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New York Auto Show marks 125 years with Asian debuts, Detroit nostalgia, EV test tracks
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 16, 2025
New York — America’s oldest auto exhibition, the New York International Auto Show, celebrates its 125th anniversary through April 27 at Javits Convention Center with a look back at significant concepts of the past along with the debuts of modern machinery for the 21st century.
While auto dealers who organize the show gauge consumer interest in the latest wares, they will also be watching the effects of government-imposed electric vehicle mandates and import tariffs on the market’s future.
Like the Detroit Auto Show at Huntington Place, the Big Apple’s auto-palooza has morphed over the decades into more than just an opportunity to shop for your next ride. Once isolated on the Hudson River on Manhattan’s’ west side next to a train depot, Javits’ neighborhood has been transformed by the Hudson Yards development that has sprouted skyscrapers over top of the rail yard. With 9 million square feet of office space as well as residential quarters, Hudson Yards is among the most expensive real estate in Manhattan.
Residents and other attendees who walk across 11th Avenue to Javits will find four test tracks — two of them outdoor — where they can jump into cars from numerous brands for a ride. Inside, there will be an array of attractions from anniversary exhibits to new car debuts to brand displays and special collections of Detroit classics and racing Subarus.
“There’s been a huge change over the years. We characterize these events as auto shows, but it’s also a place for (attendees) to enjoy themselves, as they are spending three four hours at the show,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the New York Auto Show and of the Greater New York Auto Dealers Association, in an interview. He said exit surveys show consumers “want to see the new product and help them understand it. But right under that was they really loved the entertainment.”
That entertainment will include special exhibits during public days April 18-27, like tuner whiz Nakai San, who will construct a Porsche over two days, April 23-24 — and Overland Weekend, an exhibit of extreme campers and off-road vehicles. Detroit’s show in January also amped up the entertainment when it invited ticket-holders to take a ride with IndyCar stars like Josef Newgarden and Nolan Allaer on the show’s indoor track.
New York combines car-gazing and entertainment on the show’s 110,000-square-foot indoor test track. Like Detroit, the experience track is a New York centerpiece.
ZOT! Riding shotgun, attendees can accelerate up to 40 mph around the “EVTest Track.” Some 18 models will be available to ticket-holders. Cadillac leads the way with four EVs to ride in with Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jeep, Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen also represented.
“You really need to speak to the consumers that are in your area and tracks are a great way to do that,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of Research and Analysis for S&P Global. “There are still a lot of people who still haven’t been in an electric vehicle, so to have that experience is helpful.”
Unlike Detroit’s indoor tracks that showcased a mix of gas and electric powertrains, Javitz’s track is all-electric. That’s because the Empire State is one of 12 so-called Zero Emission Vehicles states that require all new vehicles sales to be zero-emission by 2035. That includes a mandate that 35% of 2026 model-year vehicles (which hit dealers later this year) be fully battery-powered.
The market is a long way from that today with less than 10% of New York sales (most of them Tesla, which is not at the New York Show) powered by electricity. Sales may also be impacted by the expected withdrawal of the federal $7,500 EV tax credit.
“We saw an uptick in sales in January and February as headlines warned that subsidies were going away, and there is also more availability of EV models,” said Brinley. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a 35% share for electric vehicles in New York.”
For the majority of customers who still want gas-fired cars — particularly of the off-road variety — Detroit brands Jeep and Ford offer outdoor tracks on Javits’ 11th Avenue doorstep. The rollercoaster-like tracks are traditionally among the most popular show features.
“Jeep keeps on making the mountain bigger and with a bigger pitch. So it should be interesting to see what they’ve put together this year,” Schienberg said.
The dealers who organize the show also face a mountain of tariffs coming from the Trump administration — aimed in particular at entry-level and electric vehicles made in Mexico like the Kia K4 hatchback that the Korean brand is expected to introduce here.
“It’s hard for consumers to see the effect of tariffs on vehicles,” said Brinley, who said New York show products haven’t been pulled back due to tariffs. “Vehicle inventory for 50-60 days that is on sale now is unaffected by the tariffs. And manufacturers that sell here aren’t leaving the market — they just have to figure out where to build.”
Unique for 2025 is the anniversary celebration.
“We’re really pulling out all the stops with amazing exhibits,” said Schienberg of the show that started at Madison Square Garden in 1900. “We’re showing concepts — one from each decade of the auto show. So we have 13 examples of amazing vehicles that have been introduced over the decades.”
Inside the show’s entrance, the anniversary exhibit illustrates how the industry has evolved in design and tech. Exhibits includes Detroit notables like the Ford Model T and 1909 Cadillac Model 30.
