2025 New York Auto Show: Everything You Missed

Are auto shows finally back? That’s what we’re left wondering after the media days preceding this year’s New York International Auto Show, where a host of interesting reveals and a stellar overland concept are there to make it well worth the price of admission. Whether you’re looking at a practical electric vehicle, a rugged SUV or (gasp!) even a wagon, this year’s show packs an impressive variety of new-car reveals and refreshes.

Related: More 2025 New York Auto Show Coverage

The show opens to the public Friday and runs through April 27. Here’s our highlight reel of what’s new and interesting on the show floor.

Kia’s Tesla Model 2 That Tesla Isn’t Building

While Tesla’s been distracted by robots and robotaxis, Kia beat Tesla’s budget-minded Model 2 to the punch with a futuristic, almost certainly affordable compact electric sedan: the 2026 EV4. While Kia has yet to announce pricing for the U.S., we’ve got high hopes based on what’s underneath. The EV4 shares a platform with the EV3 entry-level electric SUV that’s currently on sale in other countries and will be coming to stateside soon. The EV3, for what it’s worth, also took home 2025 World Car of the Year honors at the show.

The front-wheel-drive EV4’s specs are promising for a reasonably priced city car, too, with Kia claiming that its single electric motor makes over 200 horsepower. Two battery pack options are available, offering 235 miles of range with the smaller pack and up to 330 miles with the larger one. We got an up-close look at Kia’s newest EV here, so go check it out.

The Outback Is an SUV Now

Subaru added yet another SUV to its lineup with an iconic name that’s sure to rustle wagon lovers’ jimmies: the 2026 Outback. Its taller, blockier, plastic-cladding-heavy design is a sharp departure from the more aerodynamic long-roof that came before it, sending the Outback not just into SUV territory, but into nearly a caricature of modern SUV styling trends, complete with an even more rugged Wilderness trim.

Our up-close look showed that the new Outback retained somewhat of a longer shape in its SUV-ification — think more Chevy Trax than new Forester. With a choice of naturally aspirated 180-hp and turbocharged 260-hp flat-four-cylinder engines, both mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission that sends power to all four of its wheels, the very Subaru powertrain hasn’t changed much. Up to five passengers get to enjoy more headroom and 2 cubic feet more of cargo space, according to Subaru, which could be a worthy trade-off for some buyers.

But There’s a New Electric Subaru That May Scratch the Old Outback’s Itch

If the new Outback is too square for you, consider the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, the automaker’s newest EV with more wagon-like proportions. While our up-close look showed a lot of Toyota-like kit inside, the Trailseeker finally gives us a Subaru EV that looks distinctly like a Subaru. Subaru is keeping mum about the specifics of its powertrain for the moment, but it says we can expect standard all-wheel drive, approximately 375 hp and over 260 miles of range from a 74.7-kilowatt-hour battery — all of which are big upgrades over the 2025 Solterra. On top of that, you get up to 3,500 pounds of towing capacity should you need to haul more gear onto those trails you seek.

Kia Proves Hatchbacks Aren’t Dead

The humble hatchback is a rare sight in North America, but the 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback is here to redeem the name of this practical form factor. It has some key departures from the K4 sedan: It’s 11 inches shorter, but Kia says it still manages to pack 7.6 cubic feet more in cargo space thanks to the flatter roof. The wagon shape fixes a couple of complaints that we had when we tested the K4 sedan by making that cargo space easier to access and giving the rear passengers an inch more in head room — which we definitely appreciated in our up-close walk-around. Expect the same powertrain options as the sedan, complete with sportier GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo trims.

Overland All the Things

The trend of off-road SUVs wasn’t limited to Subaru. The new 2026 Hyundai Palisade debuted with blockier styling, a new available hybrid powertrain, and an off-road-oriented XRT Pro trim with an inch more in ground clearance, standard AWD, recovery hooks, a trim-specific electronic limited-slip differential and other off-road upgrades. All in all, it’s a solid upgrade to our Best Family Car of 2025 pick. The reworked center console and extra comfort features were welcome sights in our up-close walk-around.

