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2000 Chicago Auto Show Floor Sells Out

9 July 1999

2000 Chicago Auto Show Floor Sells Out

    CHICAGO, July 8 -- With the automotive industry on a record-
setting pace for the year, manufacturers from around the world gathered in
Chicago today to choose where they will market their vehicles at the 92nd
Chicago Auto Show, set for February 11-20, 2000 at the McCormick Place
convention center.
    The 2000 show will give show-goers a bit of a different look at how the
industry markets its vehicles on the sold-out 840,000 sq. ft. show floor.
    "In the past, each manufacturer division has chosen its own space," said
Chicago Auto Show General Manager Jerry Cizek.  "But GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler
and Toyota Motor Sales have opted this year to consolidate their various
brands into contiguous displays.  The largest will be almost 160,000 sq. ft."
    Among the crown jewels of automotive expositions, the Chicago show set an
all-time record last February when more than 1.2 million visitors viewed over
1,000 vehicles staged on the massive show floor.  The automotive industry is
on pace to exceed the 16 million unit record set in 1986.
    "Is there a connection between what goes on in dealers' showrooms and the
auto show?" Chicago Auto Show Chairman Bill Stasek asked rhetorically.  "Of
course there is.  The economy is strong, but we've always known that the
dreams that are launched on the show floor spark the desire for consumers to
make the move into a new vehicle.  It's the perfect setting for the car, truck
or SUV buyer, as they can comparison shop without having to leave the room."
    First staged in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is produced by the Chicago
Automobile Trade Association, which represents more than 800 franchised new
vehicle dealer and allied members.