It’s been a long, long time since an auto show has provided an actual surprise. Auto shows have supposedly died, and with them, the excitement of seeing anything new or interesting. Everyone knows the cars that will be shown ahead of time, and worse, everyone knows automakers are keeping the good stuff for one-off events outside of the auto show calendar. Will the New York Auto Show be any different this year? I think it might just be.
I now live in New York, so I have some affection for the event, which is why the one-two punch of the pandemic and the general decoupling of debuts from shows has been a bummer. Like all major auto shows, New York has ceded space to “test tracks” to make up for the empty space where automakers used to be.
The last time there was an auto show with multiple vehicles debuting that I didn’t already know everything about was … let’s just say it was before I started having to be conscious of plucking ear hairs. Not only are there automakers showing mysterious vehicles here, but there are vehicles getting real debuts, as opposed to just “North American reveals” of something everyone has already seen.
Why is this happening? Suddenly, automakers are realizing they need the American market more than ever and, likely, can’t rely on China to move cars. America is back, baby! Let’s look at what’s coming for this special Morning Dump.
The 2026 Subaru Outback And The Subaru Trailseeker
Being based in New Jersey, it’s only fitting that Subaru is bringing two new models to its hometown show. The first is the Subaru Trailseeker, which is some sort of small (or large) electric car. This is the only photo we have, so I’m quite curious what it’ll be.
What about the Outback? The last generation Outback debuted in New York way back in 2018, so it’s fitting that the new sixth generation is getting shown here first.
That’s interesting. That doesn’t look like a wagon at all. With the death of the Subaru Legacy sedan, I suppose it would be weird to only have a wagon variant. Right? I can’t think of many cars where that’s the case. I have this bad sense that Subaru is getting rid of the wagon as we know it and giving us something taller and more crossover-like, maybe something similar to the Toyota Crown Signia. Or maybe it’s getting a third row?
Being based on the Crown Signia is not naturally a bad thing, as I like that car and the next Outback positively has to have a hybrid version, but it could mean the American market loses another true wagon.
Kia K4 Wagon, Kia EV3, Another Thing
Kia has announced it’s bringing three things to the auto show, saying: The three Kia debut vehicles span distinct model lines, encompass two fully electric powertrains, and one offers a sporty and versatile approach in the compact car segment.
The “sporty and versatile” compact car is almost certainly the Kia K4 5-door. I’m going to get as close to this thing as I can, because I’m extremely interested in this likely affordable five-door. Plus, the wagon version looks a great deal cooler than the sedan. A reader said they spotted some testing here in America, so I feel good about this call. I’m not 100% sure, though, which is fun.
What about the other two? The Kia EV3 seems like a no-brainer as it’s the perfect time to announce a $30,000/300-mile electric car, if that’s what this ends up being. Could the other vehicle be the Kia EV4? I have no idea! There’s also an outside chance of a Kia Telluride update.
A New 2026 Hyundai Palisade
Did we not write about the new Palisade? I thought we had. This thing already debuted in South Korea, which means this is a “North American” debut, and we know what it looks like. It’s good! Alanis is on the press trip for this vehicle and will therefore have way more information tomorrow. Here’s what it looks like:
Many, many more details to come.
Probably A Genesis GV90 Flagship EV
Last year, Genesis dominated the first night with the Neolun Concept. This was a preview of the brand’s flagship three-row electric SUV that everyone assumes will be the Genesis GV90. I’m going to dinner with Genesis again tonight and have no idea what the company is going to show if not this. I assume it’s this.
There’s also supposed to be some sort of concept on display, which I assume will be the droptop we saw in South Korea earlier this month. Genesis loves a surprise, so hopefully we get more than that. Either way, the food there was excellent last year, and the famous racer Jacky Ickx cornered the wait staff and got me an entire tray of fried chicken. I can’t lose!
Volkswagen, Toyota, And Maserati
Toyota will have a couple of interesting vehicles we’ve already seen, including the GR86 Yuzu Edition. I’ll put on my radioactive goggles and try to take some photos of it. The other vehicle is the crazy expensive A90 Supra Final Edition. I am interested in both these cars, and I’ll try to bring back some info if there’s anything interesting. The big reveals for Toyota are coming later this year.
The Maserati booth will have all of their vehicles, as well as the Maserati GT2 Stradale. If Maserati goes away, we’ll all be sad, because this is almost certainly a good car. Here’s hoping it’s being shown in a great color.
Volkswagen is a bit of a mystery. They haven’t told us anything, and they’ve got a reception to close the day. Is there a new ID.4 facelift in the works? A cargo version of the ID.Buzz? A five-row Tiguan? Nothing? Again, they’re not saying anything, which is exciting.
The First High-Volume Mack Truck
It’s the 125th Anniversary of the New York Auto Show and the 125th Anniversary of Mack Trucks. To that end, North Carolina-based Mack Trucks is bringing its Mack AB:
“The Mack AB model, the first standardized high-volume Mack truck, at this year’s auto show was built in 1925, which exemplifies the dependability of Mack vehicles by celebrating its 100th anniversary of its introduction. Produced between 1914 and 1936, the Mack AB model was equipped with a 30 horsepower four-cylinder engine. Eventually, the engine’s horsepower was increased to 60 horsepower.
