With a struggling economy and lingering credit crunch, many Chicagoans may not be able to afford a new car these days, but that didn’t stop the crowds from heading to the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.

The Chicago Auto Show was held for the 101st time from Feb. 13 to Feb. 22 at McCormick Place. Produced by the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, it is the largest auto exposition in the U.S., with about 1,000 vehicles on display spanning 1.3 million square feet in the McCormick Place complex.

Walk-up box office and online ticket sales to the show were strong for the opening weekend, said Chicago Auto Show General Manager Jerry Cizek in a Feb. 16 press release.

Alex Cabrera has attended the auto show in past years and said this year’s show was just as good, despite the economic crisis, but he did notice some differences.

“You are seeing a lot more hybrids and electric cars [this year],” Cabrera said.

Darci Scafidi, of Winfield, Ill., has been coming to the Chicago Auto Show for the past seven years. She said she was not looking to buy a new car this year but came to see what kinds of hybrids and electric cars are coming out.

“We are all kind of becoming more responsible, and that would be one effort I could make,” Scafidi said.

Turnout on President’s Day, Feb. 16, was also impressive, with long ticket lines to get in. Extra ticket booths and sellers were added to accommodate the demand.

Of all the vehicles on display, some of those attracting the most attention were the most expensive.

Oak Brook, Ill., resident Tony Cuda attended the auto show to look for a car for his son, but also took the time out to admire some “dream cars” like the Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, which has a price tag of nearly $500,000.

“You don’t see that every day, so that’s the kind of car you want to come to the auto show to see-something out of the ordinary,” Cuda said. “The rest of the cars you can see on the streets or in parking lots.”

Cuda said he was searching for something more practical for his son, however, like a pick-up truck.

“But that’s what I like looking at, the fancy ones,” Cuda said.

Like Cuda, Cabrera said he also likes to look at the high-end concept cars like the Corvette Stingray, but he was not looking for a new car at the time.

While it’s too early to tell if this year’s auto show attendance will turn into sales for the auto industry, it at least shows the American love affair with the automobile is far from over.