Feature: Virtual reality, other tricks help car companies sell at Chicago Auto Show

At the Chicago Auto Show slated for Feb. 14-22, Jeep has set up an eighteen feet high "mountain" with a 35 degree incline and decline.

"You will randomly hear a couple of screams here and there," Jeep spokesman Sergio Armento grinned, "but for sure, smiles and laughter the whole time."

The track also has an articulation station with a 35 degree tilt, where it makes drivers feel like they might roll over.

The track is a yearly attempt by Jeep to impress consumers with the Jeep brand's traction control and off-road capabilities.

This year, the company is showcasing a brand new 2015 Jeep Renegade Trail Hawk. The Renegade is the first compact four-wheel drive with an opening roof to be available in the United States since the Suzuki Samurai, which was introduced in 1981.

But Jeep isn't the only one jumping on the interactive bandwagon. Ford has a full-motion driving simulator that puts drivers in the cockpit of a Ford Mustang on the famous German Nurburgring racetrack. James Dunn, who runs the simulator for Ford, told Xinhua it has a nickname: Simzilla.

"Everyone seems to love it, the lines get a little long, but it 's worth the minute and a half, two-minute ride," Dunn said. "As you're pushing the gas it will go back, pretend you're shifting the gears, as you turn the corner it will dip down through the corner and that's all controlled by the computer and the gas pedal brake pedal and your driving capability. It's real fun."

But American automakers aren't the only ones getting into the fun. Toyota has developed a driving simulator using virtual reality.

Drivers put on goggles, strap themselves in, and start driving. Toyota calls it TeenDrive365, and it uses a pair of goggles called the Oculus Rift.

Toyota was trying to find ways to teach teens how to avoid distracted driving, but it ended up being an interesting way to showcase their Toyota Camry. When drivers press the gas pedal, the car accelerates, and when drivers press the brake, the car stops. The simulator has 360 degree head tracking, and the Camry has comfortable seats, making it fun for drivers to test out the seating without being bored.

This is all part of the Chicago Auto Show, the United States' biggest auto show at McCormick Place in Chicago, where more than 1 million square feet are used to display the latest and greatest cars. The show occurs annually. Enditem