Do you know that feeling that parents get on Christmas morning when their kids are coming down the stairs with
great excitement to see what Santa Claus brought them? That’s the same feeling we have as we welcome you to
the 110th Chicago Auto Show. It is a feeling of shared excitement and great anticipation as we enjoy your reactions
when you come through the turnstiles.
We can look you straight in the eye and tell you we have traveled around the world to bring you the best possible
Chicago Auto Show. Your enthusiasm for the show drives us as we work all year long to pull it together.
For John Hennessy, our 2018 Chicago Auto Show chairman, this is a wonderful intersecting culmination of
career and family. A second-generation Ford dealer, John followed in his father’s footsteps to the retail automobile
business. And now, 40 years after his father served as chairman of the of the 1978 Chicago Auto Show, John will cut
the ribbon to open this year’s show. What a thrill!
The 2018 edition is filled with everything you have come to love about the Chicago Auto Show -- with many new
surprises. A great example is the perennially favorite Jeep off-road course. Attendees will be happy to enjoy it again,
but this year they will be among the very first to experience the all-new 2018 JeepWrangler. The early reviews on the
Wrangler have been fabulous. We can’t wait to take a ride ourselves.
Be sure to take a look at the many and varied electric vehicle offerings from the automakers. While “electrics” are
a newsworthy and expanding segment of the
industry, crossover vehicles have never been
hotter. It seems every family in America wants
a vehicle in the driveway with the utility of an
SUV and the refinement of a sedan. You will find
scores of them throughout the show floor.
Affordable safety technology, fuel economy
without sacrificing performance, stunning
aerodynamic design -- it wasn’t too long ago
that these concepts were in conflict with one
another. Today, the world’s automakers are
bringing to market vehicles for consumers
without compromise. One might dare to say
there has never been a better time to be an
automotive consumer! And if it’s offered for sale
at a franchised dealer in the U.S., you will find it
on the floor of the Chicago Auto Show.
Or, as former Chairman Joe Hennessy stated
in this space about the Chicago Auto Show 40
years ago, “You’ll find what you are looking for
here. Surely, there is something for every taste
and pocketbook.”
Thank you, Joe. We couldn’t have said it better
ourselves.
Sincerely,
John Hennessy
Chicago Auto Show Chairman
Dave Sloan
Chicago Auto Show General Manager
John Hennessy (left) and Dave Sloan
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CHICAGO AUTO SHOW 2018
8
GREETING –
Just Like Christmas Morning
