Tweet Just a couple of Porsche 911s… Photo by Randy Stern You know I am Jewish, right? Big shock? Nah, I was born that way. Thank you Lady Gaga for the song, by the way… As part of a post-World War II Jewish world, one thing was made clear by the generation that lived through …
TweetWhat is the best sedan in the world? This is a loaded question, because there is not one definitive answer. Consider how many vehicles I now drive in a year. To choose that is the "oh my God, this is the bestest sedan evar" is to do a disservice to you, dear reader. Impartiality in …
Tweet Next year…if I bring something to the gig… All photos by Randy Stern If anything, the 10,000 Lakes Concours d'Elegance helped revisit some old knowledge I forgot about over time. When I was younger, I used to be fascinated by American cars of the 1940s and 1950s. They were reminders of how good the …
Tweet All photos by Randy Stern It's baaaaack! Last year, I began a series called WWRD? – or, "What Would Randy Drive?" This gives you, dear reader, the opportunity to engage with me by asking me if I would drive a certain vehicle via V&R's social media channels on Facebook and Twitter. The submissions are …
TweetThe 2013 North American International Auto Show yielded some grand debuts. It is no secret which vehicle was the star of the show. It certainly caused a huge amount of discourse from its fans and its detractors. Yet, it was the most visible debut of them all given the live streams a few outlets – …
TweetIn other to become a fully-fledged automotive enthusiast, you must drive a [fill in the blank]. I am certain there will be many responses as to complete the sentence above. It will probably take an entire post to parse out every possible answer. There will most likely be a good chunk of people that will …
Consider how large the Chicago Auto Show's exhibition space is. That is 1.2 million square feet of space that has everything and anything you will need to navigate through the automotive world. Couple that with in-show experiences – ride-alongs, an area celebrating the United States Army, fun areas for the kids, vendors, and so forth – then you understand why one would come to McCormick Place in mid-February.
Between the two auto shows I attend annually, Chicago offers more bang for the buck. The First Look for Charity is considered one of the top events to do for the socially mobile in the Chicagoland Area. The show attracts an entire region to McCormick Place with new vehicles that are currently on sale or coming soon to a dealer near you.
As a member of the working automotive media corps, if I was unable not attend the shows in Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Houston, Washington, or anyplace we are welcome, Chicago is a great place to catch up on what I missed throughout the calendar.
Let’s do some catching up, shall we?
No, I was not there this year.
If you read my Twitter, you'd probably wondered if I were to show up at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Unfortunately, the stars did not align properly. Yet, I was asked by fellow journalists, media relations people and other industry support people whether I would make the trek to the Motor City for this very important exhibition of the automobile. Not this year. I will someday.
Because of the speed of information available online and the ability to see video and images from the show readily, I was able to ascertain the big debuts and the most curious appearances at Cobo Hall. This helped in my coverage last year from my home in the Twin Cities.
Of course, there's nothing like being there. You get to see and touch these new products ahead of consumer sale. You get to see whether you'd feel comfortable behind the wheel of one. That’s why we go to auto shows, right?
Without further ado, here are my picks from NAIAS…
At the top of the automotive heap, it ended with a 2,715 unit advantage. In political terms – someone would probably want to call a recount.
The luxury car market in the USA saw some extraordinary changes inside finance offices at their respective dealerships. Since 2000, Lexus was the top selling luxury automobile brand in the USA. A double whammy of the fallout from the corporate-wide recalls and natural disasters affecting Japan and key parts of Asia toppled the once mighty luxury arm of Toyota. In 2007, Lexus sold over 329,000 units – a record number of deliveries recorded by a luxury brand since 1990.
However, there were two luxury brands at the top of the heap: BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Both brands took advantage of the issues over at Lexus by wooing luxury car buyers with a diverse range of products and an air of confidence in everything from pre-sales engagement to post sales support.
The list can go on forever, but I will concentrate on the most important thing overall: Graduating high school. As I realize today that I am indeed on the latter side of my forties, remembering every moment of that year seems a bit difficult these days.