- Search Cartoons
- Comic Archive
-
Payne
Store
Henry Payne RSS
Payne at NYC Auto Show: How Big Apple is adapting to a new show era
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 27, 2024
New York — Whipsawed by the pandemic and a changing media landscape, it’s been a difficult few years for auto shows.
North America’s major shows — Detroit, Chicago, Los Angles, and New York — have all seen defections from European brands, floors space shrink as automakers moved glitzy media introductions to other venues, and ticket sales slump as customers were spooked by COVID and declining auto offerings.
But as the show circus rolls into its original venue this week, New York Auto Show President Mark Scheinberg sees signs of stability.
“Auto retailers see the value of auto shows,” he said of the show that will open to media at the Javits Convention Center March 27-28, and to the public March 28-April 7. “They understand they need to be there. It is the best place where consumers can come and get information about multiple brands for their purchase. That’s what auto shows have always been about at their core. There is nothing like getting into a car and feeling it around you.”
Scheinberg says advance ticket sales are up 37% over last year, and cites a JPMorgan study that return-to-office rates at some Manhattan office towers have hit 78% — a key stat for a show that draws many consumers after work to its west-side, Javits Center location. Like the Detroit Auto Show returning to its traditional January date, the New York Show relies on a vibrant Manhattan to make it go.
“This is our third since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s a world of difference,” he said. “The streets are jammed with people again, and life is back to normal in New York.”
Show organizers concede the media landscape has changed and that auto shows are no longer the focus of big media reveals. Just as ad dollars now chase eyeballs across a media landscape that has diversified beyond broadcast TV and newspapers to cable and internet, so have automakers moved vehicle debuts to encompass a diverse media landscape that includes YouTube, sporting events, and Instagram influencers.
For example, Nissan introduced its new Kicks SUV in New York — not at the Javits March 27 — but in front of the Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn March 22 for the opening rounds of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Thousands of fans streaming to Barclays saw the Kicks “unboxed” in an oversized sneaker shoebox. The Kicks will make its way to the convention center on Manhattan’s west side for the show.
“Unboxing the all-new Kicks at Barclays Center places our thrilling new model at the heart of the action as passionate sports fans pour into the arena for the exciting experience of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament,” said Nissan North America’s marketing chief, Marisstella Marinkovic. “By aligning our brand with consumer passions at pivotal touchpoints, we showcase our products to the right audiences, fostering meaningful connections in the most impactful manner.”
Scheinberg embraced the Kicks’ introduction across the East River: “The idea that manufacturers like Nissan want to do something special in Brooklyn is good for New York. They did it here because it’s a major media market.”
The New York Show is a much smaller version of its early 20th century heyday when it typically hosted dozens of model reveals to packed media galleries and brands took up three of its enormous exhibition halls. This year, there will be just seven manufacturers’ press conferences. As in Detroit, LA, and Chicago, numerous brands have exited the floor leaving only the main exhibition hall occupied by automakers. European luxury brands BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover are gone.
Electric vehicle test drives will be featured at the New York auto show. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“German luxury automakers have gone in a different direction,” said Scheinberg.
But in the space they once occupied are sprawling indoor electric tracks featuring ride-alongs in new electric cars from multiple automakers. It is an evolution of the show at an opportune time.
“The EV test tracks at all these shows is an extension of what auto shows are all about — showing customers what’s new in cars. Not just EVs, but all the technology inside,” said Stephanie Brinley, S&P Global associate director of auto intelligence.
The test tracks give consumers the opportunity to experience electric vehicles as governments from New York to California to the federal EPA are phasing out sales of popular, gas-powered vehicles over the next 10 years. New York’s electric track has expanded this year to include EVs from Cadillac, Lucid, and Lexus.
“(Auto analysis firm) JD Power found that eight out of ten customers would consider and electric vehicles after having the chance to drive them” said Scheinberg.
The EV track joins ride-along experiences embracing another industry trend: off-roading. Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco off-road warriors will square off with dueling test tracks. Camp Jeep marks a coup for New York as Stellantis brands — Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep, Maserati and FIAT — will not be at the auto show, consistent with its absence at other shows in 2024. However, Stellantis said it would evaluate show spends on “a case-by-case basis, while prioritizing opportunities for consumers to experience our vehicles first-hand.”
“Camp Jeep crushes it every year here,” said Scheinberg. “They get a lot of leads. It is a very strong marketing campaign.”
South Korea’s up-and-coming Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands, meanwhile, remain bullish on the Los Angeles and New York auto shows which represent regions where they have made market in-roads.
Subaru has expanded its exhibit at the 2024 New York Auto Show. New York Auto Show, New York Auto Show
Hyundai will debut updates of its best-selling Tucson and Santa Fe SUVs; its luxury brand Genesis will introduce a new model; and Kia will unveil an all-new, compact K4 sedan that replaces the Forte. Genesis has long used New York for spectacular new reveals (it memorably unveiled its Mint EV concept in the middle of Hudson Yards in 2019), and is expected to to showcase another newsmaker this year as it rushes to go all-EV by 2030.
“The Korean brands have been very supportive of auto shows — it’s part of their business strategy,” said auto analyst Brinley. “Genesis has an anchor in Manhattan with its Genesis House showcase, so the show backs that up. Being successful in luxury requires a long-term strategy.”
Bucking the European flight from auto shows, Porsche will have a small display showing off the electric, 630-horsepower Macan SUV for the first time
“We are taking the Macan to a completely new level — with exceptional e-performance and a very impressive design,” said Porsche Chairman Oliver Blume ahead of the show.
Exotic metal including Rimac and Lotus are featured at the New York auto show. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Porsche’s presence (it was absent from Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles shows) dovetails with the Big Apple’s high-income demographic, and TV personality and car collector Michael Strahan will take delivery of his Porsche 964-based Tedson supercar at the show. Javits also will showcase its unique exotics display of hypercars. Among them will be the latest Rimac — the world’s fastest electric sportscar.
“The sophistication of this industry is extraordinary,” said Scheinberg. “But you can’t show it all in a TV commercial. The auto show is the place you can get quality time with cars and the retailers who sell them.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne