2024 New York International Auto Show

The New York International Auto Show is on! Ahead of the public opening on Friday, March 29, members of the media have been invited to check out the newest and flashiest models.

It’s starting to feel a little contrived writing these openings for our auto show coverage, so let’s get to it.

2025 Hyundai Tucson and Santa Cruz

Hyundai was up first, unveiling updates for the Tucson compact utility and Santa Cruz compact pickup. 

The Tucson’s exterior styling, while refreshed, doesn’t stray too far away from the previously established formula. The grille and bumper fascias have been tweaked, as have the updated daytime running lights. They’re still mounted on either end of the grille, reshaped to fit the new looks and reduced to eight individual units. Expect new alloy wheels, aluminum badging and a longer rear wiper blade. The XRT trim also gets new bridge-style raised roof rails.

As expected, it’s really the interior where things improve for the Tucson (not that we hated what Hyundai had going on before). Now, the Tucson sees a panoramic curved display– the same setup we’ve seen in many of their other refreshed rides, comprised of two 12.3-inch displays for both instrumentation and infotainment. The center stack has also been redesigned to compliment the new digital real estate, still using physical knobs for frequently-used controls. Various interior accents have been redesigned, and a new dashboard tray, situated above the glovebox, adds more storage solutions. Shift-by-wire models use a column-mounted gear selector.

And speaking to the powertrains, the 2025 Tucson’s options will look rather familiar. Customers can select between a fully internal-combustion, hybrid or plug-in hybrid getup. The standard ICE offering is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque, unchanged from before and paired up to an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is available with the 2.5, but comes standard on the hybrid and PHEV models, powered by 1 turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Starting with the Tucson Hybrid, expect a total output of 231 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, derived from the gas engine and now larger 47.7-kilowatt electric motor. The PHEV kicks things up to 268 horsepower with torque matching the Hybrid’s. It also uses a larger electric motor, now 72 kilowatts (up from 66.9) powered by a 13.8-kWh battery.

The Tucson also boasts more standard driver assistance and safety features. One interesting addition is “Baby Mode,” and its purpose is to reduce the sharpness of off-the-line acceleration and smooth our driver inputs, resulting in a more gentle cruise.

Expect the new Tucson to arrive at dealers in June, followed by both hybrid variants later this summer.

The Santa Cruz takes things in a similar direction, meaning the exterior updates, while meaningful, aren’t as outlandish as they could have been. Design language falls in line with other Hyundai products, like the above Tucson. As we surmised from recent spy photography, this compact pickup is a little more “truck” like thanks to an aggressive and wider-appearing stance; but, perhaps it’s the updated XRT trim that embodies that the best.

Any Hyundai with an XRT badge is designed to be inherently more rugged. Here on the updated Santa Cruz, the XRT receives exclusive front and rear fascia designs, including a leading edge with exposed recovery points and a unique grille. The wheels are also unique, 18 inchers wrapped by 245/60R18 all-terrain tires. The approach angle has been improved as well; so, though these trims don’t go all-out overlanding, this XRT is certainly more capable than its more pedestrian siblings.

We see similar interior improvements here, including the optional panoramic display with two 12.3-inch screens. In fact, compare the interior of both updated models and you’ll see a fair bit of overlap, including the overall shape and the inclusion of important physical controls. Wireless smartphone integration is standard on all trims, as is over-the-air update support.

Powertrain offerings are identical to the current 2024 model. That is, both a naturally-aspirated and turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter four-cylinder, the former rated at 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque and the latter kicked up to 281 hp and 311 lb-ft respectively. An eight-speed automatic is standard, though all-wheel drive is optional.

The 2025 Santa Cruz arrives at dealerships this summer.

2025 Kia K4

Kia has just unveiled the all-new K4, serving as a new name and a new generation for the outgoing Forte. While it does pick up a new name and appearance, the identity of a compact sedan very much remains.

Starting under the hood, the K4 will come standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, supplying 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque to the front-wheel drive system through a continuously variable transmission. For a little more grunt is the available 1.6-liter turbocharged four-banger, paired up to an eight-speed automatic and capable of 190 horses and 195 lb-ft.

