Amongst the racy Italian exotica and über-luxurious German limos, the Chicago Auto Show was most defined by advances in mainstream cars.

Sure, the new Ferrari F430 caught a lot of attention, but the Ford booth was run amok by Mustang fans Saturday. Nevermind trying to get a seat in the new car, pressing through the crowd to catch sight of it was difficult enough.

Offering 300 horsepower and 320 foot-pounds of torque in GT form, it is not lacking power. That muscle continues on the outside with strongly flared wheel arches and a broad-shouldered stance at the rear.

“They did a good job with the retro. Some of it looks a little chintzy, but overall it’s a good design,” said Jim Matt, a Wisconsin resident and owner of a previous-generation Mustang.

The Mustang is an important car for Ford, but equally important is its Five Hundred sedan. The car’s designers have taken blatant cues from German automakers, particularly from VW Group.

The profile is VW Passat-like, the interior is a rendition of Audi’s theme and all the important places the hand travels inside the car are of high quality. Soft-touch, textured plastics abound and an old-fashioned analog clock to add a sense of class.

The Five Hundred offers 203 horsepower and 207 foot-pounds of torque, and pricing will be between $20,000 and $30,000.

Another important car, the Subaru B9 Tribeca, strongly represents the future of Subaru design. It shares the profiles of both a sports utility vehicle and a minivan, and the prominent grille design polarized attendees.

“It’s not your typical Subaru, ” said Shane Tilson, a Chicago resident. He’s said he’s not sure that the protruding Bugatti-like grille works on a Subaru.

Bob Gancarz of Geneva sees it differently. “Not bad, probably the the best in the Subaru area. It’s got cooler lines.”

As of now, the B9 Tribeca is only a working prototype, but other Subaru prototypes have followed its design theme, so it can be expected to make production.

As for Japanese automakers, Infiniti, Acura, and Toyota have redesigned their mid-size luxury sedans. Listed respectively, the M35/45, RL, and Avalon all share a remarkably similar swooping shape, with various surface details like headlights and design lines setting them apart. As well, they are similar in power, with the M35 and Avalon having about 280 horsepower and the RL with 300 horsepower.

A long-time favorite of the import tuner crowd, the Honda Civic Si concept, could replace today’s three-door version. It would maintain the coupe profile of the last generation, but receive a much wedgier, modern shape.

“I’m glad they finally got the body styling right on the Si,” said Brent Fogle of Chicago.

Gasoline-electric hybrid transport is beginning to gain popularity, evidenced by automakers’ growing commitment toward its development.

There are now choices for every sort of demand, from a small two-seat city transporter from Honda, the Insight, to a new V8 pickup from GMC. The GMC Sierra hybrid offers the same Vortec V8 engine and sees a 10 percent boost in fuel economy.