TheCarConnection.com's Coverage of the 2008 Chicago Auto Show.

CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 2008 -- Paying showgoers will have to wait for the weekend to get their first look at the more than a dozen new cars, trucks and crossovers making their debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. But readers of TheCarConnection.com can get a get look already in the site's exclusive Chicago Auto Show preview, at http: www.thecarconnection.com .

The star of the show? Well, there's plenty of competition, including the eagerly-awaited, 425-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT8, which can launch from 0-60 in just 3.9 seconds. For those looking for space, rather than speed, Volkswagen has some big news, in the form of the new VW Routan, the maker's most important minivan since the era of the legendary Microbus.

The Chicago Auto Show also brings the launch of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata, a sedan that could change the way midsize buyers perceive the South Korean automaker.

General Motors weighs in with a variety of concepts and crossovers. That includes the sporty-looking Chevrolet Traverse CUV, as well as GMC's striking Denali XT Hybrid, an intriguing blend of car, truck and green machine. TheCarConnection.com also reports how Chevy's new flex-fuel HHR will usher in a new line-up of E85 offerings from GM.

Then there's Ford Motor Co.'s big European import, the visually striking and surprisingly functional Transit Connect, which will hit U.S. showrooms by Summer 2010.

In its Chicago Auto Show coverage, TheCarConnection's blog reveals that to hold down the cost of its first-ever plug-in hybrid, GM is likely to swallow thousands of dollars in costs, rather than pass them on to the consumer. The blog also reveals why Volvo is going to the dogs.

And even before the Chicago Auto Show officially opens to the public, TheCarConnection.com is getting ready for the season's next big event, with a sneak peek at the Opel Meriva, one of the big debuts planned for next month's Geneva Motor Show.

You'll find all this, and more, at TheCarConnection.com.