January 2008 Archives

Not that I'm complaining mind you. The reason it smells like diesel is because I made the trip down to McCormick Place on day 1 of the Chicago Auto Show. Well, OK, not actually day 1, really, but kind of pre-auto show day 1. Ish. Today is the first day that manufacturers begin moving into the 1.3 million square-feet of show room space. So, rather than all the pretty bejeweled displays, there were a lot of boxes, crates, forklifts and harried workers scurrying around as they hustled to unload about 400 semi trucks worth of stuff.

It's inevitable, I suppose. Especially when the auto show hits town. Everyone is eager to see what hot new cars will be launched at the show. And auto journalists are in rare form as they try to beat their colleagues to the wire with the latest news. Sometimes this is their only chance to get that "breaking" story. But, in their overzealousness, they do a disservice to those of us who know the meaning of embargo.