New York International Auto Show - 2026

This was my second time attending the New York International Auto Show, held annually at the Javits Center in NYC. I found that it was a bit too crowded to really experience most of what the show had to offer during a weekend visit last year, so I planned for a weekday this time around, and was able to cover a lot more ground.

My first stop was Camp Jeep, which was located in the area right in front of the Javits Center, in full view of the busy Manhattan traffic. Skilled drivers take attendees on a lap around the obstacle course, showcasing the off-road capabilities of the newest Jeep models.

I've only ever been four-wheeling in old YJ's and square body F-150's, so this was honestly astonishing to witness firsthand. The brand ambassador we rode with was pretty knowledgeable about all of the new tech that allowed the Jeeps to traverse these offset angles and crazy slopes.

All of the Jeeps on the course were decked out in "America 250" graphics and red, white, and blue paint schemes to celebrate America's semi-quincentennial.

We moved on to the Toyota "Test Ride" course next, stationed just a bit farther down the entrance area. They were offering ride-alongs in some of the newer Toyota models. The longest line was for the GR86, and that's the one we got on.

The test ride course starts with approaching the start line for a 0-60 launch (which takes around 5.4 seconds), a short slalom at the end of the tunnel, and some road bumps to test out the suspension before looping back. This brand ambassador knew his stuff too, and did a great job talking about the car's features, including the naturally aspirated boxer engine, the limited slip diff, and more.

Next up, inside the building and down to the basement for the EV test track.

Full disclosure, I would not call myself an EV fan. They're just not for me. I understand the allure of instant acceleration, the more positive impact on the environment, etc. but it is very difficult, for me, to get excited for an EV/hybrid. I know that "the future is now...", but that's just how I feel.

Things like synthetic engine noises, that weird UFO hum over fun instead of distinct exhaust notes, the worries about range and convenient access to chargers, the dustbuster lookin' ass 2nd gen Prius... No thanks, to all of the above.

That being said, I saw this 615 HP Cadillac Lyriq-V line up at the start gate and rip it around the track and thought, "I mean sure, I guess I'll go for a ride..."

Our brand ambassador made the tight course look like light work and the lap was over before we knew it. Once we were done, we had the option to line up again and check out any of the other EV's we wanted, but we decided to check out the enthusiast vehicles on display in the lower level instead.

Starting with some older BMW's...

Not sure of the manufacturer of this motorcycle, but I think it's safe to say it's Japanese.

A pair of Veilside NSX's, including Han's from Toyko Drift...

Sung Kang was in the building (the day before) promoting his new movie Drifter, featuring a Toyota AE86 hero car.

Some lowriders on display downstairs.

There was an eclectic mix of cars posted up in the exclusive astro-turf display area.

This cool MR2 and a couple of Lambo's rounded out the lower level.

The main show floor was the next stop, with Hyundai being the first manufacturer we happened to visit. Their most eye catching display was the Boulder concept vehicle, first unveiled at this year's show.

Hyundai also had their own test track going, a small oval course, showing off their newest models.

Various "N" models wearing the distinctive Performance Blue paint were on display as well.

The coolest part of the Hyundai area was probably their sim racing set-up. I qualified with one of the Top 16 lap times of the day, but then I got my ass handed to me in the first round of the final bracket that afternoon. Still got a free hat out of it though.

Fun Fact: Hyundai acquired a controlling stake of Boston Dynamics in 2021. They used some of their floorspace this year to showcase their new line of riot-control robot dogs, fully equipped with pneumatic claws, just like a Spiderman villain.

They made them do a cute little choreographed dance, and it felt like what I imagine going to a "good" circus in the 50's did, or Jello wrestling at a dive bar in 2008; in that it was cool to see at the time I guess, but felt a little off upon later reflection.

Moving on to some other brands that were present, because not all were (ahem Honda, Acura, Mazda)... and it seems like what's old is new again. Shout out to Dodge for winning the "Weirdest New Logo That Used to Actually Be an Old Logo" award this year.

Another Fun Fact: As part of another industry shake up in 2021, Dodge is now formally under the Stellantis umbrella; along with Jeep, Fiat, Chrysler, and more.

I think the new Charger is actually pretty interesting, and I would probably consider a sedan version as a daily driver, if I was "in the market"...

Over at Mercedes, parked amongst some of their more pedestrian current offerings, was this beautiful AMG GT 63.

Gorgeous...

And then just a short stroll from there to find this RS3.

Next up, some more Jeeps. But this time, they're inside...

