Jens analyses the trends from the New York International Auto Show and highlights the fact that EVs were conspicuous by their absence.
The official poster of the New York auto show is quite appropriate – with nothing less than a 647-horsepower super sports car, the Ford GT, ripping right through it. It doesn’t just stand for the technology leadership of Ford, but it stands for this year’s New York auto show in its entirety.
The poster was a great teaser, but the pinnacle was provided by Dodge – the 707-horsepower Challenger was bested only by the Demon, which makes an almost incredible 808 horsepower (and even more with racing fuel). This car is the new boss on the drag-strip – Tesla’s Model S can finally go home. Press kits appeared on eBay within hours, underscoring the cult status of the Demon.
Making sure the SUV segment wasn’t left too far behind, Jeep launched the Trackhawk version of the Grand Cherokee. Fitted with the Hellcat’s 707-horsepower supercharged V8, it tops out at an even 290km/h.
Another kind of extreme was provided by the Lincoln Navigator – the fourth iteration of a luxury SUV that actually defined its segment, but one that’s been hopelessly outclassed by the Cadillac Escalade over the last few years. The new model doesn’t come a moment too soon, and it makes a bold statement – with massive interior space and an absolutely gorgeous interior that will provide a mighty challenge to Cadillac designers (the interior of the next-gen Escalade is said to resemble the Escala concept car).
Said Lincoln chief designer David Woodhouse: “This is the rebirth of a car. And the most important thing was to preserve the grandeur of the previous models.” The Navigator, of course, has one problem – it comes with a twin-turbocharged V6 only, while Cadillac continues to make the Escalade with a V8. A Cadillac engineer tells me, “Lincoln must be crazy.”
Hyundai’s daughter Genesis is becoming a legitimate luxury brand with the GV80 SUV concept, which strongly hints at a future production model. The bold grille and the “quad lights” up front and in the rear will become the signature of Genesis. It’s a unique and futuristic look, and the slim headlights take advantage of the fact that there will be no cheap entry-level models that need to be fitted with conventional halogen lights.
While the Genesis GV80 seemed European in its restrained and elegant style, Infiniti’s QX80 Monograph concept went all out with a brutal and expressive look that will find an appreciative audience in the US, in Russia, and in the Middle East. Infiniti, with its altogether incoherent line-up, continues the soul-searching mission that has lasted since the brand’s inception in 1989.
Meanwhile, Jaguar celebrated the World Car of the Year win of its F-Pace SUV. It took away Car Design of the Year honours as well. With this result, the F-Pace beat two strong runners-up, the Audi Q5 and the VW Tiguan. Next year, another VW will be in the running – the Atlas, which is sized like an Audi Q7 but offered at half the price. VW US chairman Hinrich Woebcken is bullish about the new model, and says, “It’s a fascinating experience to see that so many customers continue to be fiercely loyal to the brand.”
New York was low on electric cars and autonomous driving, but at least the Genesis GV80 was (conceptually) fitted with a hydrogen powertrain, and Cadillac talked about its “Superdrive” autonomous technology. Tesla was conspicuously absent from the show – presumably, the brand is scrambling to fulfil its promise of getting the Model 3 on the road by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, its valuation on the stock market has exceeded Ford and GM’s. Electric mobility fans are rejoicing, while cynics are starting to whip out the proverbial popcorn.
And Daimler served up a German response to the Demon and Trailhawk – in the form of the 816-horsepower four-door AMG GT concept from Geneva, and two AMG derivatives of the GLC crossover with up to 510 horsepower.
Progress is either taking a break this year, or it’s being entirely redefined!
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