The Chicago Auto Show has an all-new website and will launch an accompanying smartphone app in January designed to enhance the attendee experience and bring the nation's largest auto show to life across the globe.
The 2016 version of ChicagoAutoShow.com will have, among other things, historical videos and social-media integration that is purportedly smoother than in years past.
The website's "Vehicles on Display" section adds real-time inventory from Chicagoland's new-car dealers, provided by DriveChicago.com. This allows site visitors to sift through more than 40,000 new cars directly on ChicagoAutoShow.com as they are browsing their favorite vehicles.
The show's updated app is designed to be a digital companion for the attendee, allowing them to request more information and get instant updates on the daily schedule, among other things.
The 2016 public show will be Feb. 13-21 at McCormick Place.
Auto news
Self-propelled: Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google's technology, according to Yahoo! Autos. By pairing with Google, Ford gets a massive boost in self-driving software development; while the automaker has been experimenting with its own systems for years, it only revealed plans this month to begin testing on public streets in California. Google has 53 test vehicles on the road in California and Texas, with 1.3 million miles logged in autonomous driving.
Defying death: According to CNNMoney, Volvo has made an eye-opening pledge: By 2020, no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car or SUV. Among the features that Volvo hopes will make its items crashproof are adaptive cruise control, auto lane-keeping assist ( which detects lane lines and road edges ), collision avoidance, pedestrian detection and even large-animal detection.
Special relationship: Toyota has entered into a national partnership agreement with Special Olympics Nippon ( SON ) that includes sponsorship of SON activities in Japan, Benzinga noted. To support the Special Olympics 2016 in Niigata Prefecture, Toyota employees will be dispatched to related events as volunteers, and promotional campaigns will be conducted at nearby dealerships.
Green machines: At the recent Washington, D.C., Auto Show, three cars were named by Green Car Journal and Cars of Change as Green Cars of the Year for 2016, 247WallSt.com reported. Volvo's XC90 T8 won the Luxury Car category, while Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s HR-V compact crossover was the top green SUV and the all-new Chevy Malibu prevailed in the Connected Green Car category. The XC90 T8 is a seven passenger plug-in hybrid SUV that uses a two-liter supercharged and turbocharged Drive-E engine with a rear axle electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries. The HR-V has a 1.8-liter gasoline-powered engine and achieved a highway mileage rating of 35 mpg.