Engine choice is somewhat dependent on trim; for example, the top-dog GT-Line Turbo is, naturally, relegated to the turbocharged power plant, whereas the “regular” GT-Line comes served with the 2.0-liter. Both of these models are sportier takes on the K4, offering different design cues and hardware, like the multi-link rear suspension for greater lateral stiffness and overall responsiveness.

The K4 measures out to 185.4 inches in length and 72.8 inches in width, which is only a couple inches of growth in either direction when compared to the outgoing Forte. The exterior design is certainly bolder and more dramatic than the outgoing Forte, and it falls more in line with Kia’s other offerings, like the K5. The interior takes one out of the EV9’s playbook by introducing the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit operating system, utilizing the K4’s digital real estate, including standard digital instrumentation. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a healthy assortment of driver safety and assistance features.

We’ll have plenty more on the 2025 Kia K4 soon, as models are expected to arrive in the second half of this year.

2025 Nissan Kicks

We’ve already covered the all-new Nissan Kicks, debuted ahead of today’s events, but here’s the shortened form of it.

The new Kicks receives a significant redesign, still slotting into the compact crossover role with a bit more pizazz. All trims can be optioned with all-wheel drive, a first for the model, powered by a standard 2.0-liter inline-four, rated at 141 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. Those are reasonable increases over the outgoing 122 horses and 114 lb-fft, and this newfound power is delivered to the drive layout through a CVT.

The interior has been gussied up a bit thanks to new screens, including an available 12.3-inch panel for the infotainment and a matching screen for digital instrumentation. All trims come with Nissan’s fatigue-mitigating “Zero Gravity” seats and more cargo room thanks to a small growth spurt.

The 2025 Nissan Kicks will be available later this summer.

2025 Infiniti QX80

The next-gen Infiniti QX80 is arriving for 2025, and it undeniably retains its flagship status.

It’s easy to look at the snazzy exterior and assume it’s a premium ride; and while judging this book by its exterior does give away its luxury goals, it’s inside where it really comes together. Yes, that does mean large screens measuring 14.3 inches each and joined by a smaller 9-inch interface. It also means heated seating surfaces available in all three rows, a Biometric Cooling feature in the second row that keeps occupants at an ideal temperature and an available “Cool Box” that redirects chilled air into the compartment to keep things, like water bottles, cool.

Pure and Luxe grades feature a 14-speaker Klipsch audio system, whereas the top-trim Autograph boasts a 24-speaker system, including speakers housed into the front headrests. Regardless of which level calls your name, expect to find a 3.5-liter V6 powering this utility, putting out 450 horsepower and sending it to the standard rear-wheel or available four-wheel drive system.

Genesis Concepts and Magma Performance Program

Genesis used this week to debut two new concept vehicles, the Neolun and GV60 Magma concept utilities, with the latter heralding a new high-performance sub-brand for the luxury automaker.

The Neolun Concept takes on a “reductive design,” meaning it’s rather minimalist in its appearance both inside and out. There are no B-pillars, providing an open-air concept for the cabin and more room for entry and exit. While it’s a different look from their current portfolio, the LED elements and general shaping certainly says “Genesis.” The interior space looks welcoming and properly futuristic, said to incorporate unique heating elements and integrated displays.

The GV60 Magma Concept is the opposite of reductive, going all-out with a flashy orange paint scheme and performance styling. That means wider and lower front air intakes and various canards, fins and wings to more efficiently channel air. The interior is said to have bucket seats with body-color backings, reminiscent of the GV80 Coupe Concept from last year’s show.

2025 Polestar 4

We’ve seen the Polestar 4 before. It’s a simple design that goes so far into the electric vehicle minimalist trope that it actually drops the rear window. You can read up on it to get all the details.

So, what makes this NYIAS debut a debut? For starters, this is the first time the product has been unveiled to the public in North America, so that’s neat. But more importantly, this debut also brings with it official pricing. The Polestar 4 will start at $56,300 for the single-motor configuration, and that includes the $1,400 destination charge. The dual-motor model will kick things up to $64,300.

There are various packages that can be added on through Polestar’s official online configurator, including a $1,500 Pilot Pack that adds more driver assistance features; and a $4,500 Performance Pack, which includes different chassis tuning, Brembo brakes and more.

The 2025 Polestar 4 is expected to arrive closer to the end of this year, with orders opening up in April.