"Our walk-up box office and online sales have been strong all weekend, and today we're absolutely slammed -- and encouraged," said Chicago Auto Show General Manager Jerry Cizek. "We expected a big crowd for Presidents Day, but even we're surprised at the mass of people who have been streaming through our doors. We've added extra booths and ticket sellers to better accommodate the demand -- and we couldn't be more pleased."
We, on the other hand, are not so sure that this is a certain sign of recovery. The show debuted in the weekend, the weather was clear and all things considered, it would be a shame to live in Chicago and not attend the 101 edition of the old show. But this doesn't necessarily mean the industry is back on track.
Besides, there are still lots of attractions at the show. As we've seen, lots of premieres are taking place. Hyundai brought three new models, the Chevy based autobots from Transformers 2 made their first public appearance, Scion brought the new tC, and the list could go on.
It is however a good sign for both the industry and the following auto shows. Worst case scenario, the industry won't gain much from the shows, but at least the organizers won't lose any more money.
The Chicago Auto Show utilizes 1.3 million square feet (120,000 m2) of the McCormick Place complex.
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