Expanded Chicago Auto Show debuts new Toyota Grand Highlander

Toyota will use this month's Chicago Auto Show to introduce a long-promised larger three-row crossover to its U.S. lineup, while Volkswagen and Subaru will rely on the Windy City's massive McCormick Place to showcase updates to strong-selling crossovers on opposite ends of the size spectrum.

The Chicago show is in its 115th year, and with Detroit's move to the fall, now occupies the lead-off position among major metropolitan auto shows on the calendar. After consolidating into a smaller portion of McCormick Place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago show has added floor space and will now occupy two halls of the south side convention center, including a large EV test track that's new this year. The EV ride joins several existing experiential ride displays inside the convention center.

"Chicago has been a show for facelifts and special editions for a number of years. Its impact for reveals has been pretty bare for a while. Three reveals is actually a pretty good number for that show," said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of AutoIntelligence with S&P Global Mobility. "It's a huge space and it's a big market, and its consumer numbers for attendance continues to stay strong."

Here's what's expected to be at the Chicago Auto Show, which opens to the public Saturday, Feb. 11 after the media preview.

Jeep: The unveiling of a special edition Wrangler, but details were unavailable as of press time.

Subaru: The reveal of the U.S. version of the redesigned Crosstrek five-door hatchback. In September, the brand debuted the domestic variant of its Japan-built Crosstrek, which finished 2022 as Subaru's top-selling model in the U.S. with 155,142 sold.

Toyota: The long-anticipated extension of the popular Highlander crossover officially debuts Wednesday, Feb. 8, at an off-site event prior to the show, but the vehicle will have a dominant position at McCormick Place. The Grand Highlander has a larger third row and features room for eight. It has a system that enables hands-free driving in certain conditions, "a remote parking system allowing the driver to park and unpark from outside the vehicle using a smartphone, and a digital key that turns a user's smartphone into their key and allows them to share it digitally," Toyota revealed earlier. Dealers are excited about the Grand Highlander because the vehicle is expected to allow them to keep customers with growing families who don't want a minivan.

Volkswagen: Members of the brand's large-crossover family will debut heavily freshened versions. The three-row Atlas and two-row Atlas Cross Sport will receive all-new interiors, an upgraded powertrain and new styling cues when they arrive in dealerships in the first half of this year.