2009 Chicago Auto Show: Visitor's Guide

There are 1.3 million square feet of display space at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, and every inch is stuffed with automobiles you can buy — about 1,000 vehicles altogether, in fact. This is a tire-kicker's paradise, the world's largest showcase for the automobile.

This is the 101st anniversary of the Chicago auto show, and once again about 1 million visitors will find their way to McCormick Place for the exhibition, which takes place February 13-22. But since times are tough, the show principals have worked with sponsors to make tickets more affordable with various promotions.

There are fewer concept cars this year, an indicator of the troubled economy and the way in which budgets at the manufacturer design studios have been squeezed. Even so, you'll find everything that's coming off production lines, and this includes truly futuristic vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt and Honda Clarity FCX.

As before, Chrysler will have its unique indoor test tracks, which allow show visitors to ride along with professional drivers. Chrysler has 176,000 square feet of display space to accommodate the tracks, and it took 30 semi-trailers of landscaping material alone to set up Jeep's dirt track, which includes a short but steep hill with a 35-degree incline on the way up and a 45-degree incline on the way down. Rides are given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

As always, you'll find many of the concept cars that have appeared at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show and the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

To find your way around the show, we suggest that you print out our list of the show's most significant vehicles and then print out a map of the show floor from the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.

Here is Inside Line's guide to the most significant vehicles at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show:

• 2009 Acura TSX V6: Until now, the TSX has always featured a high-revving inline-4 engine, but Acura is desperate to reinforce its premium identity, so it's added the corporate 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 to an additional model in the TSX range. It makes you wonder whether sales of the wonderful (if homely) new Acura TL will be affected, though.



• Cadillac Converj Concept: The Converj concept car is meant to be Cadillac's own version of the forthcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt, a series hybrid that matches good fuel economy with premium style. The Converj shows us that an alternative-fuel car can be more than just an affordable runabout.



• Chevrolet Transformers: There's a sequel to the Transformers movie on the way, and this collection of wacky Chevrolet-based movie vehicles celebrates the event. Check out the Corvette Stingray and see Bumblebee stretched to his full height of 15 feet (something not to be missed).



• 2011 Chevrolet Volt: It's going to be a long time yet before the Volt series hybrid appears in anyone's driveway, but Chevrolet is showing it off at every step along the development path, both to bolster faith in the concept of a family-style alternative-fuel vehicle and to renew our faith in GM's ability to get things done.



• Ford Fusion Hybrid: This is perhaps the best attempt yet at a hybrid vehicle for use by everyday Americans, a family-size car that drives as comfortably and conveniently as you'd expect and yet delivers unexpected fuel-efficiency. The fact that it comes from Ford rather than Honda or Toyota should give us all pause.



• 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150: America needs trucks to get things done, so the truck isn't going to leave us anytime soon, as this version of the revised 2010 Ford F-150 with predictably overstated Harley-Davidson trim shows us. Trucks will get more practical, though, and so the F-150 mixes some measures for fuel-efficiency with surprising carlike comfort, plus truck-style theatrics.



• Ford Taurus SHO: Only a few years after its forgettable introduction as a kind of overgrown VW Passat (the Ford Five Hundred) and an equally forgettable name change (to Taurus), Ford's big sedan has acquired some new style, some new confidence and a turbocharged, 365-hp 3.5-liter V6. It's a fast sedan, not a gas-guzzling throwback.



• 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe R-Spec: You can forget the old front-wheel-drive Tiburon, because this version of Hyundai's new rear-wheel-drive Genesis platform powered by a turbocharged, 210-hp inline-4 takes its place with a commanding presence. Will it rival the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Subaru Impreza WRX among the tuner crowd? Just check out the 550-hp, turbocharged Genesis coupe just built for drift racer Rhys Millen and you'll become a believer.



• 2010 Kia Forte: Kia has earned new respect with the introduction of its boxy Soul for 2009 (check out the Soul'ster concept car on the Kia stand), yet the family-size Forte sedan might be a better measure of the Korean company's future. This family-style runabout with an inline-4 engine wants to be a mainstream success, not just a cute niche vehicle.



• 2010 Mazda Miata: A face-lifted Miata debuts in Chicago some 20 years after this small, affordable, rear-wheel-drive roadster made small sports cars respectable again. There's a new intensity to the way the Miata looks, and reportedly it drives with a bit more seriousness as well.



• 2009 Nissan Cube: Renewed enthusiasm in America for no-frills motoring should serve the 2009 Nissan Cube well, as it mixes adventuresome styling, a fuel-efficient 122-hp inline-4 and an entry-level price under $14,000. Are we all over the Scion thing or not?



• 2009 Scion tC Release Series 5.0: Speaking of Scion, Toyota's innovative division is trying to get its youth-oriented mojo back with another limited-edition car, in this case a dressed-up tC coupe. Only 2,000 of these cars will be available, and hopefully that will be enough to counter the sight of so many Scion xBs in the hands of older drivers, who care more about bargain pricing than wild styling.

Chicago weather is far from friendly in midwinter, but fortunately McCormick Place is surprisingly self-contained, with hotel and restaurant facilities as well as the halls for the auto show. When we're in town for the show, we stay right there and try not to risk frostbite.

Take advantage of the Chicago auto show's excellent Web site, which provides all the details you need to arrange a visit. This 101st edition of the show takes place February 13-22, 2009. An adult ticket costs $10, and it can even be purchased online. A large number of special events, autograph signings and radio broadcasts are scheduled to take place on the floor of the show.

The Web site is also invaluable for its description of parking and shuttle bus routes. If you hate to venture outdoors, you can park right in the Hyatt parking garage or if you're brave enough to face the weather, the 31st Street lot could be a good bet.

Click here for full coverage of the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.