This 70's style blue and white graphics package stood out to me, and it is part of Jeep's new Twelve4Twelve Program. They are "dropping" (as the kids say) a limited edition Wrangler once a month for 12 months. This particular one, I later learned, was a "Whitecap" variant. Most recently announced was the Jeep Wrangler Rewind, a retro 80's themed version.

We found ourselves at the Toyota area next, and they also had some decent stuff.

I pretty much skipped right past most of the trucks and SUV's all day, but thought the Wave Maker color on the new TRD Pro line was something interesting and different, and we couldn't pass up checking out the RAV4 GR Sport (my gf drives a 2014 RAV4, and might be in the market soon...)

Toyota brought two of their recent concept vehicles to show off, the Camry GT-S and the bZ Time Attack.

In addition to the GR86 at the outdoor track, Toyota had a limited edition Yuzu version of the GR86 on display, which carries some unique upgrades like ultrasuede seats and Brembo brakes. Only 860 of these will be produced for the American market (get it?).

The other obvious draw over at Toyota...

Is that a Supra?!

Indeed it is. A 2026 Toyota GR Supra in Batman-like (and hard to photograph) Undercover black.

Next, it was time to visit one of my personal favorite marques.

I do love myself some Volkswagens, that's for sure. I currently drive one, and have been a vdub kid since my first '95 GTI VR6 back in the day. While the current line-up leaves a lot to be desired as an enthusiast, I still get excited to see what VW is cooking up.

This 2025 GTI was gifted from VW to Torsten Gross of the Just Hands Foundation, which is a non-profit that provides opportunities for disabled drivers to experience high performance vehicles and precision driving with hand controls. Gross also works closely with Volkswagen as a consultant to their Driver Access Program, which reimburses costs up to $1,000 for those who need to make driver-accessible specific modifications in their new or CPO VW.

The big reveal for VW at the show this year was the new Atlas, but I'm not fan (ugly front end, boring, etc.) so I focused on some of the other offerings in their current line-up (before everything gets turned into a crossover or SUV).

Like the GTI.

The GLI.

The ID Buzz.

And the Golf R.

A bit of an underwhelming display as a die-hard; but hey, I'm just happy they were there.

Some McLaren's parked outside of the main show floor, around our lunch break.

We found our way over to the Subaru area next, and stopped to check out the one-of-a-kind BRZ.

But the highlight of their display for me was definitely the Hoonigan BRAT from the 2025 Gymkhana video.

Next up was Nissan, who had two beautiful NISMO Z's, one in Solid Red and Black Two-tone and the other in Stealth Gray and Black Two-tone (although it definitely reads more blue). Both were quite striking.

At that point, we reached the luxury/hyper/super car space that kind of bridged the gap between both halves of the main show floor.

We had cars from Lamborghini, Porsche, Zenvo, Koenigsegg, Bentley, and Lotus all present.

Opulence! You own everything!

The last giant convention hall section was dedicated to the two big domestic brands left, good ol' Ford and Chevy. I actually visited the Chevrolet section first, but I'm not a big "Ford" guy, so I feel like just getting them out of the way honestly.

Starting with some Broncos, which are cool for what they are, but I think a little less so, now that they've been out for awhile.

And then it was just a sea of Mustangs...

You like Mustangs? Good, 'cause they got 'em...

Now that that's out of the way...

The Chevrolet that first caught my eye at the show, and probably most everyone else's, was this '58 Impala. Front and center, lit up in front of a giant video backdrop showcasing classic road trip scenes from across the U.S., it was probably one of the highlight displays of the entire event for me.

It would have been even cooler if it were there to tease a newly revived Impala concept vehicle, but one can dream.

Then, it was time to check out some Corvettes.

We'll end on this pair of beautiful Corvette concept vehicles, the CX and the CX-R.

The CX is supposed to be fighter-jet inspired and certainly feels that way.

But guess what...

It's an EV!

The CX-R is pretty much the same thing, but it's supposed to be a track-ready race version.

The main difference, besides the paint, ground effects, and giant spoiler?

This one actually has a twin-turbo V8!

Well that's pretty much it.

So what did we learn?

Go on a weekday, instead of on the weekend, and get there early if you want to do stuff.

Any other pointers?

Yeah, you're gonna overpay for parking and pretty much everything else while you're there. So make sure to try to find some discount codes for tickets online by googling it or something. Try stuff like "HOMERUN15" or "SAVE20", you never know what might trick these goddamn computers into saving you some money.

See you next year?