2010 Chicago Auto Show: Notes and notables

Hardest working staffer at the show
And you thought it was hard washing the wheels on your car…

GM notes
In his keynote address, Mark Ruess, President of GM North America, compared the auto industry to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He said the industry must rebuild from the "economic inferno" and that GM must "build an entirely new company from scratch." On a positive note, he said that GM plans to repay its U.S. and Canadian loans by this June, and that the company had its fourth straight month-over-month sales increase. That's encouraging. But, yes, they're comparing it to the pre-bankruptcy depths of last year.

When asked about the possibility of a Camaro convertible, he said that he couldn't talk about future product, but… a Camaro convertible "would be very attractive and beautiful." On Toyota's problems, he said it wasn't good for the industry, but, in line with GM's advertising campaign, "May the best car win."

According to Jim Campbell, Chevrolet General Manager, the Suburban is the longest running nameplate in the auto industry, introduced in 1935 with the Chevrolet Suburban Carryall. GM is celebrating with the Suburban 75th Anniversary Diamond Edition.

Most attention-getting display
Dodge went head over heels in promoting the Ram Heavy Duty pickup. The truck was mounted upside down, about a dozen feet from the ground, complete with a full payload of what looked like genuine cinder blocks and cement bags. Yes, I felt a little uneasy starring straight up at the load.

Honda Odyssey "concept"
According to Catalin Matei, Senior Designer for Honda R&D America, the LED headlights in the Odyssey concept is about the only exterior element that will be different in the production 2011 Odyssey, due this fall. Otherwise, you're looking at it. Moving to a sloping rear roof line while also improving visibility for third-row seat passengers (as claimed) is a nice trick. Matei said this was achieved by employing a "lightning bolt" design that lowers the rear window line and by tapering the rear roof pillars to create a narrower base, allowing more room for glass. We'll see how it works from the driver's seat in our test.

See our 2010 Chicago Auto Show coverage.

—Rik Paul