Trends From the New York International Auto Show

The New York International Auto Show, hosted at the Jacob Javits Center, is at the end of the international auto show tours. Still, the New York Auto Show is one of the big ones, one of the most important industry events, and one of the auto shows that helps predict, determine or play out the future of the car industry. 

Take, for example, the year Hummer, Pontiac and Mercury took up one alley, harbingers of the changing future of the American auto company. Several years ago, a Nissan representative stood before a crowd of journalists and promised they would bring Nissan back from the edge. And they did, despite all indications otherwise.

New York is the kind of show where things happen, history is made and the car future is remembered. Let’s go back to 1953, when GM unveiled the historic Chevrolet Corvette at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a car that would go on to change the future of the auto industry. There’s no denying it. In New York, things happen.

Here are just a few of the trends we picked up on at this year’s New York International Auto Show:

Green is Here to Stay: Each year, the influence of the environmental movement increases incrementally, a hybrid here, an electric car there. But the presence of environmentally sound technology ran the gamut at the 2017 event, appearing everywhere from exhibitor booths to the independent racing teams. There is no denying that fluctuating gas prices have an impact on the environmental movement, but it seems as though car companies are reaching the point where they’ll push green forward whether it saves gas or not. Which is good because, ya know, breathing.

With Pickup Trucks, Bigger is Better: I’m not a huge fan of this trend, but it seems like everywhere we turned the trucks were a little wider, fatter and taller. As someone who has experience driving – and enjoying – an old S10 and Ford Ranger, I don’t really understand the necessity of massive pickups across the line. Sure, they have their place on ranches and construction sites, but it appeared that even the smallest of the small were larger in a way that didn’t add space or storage area. Small pickups have an audience, but apparently not a product.

Color is Cool Again?: I’m hedging my bets on this one. I’ve been burned before with the waves of Subie blues that never quite caught fire (…except to burn me…). But this time I really think the industry is willing to take some leaps of faith. The Toyota exhibit, for instance, had powder blues, Nissan has a bright yellow 370Z, there were bold colored muscle cars, sports cars and sedans alike. While we saw our fair share of the greys, whites and beiges, this year’s convention show floor was much more colorful than years past.

Don’t Call it a Comeback: Alfa Romeo has only recently made its way into the hearts of American audiences, but I’m sold. Their recent lineup of low sports cars and sweet sedans puts them back into the serious running against American, Japanese and German cars. Given the history of unreliability, Alfa isn’t completely out of the woods, but their styling and general Italian aesthetic has appeal and longevity. I think we’ll see a lot of them.

Global Car Economy: It’s hard not to touch politics when discussing an industry as massive and reaching as the car world, so I’ll do my best to skirt the contentious issues. That being said, there was no denying the question of imported vehicles and parts that remained a hushed undertone at this year’s event and, frankly, across the industry.

Cars are global. They are produced, packaged and sold in different countries. Oftentimes, parts are produced, shipped off, assembled, and shipped back. It is this dynamic that determines French cars won’t sell well in America – they cost too much or why certain cars aren’t available in the company’s home country. As this current economic and trade climate moves forward, it’s fundamental to keep in mind the intertwined nature of the car industry, and how one ripple will change the world as we know it.

Is New York prophetic? For all we know, cars could all go white and diesel and Alfa could collapse tomorrow. Such is the nature of the industry. But I don’t think that will happen. As I wrote about last year, the most important trend in the industry is a sense of hope – of seeing tomorrow. After what the American economy has endured, and especially the car companies, there is certainly reason to rejoice in the wide, exciting spectrum of cars on the market today. And, after this year’s 2017 New York International Auto Show, I can’t wait to see what the future holds.