Joliet, Illinois (Oct. 5) – The Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) held its annual Fall Rally, presented by the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), this week at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois. 

Automakers showcased their latest cars, trucks and SUVs where 75 media members from across the country gathered to put nearly 70 vehicles through their paces on track, street and off-road course.  

Toyota opened the event with a breakfast presentation featuring its 2018 Camry, America’s best-selling car for 15 consecutive years and a candidate for North American Car of the Year. Chad Moore, product training expert at Toyota, led the presentation on the eighth-generation Camry. He explained that it has gone through a total evolution from a proven, dependable and safe car to one that also possesses a more exciting and emotional character, thanks to its newfound sporty performance and eye-catching style.

Additionally, the new Camry utilizes Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) which represents new strategy to the way the company designs, engineers and packages its vehicles. TNGA retains all of Toyota’s traditional values of superlative build quality and safety while injecting a fun driving experience that plays on all the senses. The physical manifestation is the usage of a new engine, transmission and GA-K platform.

Following the morning session featuring track touring laps, street driving and an off-road course sponsored by Jeep, the group gathered for lunch, where Honda led a presentation featuring the Civic Type R. Carl Pulley, assistant public relations manager at Honda, said this all-new Type R continues its legacy as an exciting, front-wheel-drive, high-performance hatchback and is the ultimate expression of the genre. Media members had the chance to test drive one of two Type R vehicles that Honda brought for media members to experience on the track at the Fall Rally.

Pulley said everything about the Civic Type R was designed to create the optimum performance driving experience – from the performance-tuned 2.0L i-VTEC DOHC turbocharged engine and six-speed manual transmission to the Type R unique chassis components and three-mode dynamic driving control. This is the most extreme Type R ever built, with track-ready performance providing the most rewarding driving experience in its segment, according to Honda.

The MAMA Fall Rally is one of two track events the organization hosts each year. MAMA also hosts monthly meetings for its members; the upcoming event list can be found at www.mamaonline.org.

Photo Credit: Christian Lantry, Cars.com 

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About the Midwest Automotive Media Association

The Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) is a professional non-profit press association, with a 25-year history, that brings together automotive journalists and manufacturers to provide a platform for automakers to release news. MAMA's membership has grown to nearly 300 and includes journalists covering print, broadcast, online as well as media relations professionals within the automotive industry. For more information, visit www.mamaonline.org.