“Its interesting to harken back to the history of autos after so many years of talking about EVs and autonomous vehicles,” Brinley said. “It makes the auto show engaging on multiple levels. I like that there is an emphasis on the things that emotionally move you as well as what you might buy.”
Also celebrating its 125th year? Mack Truck, which will have a display including a 1925 Mack AB model.
New vehicles are still the heartbeat of the New York show, and 28 brands will be on display at Javits.
“When we looked at our numbers last year, 66% of (attendees) said that the show influenced their purchase, and that they were in the in the market for buying a car . . . within the next 12 months,” Schienberg said. “So you really have consumers that are in that funnel, coming in and helping them make their decision on what to do.”
If Detroit Three brands dominate the Huntington Place stage, Korean brands Kia, Hyundai and Genesis have become the headliners in New York and Los Angeles with high-profile model debuts. Subaru and VW will also showcase new models.
“Hyundai, Kia and Genesis have been great as a lot of other manufacturers have gone away. Subaru has always been a believer in shows,” Schienberg said. “They share with us their data, and it’s really impressive what coverage they get.”
Three new Kia models are expected with speculation centering on a hatchback version of the compact, gas-powered K4 sedan; the North American introduction of the K4’s electric E4 sibling; and a new, three-row Telluride SUV.
Expect Hyundai’s Telluride competitor, the Palisade, to take off the wraps in New York with a boxier look. Subaru will debut an all-new EV, the Trailseeker, but the Big Apple’s showstopper may be an all-new Subaru Outback — the brand’s halo moving away from its traditional, station-wagon proportions to a chunkier, more SUV-like look. As for VW, the midsize, gas-driven Tiguan SUV may get a close cousin, the Tayron. Toyota and Maserati have also scheduled news conferences.
In addition to its sprawling display, Hyundai has its own indoor test track for attendees.
“Seventy six percent of the (New York attendees) said that the auto show was the only automotive event that they attended,” Schienberg said. “They’re seeing car commercials, and they are on the websites getting information about product. But when they really want to experience cars, the consumer is still using auto shows as their tool to help them make decisions.”
With many of the world’s biggest media operations — TV networks, New York newspapers and more — in town, the New York show has been an irresistible showcase for the flood of startup automakers in recent years. Qiantu, INDI EV, Vinfast and others have used Gotham as a stage for new vehicles.
Not this year. Consistent with the struggles of startups like Rivian, Lucid, Fisker and Bollinger, the 2025 show will be devoid of startups.
“Startups are going through their challenges to some degree,” Scheinberg said. “I wish Vinfast was in this year. They’re not, but that’s more because they’re not selling vehicles in the New York area.”
Though Metro New York contains some of the country’s most affluent zip codes, many luxury automakers continue to sit out the the show just as they do Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. BMW, Porsche and Cadillac (which was once headquartered in New York) will not present this year. But Mercedes, Maserati, Genesis, Acura and Lincoln will bring their toys.
And then there are the exotics.
A signature of the New York show has long been its display of uber-lux models from hypercars to lush land yachts. Detroit took inspiration from New York and put on its own exotic 2025 display.
Between the Chevy and Subaru exhibits will be eye candy like the Bentley Continental GTC hybrid convertible, Rolls Royce Cullinan, 1,500-horsepower Koenigsegg Regera hybrid, Lamborghini Revuelo, Lotus Eletre SUV and Emira sports car, and 1,900-horsepower Rimac Nevera electric hypercar that can hit 60 mph in just 1.85 seconds.
Performance fans will also thrill at restomods from Tedson Motors (Porsche 911), Sacrilege (converted electric Porsche 911), and GTO Engineering (Ferrari 250).
Media attendance has dropped off in recent years during the press week leading up to New York public days as fewer manufacturers have debuted vehicles.
But the New York Show still generates media interest with its World Car of the Year awards scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 — much as the North American Car, Truck & Utility of the Year awards kicks off the Detroit Auto Show.
Javits also hosted the Automotive Forum sponsored by JD Power on Tuesday, April 15.
“It’s a who’s who of the auto industry — everybody from manufacturers to suppliers, dealers, the media,” Schienberg said. “Between issues on the economy, electrification, and now tariffs, things have been taken to a whole new level, which is why registrations have really turned up. “
Other attractions include a display dedicated to the “Golden Era,” spotlighting 1950s automobiles including the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado, 1958 Buick Limited and 1955 Packard Caribbean. Complementing Subaru’s main floor display is a collection of all-wheel-drive Subaru hellions from the James Buzzetta collection.
“These are the STI (racers), and the first Subaru that was ever brought into the United States, the Subaru 360,” Schienberg said.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.