After a two-year pause, the New York International Auto Show finally made a comeback for 2022. Despite the masks, the show had a decent footfall this year. Here's a round-up and the highlights from this year's NYIAS (April 15-24, 2022).

Overview

The New York Auto Show might not have the scale of Detroit,L.A. or Chicago, but it is still a pretty significant event on the automotive calendar, thanks to its legacy.

Held for the first time more than 120 years ago at the Madison Square Garden all the way back in 1901, the first show and this year's show have something in common. Well, electric cars are making a comeback. We are currently in the same situation, as was the case about a century ago when the primary exhibits on the show floors were made up of steam-powered cars, gas-powered cars, and electric cars.

Fast forward to today, and we've got a bunch of new energy sources with everything from solar and hydrogen to fuel future vehicles. One powertrain option, that seems to hold the most promise, is electric.

The 2022 New York International Auto Show

Held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, EVs and SUVs were the major draws of the show. Legacy automakers, both domestic and international, were present. While gas-powered cars were still present in large numbers, every major automaker had some form of EV or hybrid vehicle on display. Along with legacy auto, also in attendance were a bunch of EV startups, including INDI EV and VinFast, based out of Vietnam.

The venue also played host to not one, but three indoor EV test tracks. At the Ford booth, people got to sample the new F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E. Hyundai, meanwhile, had its futuristic Ioniq 5, running doing the rounds. A third track was shared by the likes of Volkswagen, Nissan, Volvo, Vinfast, and INDI.

For 2022, major automakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Acura, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tesla, and Rivian were absent.

According to, Richard Reina a 30-year industry veteran from CARiD, several automakers have realized that the time and expense of staffing a physical display is not as beneficial in the digital age. As you may recall, we've had car launches throughout the pandemic, and demand for both new and used cars is at an all-time high.

Having said that, several household names were present at the shown and we saw some big launches for the 2023 model year and beyond.

Highlights

- The Korean Twins, Hyundai and Kia, unveiled their refreshed three-row mid-size SUVs, the popular Palisade and Telluride.} Kia also took the wraps off its Niro crossover with a radical new design.} Sister-brand Genesis was back with yet another sleek concept - the X Speedium Coupe concept on display}

- Nissan updated its Leaf EV } and the top-spec model now has a dash of retro, thanks to those snazzy rims. The Japanese Automaker also unveiled a more rugged version of the Pathfinder, dubbed the RockCreek Edition.}

- Subaru gave us a facelifted Outback, } that now packs new tech upgrades. The Subaru booth sure stood out

- Jeep showed off a new High Altitude 4xe variant} of the Grand Cherokee

- Chrysler unveiled its Airflow Concept.} It looked rather stealthy, painted in black with bronze accents

- While it's not a household name yet, (it will soon be, given its biblical numbers) the suave all-electric Deus Vanynne hypercar from Austria broke cover.} This European exotic packs 2,200 horsepower and is limited to just 99 examples.

The rest of the show

Other automakers present at the show included Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Jeep, Volkswagen, Volvo, Toyota, Lexus, RAM, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo. The big three American heavyweights had a fairly substantial array of vehicles on display. The Ford Booth saw a bunch of GTs take center stage, along with its entire lineup of SUVs. Chevy too had a major presence with pretty much every model from its portfolio on display. The Silverado EV looked totally stood out.

The big draw with Stellantis was the Jeep booth, which had several variations of the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee on display. But the standouts were the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Right next door was RAM trucks and the latest TRX1500 was also present. Some sports cars from the show floors that are red hot right now were the Toyota GR Corolla, the Nissan Z,, and the Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06.}

Its A Wrap

That pretty much sums up this year's New York Auto Show. While several automakers are reconsidering making an appearance at an auto show, I doubt that this format is going away anytime soon. The number of people who showed up is proof of it. There's no better way of seeing just what the auto industry has in store for us than visiting an auto show.

Here is a quick walk around tour of the show