How quickly times can change. Last month, we were walking the busy halls of the Chicago Auto Show; today we write to you from a safe social distance. We hope this report finds you well and allows you enjoy a virtual look at the design, technology and experiences from The Chicago Auto Show 2020.

Over the last few years, especially as the popularity of EVs and autonomous driving have risen, we’ve seen some change in the Auto Shows; namely, they’ve been shrinking, especially in displays with boundary-pushing solutions. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has become the destination for the new, high-tech, and exciting. Innovators like Byton, BMW, and Faraday Future who exhibited at CES were not at the Auto Show. There’s still much to see at the Auto Shows, from forms to functionality, but we’re keeping our eye on this shift and its implications.

While some tech-forward solutions are moving to CES, the Auto Show is the destination for buyers who are looking for their next ride. Because of this, we saw some interesting experiential displays that aimed to make visitors feel an emotional connection.

We also took a look at the show from the perspective of the back seat passenger for the first time. Ride share companies are changing the way many people use their cars and the amount of time people spend riding in the back seat. Are manufacturers taking this seriously?

We hope you enjoy the report and as always, we’d love to hear from you if you’d like to discuss your new product development programs.