2013 Chicago Auto Show

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The Chicago Auto Show opened this weekend, and the automotive press-as-a-whole has done a great job covering over-the-top Pixar Camaros, diesel econo-cars, and go-fast Chryslers at cut-rate prices. We are (I am?) a little different from them, though, and we’re focused on new cars, trucks, and technologies that improve efficiency, miles per gallon, and generally move consumers away from petroleum oil dependence. All that is just a fancy way of saying “we like weird stuff”, of course. Take that giant disco ball, for example – that’s part of Volkswagen’s 2013 display, highlighting the new “Fender Edition” Beetle. Eye-catching as it is, it’s just a small part of the interesting stuff available for poking and prodding at the massive show.

I’ll be doing my best to cover some of the interesting “green” sheet metal at this years show over the next few days, which just goes to show how mainstream the green tech is really becoming. It was everywhere this year, from innovative clean-diesel race cars to sharp new hybrids to plug-in electrics and ped-elec bicycles … yet the “green angle” was hardly news. It wasn’t being played up the way it was in recent years. It was just, sort of “there”.

In other words: “green” has become expected. Green is the new normal … and that is awesome!

Here’s a rundown of the first-person Chicago Auto Show coverage you expect to read here over the next few posts, along with a sample gallery to give you a taste of what you can expect. Enjoy!