2024 New York International Auto Show Reflections

Who Showed, Who Didn’t

The 2024 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) was notable as much for who still didn’t show up as for what we found on the show floor.

Since the pandemic shut down the show for two years, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have yet to reappear. And while Mazda and Mitsubishi made appearances in ’22 and ’23, there were a no show this year. And from Fiat Chrysler — or Stellantis — only Jeep showed up with its outdoor test climb.

The value of industry trade shows was questioned in the wake of the pandemic. They are expensive to put on, requiring the movement of large numbers of people and vehicles and booth materials. There’s no evidence of Mercedes and BMW suffering from ignoring this and other trade shows.

Further evidence of a cut back in show attendance were the tiny booths set up by both Volvo and Audi. Barely room for a few car. For the second year in row, Hyundai took advantage of available floor space to make its own test track. The EV track (right) remained on the first level.

EVs in the Limelight

Elsewhere, EVs remain a focus of the show, clearly an attempt to acquaint the buying public with the shift to electric driving. Volkswagen’s ID Buzz (left) made and appearance. Polestar was at the show for the first time and brought its 2, 3, and 4 models. The Polestar 4 (right) won’t be available to order for another few months with deliveries expected in 2025.

Porsche featured all four of its available electric line: the Tacan, Macan, Cayenne and Panamera (left), all open and available to crawl through. As always with Porsche, the styling is impeccable.

Acura brought its first EV, the ZDX (right), but kept it locked tight. Seems a bit short sighted if you’re hoping to generate interest.

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