Author and automotive historian Matt Avery participated on an ABC 7 Chicago live panel as part of the 2020 Chicago Auto Show. Hosted by well-known Windy City news reporter, Roz Varon, Matt was joined by Kelsey Mays, Senior Consumer Affairs Editor for Cars.com and Tim Healey, Senior Editor of TheTruthAboutCars.com.
The car-centered conversation took place right on the auto show floor at the McCormick Place Convention Center, in downtown Chicago in the popular BUZZHUB feature area, powered by DriveChicago.
The topics the experts tackled ranged from the latest automotive trends to what consumers can expect from electric vehicles to the future of autonomous vehicles. Matt also discussed the significant role of heritage models for auto manufacturers, including Toyota's Supra and the Land Rover Defender.
The author and automotive personality also addressed some of his favorite trends he's seeing which include the wildly popular 'blackout' cosmetic packages and the continuing integration of features into pickup truck beds to meet more and more active lifestyles.
Blackout appearance packages continue to remain red hot with consumers, who prefer the sinister look and feel of vehicles with wheels, trim, badging and paint and body all painted black or smoked out. At this year's show, Toyota announced they were extending their popular Nightshade Special Editions to even more models across their lineup, including the Tundra, Tacoma, and 4Runner.
The panel conversation was streamed live on the television studio's Facebook page, which is followed by 2.4 million people. This allowed viewers to submit questions to the guest experts and get their opinion on the current automotive market. Attendees at the auto show were also able to listen in live.