I’m going to get photos of this and pass them to Mercedes because this is a Mercedes story.
How Mad Can I Make Adrian?
This is a vehicle from Trans Am Worldwide, which takes what appear to be final-gen Camaros and turns them into ’60s Chevy coupes. I can’t wait to send as many photos of this to Adrian as Slack can handle. He will almost certainly love it.
Our Plan
My thought process for this show is to cover it like we used to cover shows, by running from one process conference to the next and then picking up random stuff we see that we find interesting. In addition to me and Alanis, we’ll have Parker Kligerman around for things. It should be fun. If you’re at the press day this week, come find us.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
It’s the “Theme From New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra. Seems fitting, right? The schoolyard’s up, and the shopping mall’s down!
The Big Question
What are you looking forward to seeing this year? Is there anything you want us to check out?
Top Photo: NY Auto Show
God, that modified Camaro is HIDEOUS! Looks like 2005 all over again, complete with the requisite TV celebrity designer/builder doing their absolute worst to separate Boomers from their 401k’s.
I can see the t-bucket version, the chopper version, the 32 Ford version, on and on…
“I KNOW WHAT I GOT, IT’S A ONE OF ONE, YOU’LL NEVER SEE ANOTHER ONE LIKE IT!” Thank heaven for small mercies if that were true.
I’m super curious about that Kia 5 door. Having said that, I’ve had bad experiences with a couple of Kia dealerships so can’t say I’d be in a hurry to get one.
Offer stands if you need someone to hold your stuff and follow you like a shy 12 year old. 🙂
That Kia wagon is HOT.
Matt: looks like the Trailseeker link points to an unpublished story.
Trans Am Worldwide sounds like it comes from that Stepbrothers movie.
A pair of jack stands are visible in the picture of Mack AB. What are they holding up? Perhaps I’ve been misled by an optical illusion but to my eyes they are too far inboard and too low to be supporting the frame yet not centered to be supporting drive train components. Any exhaust system of that age is not going to be heavy and complicated enough to need beefy stands. Squinting at shadows I can’t make up my mind whether there’s another pair on the other side.
Don’t know for sure on the Mack but there were plenty of cast iron mufflers in those days.
If you need me I’ll be at the local theater refilling my popcorn bucket in anticipation of that article.
I just want to note that this TMD was a welcome respite from the most recent deluge of topics over the last few weeks. I came back to the homepage looking for it because clearly I hadn’t read my daily dose of doom, when in fact there wasn’t any!
The only rational reason to go to an Auto Show is when you’re in the market but cannot decide on what to get, and at an Auto Show you can look, get in, see how comfortable each vehicle is without being bothered by a salesperson. I’ve bought three cars this way (nothing recent, though).
I was tossing up the Matrix vs Mini in 2002. Got into the back of the Mini (cuz family, not for my own fit) and decided against it.
It depends on the auto show…the Big Ones have much more interesting stuff to look at. Before Covid, at least.
I’ve been to the Paris and Indianapolis shows, which is like comparing Disney World to your county fair.
There are plenty of irrational reasons, too. I went to one just to see the 1983 Starion used in Cannonball Run II.
That’s entirely rational.
I did exactly this in NY in 2014 (my last NY show since 1980) because I was retiring and moving to where I needed a car. I fell in love with the brand new 2015 Fit EX and had one waiting for me once I got to Florida. I still have it almost 11 years later with no plans to get anything else. I loved the NY auto shows!
Some folks who lament the loss of the station wagon are overly eager to call a car a “wagon” even if it really isn’t. For me, in order for a car to be a station wagon, the volume of the cargo area (with 2nd row seats in place) *must exceed* the volume of the 2nd row. This Kia doesn’t seem to meet that spec, so I’m calling it a 5-door.
Eh. “compact wagon” versus “STATION WAGON.” Adjectives are our friends.
Being able to slide stuff into the back and not have to maneuver around a second-row car door what I want.
I’m not buying it, sorry. That’s why I use the generic term “5-door”. A Toyota Prius is a 5-door and so is a Chevrolet Tahoe. Neither of those things are “wagons”, regardless of the modifier you want to use.
I think the more upright tailgate and glass are throwing people off, in a segment where the remaining hatches are more like liftbacks – Mazda 3, Civic, Kia’s own past Forte hatchbacks which were (understandably) forgotten. It’s just a 5-door hatch and that’s still good! It’s visibly shorter than the sedan, a true wagon would be about the same length.
Torch has set the standard on what is a station wagon.
https://www.theautopian.com/the-rules-of-what-makes-a-car-a-station-wagon-need-to-be-restated-and-updated/
I think this won’t pass based on rule 2, and maybe indirectly rule 1. On the sedan the rear seatback/rear headrests are roughly in line with the C-pillar window, so unless they move the rear seat (unlikely) most of the cargo area is covered by the opening hatch, and the side windows don’t really reach the cargo area either.
Guess we’ll see once official interior photos are out.