Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place wraps up Monday

ByMark Rivera and ABC 7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo

Monday, July 19, 2021

It's the final day for the 2021 Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place Monday.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's the final day for the 2021 Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place Monday.

Everybody has a favorite at the Chicago Auto Show! Cars.com has several favorites. For the first time, they've chosen the Ford F-150 as the Best Pick-up Truck and Best Overall Vehicle of 2021.

"We chose it partly because the company has been good about keeping what's great about the truck, and then adding... and on top of that it has the added extra of a generator built-in," said Joe Wiesenfelder, Cars.com executive editor.

For families, the Kia Carnival is a mini-van that looks like an SUV and is loaded with features. Cars.com named the Volkswagen Atlas the Best Family Vehicle of 2021.

"We appreciate for families that mini-vans are great, but a lot of buyers will not even think about a minivan," Wiesenfelder said.

If you're going for an SUV, the Atlas is roomy, it's very comfortable in all rows, and it's on our car seat honor roll which is a list of carts that accommodate child safety seats the best.

Concept cars have been a popular feature at past auto shows. There are fewer models on display at this year's show, with the Toyota Rhombus among the few on display.

Wiesenfelder said automakers have been backing away from the fanciful and futuristic cars.

"They put more emphasis now on prototypes, things that are much closer to actual production so that can kind of tweak them," Wiesenfelder said.

On the last day, unfortunately, the street fest is over, but you can still check out one of several indoor test tracks, including one at Dodge.

And be sure to take a look at one of many EVs at the show, like the BMW iX and the 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV. In fact, the Bolt is one of many cars Chevy is letting folks drive outside as part of the popular Test Drive experience.

Another reason to check out the show, and test drive. A lot of these cars are not at individual dealers! Because of the chip shortage, inventory is low and when cars do arrive, they're getting purchased right away! Also, Auto Show officials said they're back on track to have the 2022 show at its usual time in February!

If you're planning a trip down to McCormick Place, remember it's now in the west building, and you cannot buy tickets in person. You must buy online.

The Chicago Auto Show ends Sunday July 19 at 8 p.m. See the full details here to learn more.

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