fiesta is pleasant, too. Is it a Group B Rally Car with neck-snapping power, 1.4 lateral g-force cornering and brakes big enough to stop Tiger Woods fingers from punching up his next text message? No, but it's darn nice and fully competent. Power is adequate enough to pop you on the expressway (as if any of them are moving over the summer) and not feel like you're waiting for a following wind to accomplish the mission. The suspension and handling team have Fiesta set up to do a little "road analysis" for you, too, which I loved. With roads "crowned" for draining properly, they've figured out a way to electronically take away the nibbles that often make a long trip on the Interstate more work than they should be. This system stabilizes the car and is akin to a TV SteadyCam. Nice! 

We had the opportunity to drive Northern California's wine country mountain twisties and a fair amount of 65 mph freeway, as well. Fiesta stood up to both well. As I said, it's not a full-on performance car, but with a base price of (roughly) $17,000 and (as we drove them equipped (again, roughly) around $19,000, you're going to find comfortable, fuel efficient, quality transportation in the new Fiesta.

So yes, Ford stores will need a few more desks. This is a great segment in which to see a new, smart, comfortable, stylish product from Dearborn. If you drew that conclusion from my comments yesterday on the radio, then that's what you drew from them. From my perspective, I shaved this morning with a clean conscience that I complied with their wish to hold off comments until a particular time. I'm betting, though, that their hearts wouldn't have been broken if I had spilled the beans 12 hours in advance, but that wasn't the deal we signed on for.

Nicely played, Ford. Customers are going to like this car as much as dealers will like selling them.

Next week... the new Jaguar XJ, dahhhhhling.

From the Chicago Auto Show's "You might not know this" files:  Did you know that the auto show's media director, Paul Brian, has been the host of a weekly automotive radio show heard every Saturday morning on the legendary WLS AM890 in Chicago? Yup! Every week for the past 14 years from 8-9 a.m. he's there talking to industry representatives--everyone from manufacturer CEOs and executives to listeners who like to hear Paul's impressions of whatever might be in either his driveway that week--or his impression of a new vehicle he got while on a launch trip. It's pretty darn fun radio, that's very "listenable" to car geeks and non-geeks alike. You can even download podcasts (subscribe to them, too, if you like!) or listen via Internet streaming via www.WLSAM.com  Paul's a serious commentator with a fairly non-serious, yet informative approach.

So with the next Chicago Auto Show looming large on the horizon, Paul thought it'd be apropos to get a more global (if not a little twisted in our own special way) perspective of what's going on in the world of "stuff with wheels." To that end: Every week we'll go somewhere around the world and get that added, special perspective. Remember, you heard it here first--and will come back from more every week after our Drive Chicago Radio show on WLS AM890 every Saturday morning at 8. Nowhere do you get coverage like this, we promise you!

Stop back every week. Share with your friends. Let them know how you know you're SO inside the auto game. Never lose another game of Automotive Trivial Pursuit again. With information like this at your fingertips, you'll never be at a loss--and who'd argue with your answer?!

Around the World in 80 Seconds (Germany)

[Download - Around the World in 80 Seconds (Germany)]

Every day we keep an "electronic fishing pole" out there for news about auto shows and the industry, and today I spotted a note from http://abagaylesbooks.blogspot.com/2008/11/david-adkins.html that mentioned something of note.  It seems that on this day In history--1939--the first air-conditioned automobiles went on display at the auto show in Chicago.