Our Own 2026 Auto Show Circuit

For us, this auto show season was brief and abbreviated. 

Not to mention, we were down to one person covering both the Twin Cities and Chicago Auto Shows. 

To explain, I was still on “no weight bearing” on my left foot after an evasive surgery and wound vac therapy. It all came down to George to manage both shows for us. 

That was not the challenge. 

This year, the Twin Cities Auto Show decided to start right after the New Year. This was a move after years of its March-May slot. To make things more challenging, they cut the media preview to an hour, so they can open up the show earlier than traditionally scheduled. 

When it came down to the Chicago Auto Show, the traditional two-day media preview was cut to a shortened day – within hours of the annual charity preview event. They did have a reception the night before for media and the industry which George missed. 

Nonetheless, he was able to capture enough content between the two shows to make it worthwhile. 

The highlight of the Twin Cities show at the Minneapolis Convention Center was the preview of Walser’s new Lamborghini store to open in the Minnetonka/Wayzata area later this year. They had an Urus, Revuelto and Temerario on display to show that they will offer the latest from the Italian supercar brand in a market that already has a record of ownership for these vehicles. 

The INEOS Grenadier lineup also made its Twin Cities Auto Show debut, in conjunction with an overlanding exhibit. That seems to be the trend for auto shows this year with the growth in off-the-grid trekking and off-road ready vehicles. George noticed that the overlanding exhibit in Chicago was quite substantial on the single hall at McCormick Place. 

Our aim was to catch up vehicles that debuted prior to these shows. To see them in the flesh. Most of which we wikll be able to work on later this year. 

Those vehicles included the 2026 Jeep Cherokee and Recon, 2026 Cadillac Celestiq, 2026 Nissan Leaf, 2026 Honda Prelude, 2026 Dodge Charger Six Pack, 2026 Subaru Trailseeker and Uncharted, 2026 Toyota RAV4, 2026 Lucid Gravity, 2027 RAM 1500 SRT TRX, and 2026 BMW iX3 in the Neue Classe design. 

There were a few surprises between the two shows. At the Twin Cities show, Fiat had a Topolino Dolcevita on the floor. This has been rumored to be sold in the USA as a low-speed vehicle – or, we believe that is the only way to sell these electric microcars here. The Dolevita model comes with no doors. Just a rope for each opening. A fun way to show what Fiat has in mind to help the brand’s sales here. 

Chicago yielded a couple of surprises on the floor there. One, was VinFast’s presence at the indoor EV track wit the VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs. Since switching from a direct sales model to franchised dealers, the Vietnamese brand is trying its hardest to reach out to potential consumers with their wares. 

The other surprise inside McCormick Place was the presence of Tesla at its own booth. Thet brought out a Robotaxi, along with its current lineup. 

It is one thing to talk about what’s on the floor. It is another to acknowledge that these auto shows are for you – the consumer. These exhibits may yields a few tidbits of news, but they are on the floor of their respective convention centers to showcase what they can expect when they shop online or go to their nearest dealership. 

Certainly, Chicago maintains an advantage to have their communications people on the floor for the media preview. Even though there may not be a huge debut or some breaking news at their exhibits, being able to connect with them is something the media corps enjoy. 

Also, Chicago had other programming for us. The What Drives Her luncheon is an engaging event that talks about how women are becoming major players in this industry. It has been a huge part of Chicago’s media days. 

Toyota also had a presentation for the upcoming movie “Drifter.” Sung Kang’s new film about the drifting scene had a special appearance by Rutledge Wood to talk about the movie. If you do not know who Wood is, he is a media personality and was part of the cast of “Top Gear” American version. He also appeared at the debut of a new exhibit called Chi-Town Alley, a showcase of Chicagoland’s car culture. 

Thinking about it, the Twin Cities Auto Show once had such an exhibit. That’s been supplanted by the Cars Against Crime folks. We should bring that back, given the breadth of what we still have in Minnesota. 

One important thing that George did accomplish at the Chicago Auto Show was the handing off of #VOTY2025 to Volkswagen for the Golf GTI and Golf R. It was great he was able to hand it off to one of our contacts at Volkswagen of America. Therefore, we did meet our goal of doing the award hand-off in Chicago.  

To think about the experience between the two shows, the Twin Cities Auto Show offers a good opportunity to compare and contrast vehicles all together for prospective shoppers as well as those looking to learn more about the current vehicle offerings. However, the Chicago Auto Show amps that up with more of everything! More vehicles, more elaborate vehicle booths and exhibitions complete with dramatic lighting.

Technical aspects aside, that brings up an entirely different issue. If we’re hungry for news from an auto show, how come George and I aren’t going to the New York show? 

Compared to Chicago, New York is a major financial undertaking. It’s not about air fares and taking the subway to the Javits Center. It is the hotel rates. That is where cost becomes very prohibitive and can eat up a massive amount of your travel budget. 

It is not without trying. I’ve been credentialed for New Yor before. When it came to finding out how much the travel piece will cost, it was not worth the return on investment. Not by any measure. If you’re a Tri-State area-based journalist or work for an outlet that has a huge travel budget, we’ll watch your coverage instead. 

This year’s auto show season is basically over for us. My sincerest gratitude to George for going solo at these two shows. He accomplished plenty between the two shows including video content. 

Now, we will get ready for the real work of this website. 

PUBLISHERS NOTE: Head on over to our YouTube channel to watch our series of full-length videos and shorts frommthe Chicago Auto Show!

All photos by George Torline