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Smith Electric Vehicles will open its third American factory in Chicago.

A year ago, people in the Midwest were taking stock of the damage that the massive earthquake and tsunami had done to Japan.

We may not have flying cars (yet), but there are some other pretty nifty features on display at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The future seems more hopeful for U.S. automakers than it did a couple of years ago. Earlier this month, news outlets reported that auto sales for January were up.

For nearly a decade, the auto industry’s Big Three included at least one company that wasn’t from Detroit. Now, Chrysler is back among the three best-selling automakers.It ranked behind General Motors and Ford in May auto sales.

For almost a half century last century, Detroit was a boom town.

Officials at the Mitsubishi Motors North America plant in central Illinois say they have enough parts to keep making cars for another two weeks but they're awaiting word on whether Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami could lead to production disruptions.Mitsubishi Motors North America spokesman D