{"id":29064,"date":"2022-04-15T17:15:20","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T21:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29064"},"modified":"2022-04-15T17:15:20","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T21:15:20","slug":"small-apple-new-york-auto-show-back-with-fewer-exhibits-more-startups-ev-test-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/small-apple-new-york-auto-show-back-with-fewer-exhibits-more-startups-ev-test-track","title":{"rendered":"Small Apple: New York Auto Show back with fewer exhibits, more startups, EV test track"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The New York Auto Show is back in the Big Apple. Though this year\u2019s show more resembles a Big Cherry: smaller but with plenty of color.<\/p>\n

There will be fewer manufacturers and vehicle debuts, but a rush of electric vehicle startups and a 250,000-square foot indoor test track on which to test them and their battery-powered peers. Canceled the last two years due to pandemic concerns, Gotham\u2019s largest public event by attendance is navigating \u2014\u00a0not just a return to post-COVID normal \u2014 but major changes in how vehicles are powered and how manufacturers are unveiling them.<\/p>\n

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In 2019, the last show before the pandemic, there were some 20 new North American car and concept reveals, including significant models from Mercedes and Cadillac. This year, Merc and Caddy won\u2019t even be at the show as luxury automakers (including BMW, Porsche and Audi) are focusing their marketing dollars elsewhere. Fewer than 10 new vehicle intros are expected at this week\u2019s April 13-14 media days with headliners as likely to come from startups like Deus as from mainstream automakers like Kia.<\/p>\n

Yet organizers say that public interest is strong given customers flush with cash and the buzz surrounding a flood of new autos. Organizers say the city’s lifting of mask and vaccine on businesses last month also helps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has definitely been a shift in auto show debuts,\u201d said the president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, Mark Scheinberg, who runs the country\u2019s oldest auto show. \u201cBut the New York show is still a major consumer event. It\u2019s an opportunity for people to come shop for new vehicles shown under one roof. Our advance ticket sales are neck-and-neck with 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With all the brand no-shows, New York presents an opportunity for startups trying to ride the wave of EV-mania.<\/p>\n

Startup automaker Fisker stole the media show in Los Angeles, and Vietnam\u2019s Vinfast hopes to do the same in New York. The electric-car company has been aggressive about the U.S. market, with plans for a North Carolina production facility and an IPO to finance it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a chance for automakers like Vinfast to show a new product in front of a lot of people and media,\u201d said Scheinberg. \u201cThey get respect showing alongside established auto manufacturers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vinfast has promised four affordable SUVs for us Yankees called the VF6, VF7, VF8 and VF9. The compact VF6 was shown in Los Angeles, and the VF8 is expected to be on display in New York.<\/p>\n

Southern California startup INDI EV will also join the big boys for a news conference on Wednesday to show off its first car, the INDI One \u2014 and to announce the opening of pre-orders. Starting at $45,000, the compact SUV is targeted at the Mustang Mach-E, VW ID.4\u00a0and Tesla Model Y.<\/p>\n

Taking a page from the latter, INDI EV says that its INDI One will be a smartphone on wheels with a powerful, onboard computer to run a \u201cportfolio of game engine technology, content development, global publishing, mobile platforms, SIM cards, hardware, and Virtual Reality products.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the INDI One promises a new era of processing power, then the Deus Vayanne promises good ol\u2019 supercar power. The Austrian-based firm has partnered with the respected Italdesign shop and Williams Advanced Engineering, an offshoot of the famed Formula One team that has helped engineer Formula E electric race cars. Expect a low-slung missile with electrifying speed.<\/p>\n

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Mainstream manufactures will have will have a few major reveals of their own. Chrysler will a design concept for its first\u00a0Airflow EV. Kia will unveil updates of its Niro and the wildly-popular three-row Telluride SUV, while Korean sibling Hyundai will show off a refreshed Palisade ute.<\/p>\n

