The press days of the 2025 New York International Auto Show are in the books.
I won’t belabor the “are media days dead?” question — I think we’ve settled, at least for now, on an answer. Media days will likely forever be a smaller version of what came before, thanks to the lower cost of off-site events and technology that allows OEMs to put those events on. But I don’t think the press day is fully dead — and consumer days surely aren’t.
This year, the show seemed healthy, if not jumping, as it celebrated its 125th anniversary with six or seven debuts, depending on how one counts. Subaru and Kia had multiple debuts, for gosh sake.
(Full disclosure: Volkswagen paid for my travel and lodging so that I might get a sneak peek at their Tiguan Turbo and spend time at a media roundtable.)
Of course, tariffs were the talk of the town — the uncertainty emanating from Washington could be felt three hours north. Product talk is fun, but making and selling cars is serious business, and there are concerns that tariffs, or the ever-changing plans involving same, could really damage the industry.
It’s not like we’ve covered tariffs almost every day, or anything.
But since there’s so much uncertainty surrounding tariffs, let’s take it back to the show floor. The product mix was, well, interesting, and I have quick thoughts. Hot takes to follow, bullet-point style:
- Perhaps Subaru’s updates to the Solterra will help it move a car that has, up until now, been looked upon unkindly by the automotive press.
- It’s no surprise Hyundai took the curvy, attractive Palisade and made it look more like the Santa Fe. But it’s a tad disappointing. I think the Santa Fe looks great — but I also think it stands out precisely because it was different from other Hyundais. I understand wanting to have family themes across the brand lineup, but I think the new Palisade is going to be mistaken for the Santa Fe too often.
- I, too, am a bit dismayed the Outback has a new look that makes it appear to be more of a crossover than a wagon.
- Volkswagen’s Tiguan Turbo might be fun to drive — we’ll find out later — but I suspect it’s going to be pricey and pay a penalty at the gas pump.
- Kia’s new EV4 will add to the “affordable” EV segment — and we need more cars in that range (pun intended) if EV sales are to grow.
- Finally, props to Kia for swimming upstream and bringing out the K4 hatchback. We need more hatchbacks in this world, frankly
The automotive industry is white-knuckling through yet another time of turbulent politics. Auto-show media days are hanging on after being hammered by OEMs moving to off-site unveilings, some of which aren’t tied to show dates. And the rest of us are hanging on as we figure out how tariffs will affect our household finances.
Still, I felt some sense of muted optimism in New York. Maybe it was the spring weather. Maybe it’s a mirage.
Either way, the auto industry is resilient. I did overhear more than a few execs, product planners, and PR types complain about how hard the current presidential administration is making it to plan and to have stability — something prized by automakers. But I also suspect those in charge will figure out how to deal with the problems being presented by tariffs and other policies pushed forth from the mad house in D.C.
We’ll see if my sense of optimism is justified or if the next auto show, in Los Angeles this fall, will feel more funereal. I hope, of course, for the former.
We’ll see soon enough.
[Images © 2025 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
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