Hyundai wasn’t the only brand to hop onto the overland train. The Genesis X Gran Equator Concept showed us a luxurious future vision of overlanding with as few distractions from the outside world as possible, most notably in its lack of a large screen taking up dashboard space. It’s Genesis’ first overland-themed concept, but still distinctly a Genesis design, with notable design cues and a level of luxury we liked in our up-close look.

Jeep, not to be outdone, debuted its 2025 Wagoneer Overland Special Edition trim simultaneously at the New York auto show and the Easter Jeep Safari off-road event in Moab, Utah. It’s a limited-edition package that bundles many of the Wagoneer’s popular off-road options, including an adjustable air suspension, skid plates, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential and a two-speed transfer case with low-range into a trim that saves customers who want all of that gear a little bit of money. It starts at $74,835 (all prices include destination) instead of the current $79,440 price for all those extras, so it’s not a bad deal for a luxury SUV.

The Solterra Gets Serious

Bucking the overland trend is the redesigned 2026 Subaru Solterra EV, which ditches its plastic cladding on some trims and packs a smoother silhouette than the previous generation. With over 285 miles of range, per Subaru, it’s a massive upgrade over its current 227-mile range. The battery only grew in capacity by 1.9 kWh to 74.7 kWh, so Subaru clearly made some major upgrades to its electrical systems. You can check out our up-close look at Subaru’s greatly improved Solterra here.

New SUV Trims to Choose From

Also making an appearance at the show was the new 2026 Kia EV9 Nightfall Edition, which adds darker accents, a black interior and standard second-row captain’s chairs. Likewise, Volkswagen unveiled a new variant with a new engine for one of its bestselling SUVs: the 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo, which serves as the new top trim for the model range and adds a more powerful 268-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood.

See our coverage that you might’ve missed from the 2025 New York International Auto Show below:

• Genesis X Gran Equator Concept: A Luxe Vision of Overlanding Sans Big Screens
• Genesis X Gran Equator Concept Up Close: If Mad Max Drove a Luxury SUV
• 2026 Hyundai Palisade Goes Greener, Grittier With New Hybrid, Off-Road Models
• 2026 Hyundai Palisade Up Close: Hybrid, Off-Road Versions for the Boxy SUV
• 2025 Jeep Wagoneer Overland Special Edition Bundles Existing Options With Savings
• Kia Reveals More U.S. Specs for 2026 EV4 Electric Sedan
• 2026 Kia EV4 Up Close: Did Kia Just Build a Tesla Model 2?
• Into the Dark: Kia Reveals 2026 EV9 Nightfall Edition
• 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback Rounds Out Lineup
• 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback Up Close: More Than Just a Body Style Change
• All-New 2026 Subaru Outback Searches for a New Middle Ground
• 2026 Subaru Outback and Outback Wilderness Up Close: Practically Perfect, In Every Way
• Updated 2026 Subaru Solterra EV Boasts More Than 285 Miles of Range
• 2026 Subaru Solterra Up Close: Meaningfully Updated, Nearly Competitive
• Subaru Reveals 2026 Trailseeker, an All-New Electric SUV-Station Wagon Not Called Outback
• 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Up Close: Your Electric Outback is Here
• 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo: More Power, More Comfort
• Kia, Volvo, Porsche, VW Nab World Car Award Wins
• 2025 New York Auto Show: Winners and Losers
• 2025 New York Auto Show Best in Show: 2026 Subaru Outback

New York International Auto Show Dates and Tickets

The 2025 New York International Auto Show opens to the public Friday, April 18, at New York City’s Jacob Javits Convention Center, 429 11th Avenue. The show runs through April 27 and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays, including on Easter Sunday. Tickets are available on the show’s website. General admission is $22, children ages 3-12 are $8, and children 2 years old and younger are free when accompanied with a paid adult.

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