As if to emphasize the shift away from auto show reveals, GMC will not have an exhibit at the show and will tease its new Canyon pickup virtually this Thursday. Lincoln will have a floor display, but did a virtual tease of its first electric car ahead of the show on Monday.<\/p>\n

Once a showcase for luxury automakers preening for deep Wall Street pockets, Gotham\u2019s loss of big hitters like Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, Buick, Acura and Cadillac hurts. Other notable MIAs are Honda and Mazda, which once had prominent floor displays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been so much uncertainty relative to COVID that automakers have struggled over how much to commit to auto shows,\u201d said IHS Markit auto analyst Stephanie Brinley. \u201cBut there is a risk of disappointing consumers by not showing up. If buyers don\u2019t see see their brand, then they might forget about you. For example, Mazda has a new CX-50 that will not be there, and Honda\u2019s new HR-V will not be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consumers will have a chance to touch vehicles that they have only read about in Internet debuts: vehicles like the retro, electric VW ID.Buzz minivan, hulking Chevy Silverado and Ford Lightning EV pickups, wee Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV\u00a0and insane Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch.<\/p>\n

Showgoers won’t be limited to touching either.<\/p>\n

The combination of fewer stands and a 90,000-square-foot expansion of the Javits Convention Center on the Hudson River leaves room for a 250,000-square-foot test track \u2014 nearly a quarter of the show space \u2014 for visitors to test drive EVs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have any emissions, so we can have them inside,\u201d Scheinberg said with a smile. \u201cThere has been such a huge change in the products that are out there since before the pandemic. The world is seeing a seismic shift and electrification has just blossomed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The push in battery-powered cars comes as the federal government is forcing automakers to produce electric drivetrains. Automakers take hope from Tesla, which has blossomed as an EV-only brand \u2014 though EVs only made up\u00a04.5% of U.S. sales in 2021<\/a>, with Teslas purchased in California the largest group. Scheinberg says the New York show has pushed electrification for years with little impact, but he says this year feels different.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll buyers saw in Super Bowl ads was EVs,\u201d he said. \u201cNow every manufacturer is in the game. That\u2019s what has been missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

EVs available to ride include the Chevrolet Bolt, the INDI One, Kia EV6, Nissan Leaf, VinFast VF8, VW ID.4 EV, and Volvo XC 40 Recharge.<\/p>\n

In addition to the EV test track, there will be outdoor test tracks for dirt-kickers like the Jeep Wrangler. Ford and Hyundai will have their own electric test tracks as part of their floor stands. Ford will likely offer rides in the Mustang Mach-E and Lightning. Hyundai has its new Ioniq 5 to show off.<\/p>\n

Ford\u2019s stand will also showcase the Ford GT supercar \u2014 still one of the most stunning chariots on the floor seven years after its introduction \u2014 in a new wardrobe. The 2022 Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition pays tribute to Ford\u2019s sweep of the podium at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The GT will be on display next to the original\u00a01966 Holman Moody Ford GT40 MK II race car.<\/p>\n

More eye candy will be on display in New York\u2019s signature exotic car \u201cbull ring,\u201d where fans can ogle six-figure Lamborghinis, Porsches, Bugattis and other unobtainables. Not to be outdone, Lincoln will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a little bling. Alongside its new Navigator SUV\u00a0will be Elvis Presley\u2019s iconic\u00a01956 Continental Mark II.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought initial ticket sales might be soft,\u201d said Scheinberg. \u201cBut the public senses it\u2019s time to get out and do things again. Our research shows that 72% of show attendees are in the market for a car.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York Auto Show will open its doors to the public April 15-24 after press days, April 13-14.<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York\u00a0\u2014 The New York Auto Show is back in the Big Apple. Though this year\u2019s show more resembles a Big Cherry: smaller but with plenty of color. There will be fewer manufacturers and vehicle debuts, but a rush of electric vehicle startups and a 250,000-square foot indoor test track on which to test them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29064"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29065,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29064\/revisions\/29065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}