Takeaways from the New York Autoshow
I had the chance to attend Thursday’s media day at the new york international auto show and there were quite a few exciting developments that I want to share with you, lets jump in
Kia & Huyindai seem best positioned to challenge Tesla
Every automaker is heavily focused on EVs and a lot of legacy brands have been slow to roll out models, but not these two car makers. Kia and Huyndai have done a great job with the EV6 and the Ioniq 5 & 6. These cars are garnering a lot of positive press and industry awards. The EV9 is also the first true 3 row EV SUV, which can be a real alternative to shoppers looking for Jeep Grand Cherokees, Tahoes, and other similar popular vehicles in the US. Huyndai also announces the they are going to be making “N” versions of their EVs, an interesting approach to introduce more performance to the eclectic lineup.
Genesis is taking on Mercedes and Porsche
The luxury Korean automaker is making a strong push upmarket with its concept cars. Genesis showcased the “Neolun” concept SUV, a luxury car that looks to be on par with a Maybach and looks very production ready, most likely leveraging the Kia EV9 platform. They also introduced the “Gran Berlinetta” supercar concept - although that might not come to fruition it was really the only true concept car at the show. With these two vehicles, Genesis is making a strong push into the luxury sector and I would not be surprised if we see cars prices in the $150-$200K price range at some point in the next few years.
Lots of brands were missing
The one disappointment of the show was the lack of Stellantis, BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. Audi had a small dealer supported stand, but it looked sad to say the least. Dodge is almost ready to bring out the new electrified Charger and it would have made a big splash at the show, but for some reason the brand decided to sit this one out. The German automakers are now in back to back years of not going which is unfortunate since they are aggressively rolling out new models. It is surprising considering the Mercedes EQS models are selling poorly and extra attention to them could have drummed up some interest.
Offroad EVs are coming
Ford introduced its Switchgear concept truck, an off road ready version of the F150 Lightning. I can see other automakers following soon with the rollout of off road ready EVs. With the popularity of the Raptor, Bronco, and Wrangler, it makes sense for automakers to focus on the rugged off road models in their electric portfolio. It would be interesting to see a more beefy offroad Rivian or what Chevy will do with the Silverado EV.
GM might have finally figured out its production issues
GM might have finally figured out issues with its Ultium platform and they finally started delivering the Silverado EV to customers. The Hummer EV was also at the show, a car that came out in 2021 and was stalled by production issues for 3 years now, but there is hope that GM will finally be able to start delivering these cars as well with dealers starting to have inventory on the lot.