1. Mercedes unveils 2020 Mercedes EQC at the 2019 New York International Auto Show
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Caldwell, Executive Director of Industry Analysis at Edmunds.com:
"We're seeing auto shows fall out of favor with a lot of automakers. It is seen kind of as old school pulling the sheet off as the car and a lot of automakers now are moving towards launches on social ."
3. Various of Lincoln Corsair
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Caldwell, Executive Director of Industry Analysis at Edmunds.com:
"SUVs continue to dominate the headlines here. We saw new SUVs from Lincoln with the Corsair, Toyota Highlander, Mercedes has got a host of new SUVs. And what we're seeing is different different configurations - more coupe SUVs - just more to the lineups because that's what Americans are gravitating more now towards. And if we look at vehicle sales of what people are buying SUVs continue to grow and grow while cars continue to shrink."
5. Various of 2020 Hyundai Venue CUV (Compact SUV)
6. Various of 2020 Subaru Outback
7. Various of 2020 Mercedes GLC 300 Coupe
8. Various of 2020 Mercedes EQC
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Caldwell, Executive Director of Industry Analysis at Edmunds.com:
"We're seeing technology be a real driver in car sales and in terms of what consumers want. Because I think automakers are having a hard time differentiating themselves on style and quality because that's hit the max. So what can they do in the interior that is going to turn the heads of consumers? We're seeing things like smart cue where your phone is literally hooked up to your car so you can use that. And a big trend that we're also seeing are larger screens now up to over 12 inches which is amazing especially when you think of the cars that we drove maybe 10 years ago when a screen wasn't even an option. And we are also seeing a lot of driver assist so this is the road to autonomy which is really exciting. So things that help you keep in your lane help, systems that help you avoid collisions. It's almost as if the car is doing the driving for you. We're not there yet but you're seeing a lot of these features are leading us in that direction."
10. Various of Cadillac CT5
11. 2020 Mercedes GLC 300 Coupe on turntable
Auto shows may be waning in importance as companies find other ways to introduce new products, but the New York International Auto Show still has a healthy list of new vehicle debuts.
In keeping with the dramatic shift from cars to sport utilities, most of the new models are SUVs.
Here are some of the new vehicles being rolled out on the show's press days Wednesday and Thursday. It's open to the public from April 19-28:
LINCOLN CORSAIR
The luxury version of the Ford Escape small SUV makes its debut at the New York show.
Ford says the Lincoln Corsair looks like its larger siblings, the Navigator and Aviator, setting it apart as a luxury vehicle in the fastest-growing part of the U.S. market.
It comes with two turbocharged engine choices: the base 2-liter, 250-horsepower motor or a 2.3-liter engine with 280 horses. Each is paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The Corsair has all-wheel-drive is available with both engines. A plug-in gas-electric hybrid will be offered later.
Also standard are automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, blind spot warnings and lane-keeping. Additional safety features, including evasive steer assist, which helps drivers avoid a crash, also are available.
To give the Corsair more of a luxury feel, electronic alerts are replaced chimes recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. They warn drivers things like an open fuel-filling door or an unbuckled seat belt.
The Corsair will be available in the fall. Prices were not announced.
HYUNDAI VENUE
The Korean automaker adds a seventh SUV to its lineup, this one at the low end of the size and price spectrum. The Venue, due out in the fourth quarter, gives the brand an entry-level utility vehicle to compete with Honda's subcompact HR-V, Ford's EcoSport and others.
The 2020 Venue comes with a 121-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and a variable transmission that is expected to get up to 33 mpg in combined city and highway driving. Although it's at the bottom end of the lineup, the Venue has lots of goodies available, including an 8-inch dashboard display that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to integrate smart phones into the SUV. It also has advanced safety technology available, including standard automatic emergency braking lane-keeping assist. It also has available a driver attention warning system that monitors drivers to detect fatigue or careless driving.
The Venue, which will resemble Hyundai's larger SUVs, will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. The price wasn't released.
SUBARU OUTBACK
With the possible exception of Jeep, no other automaker has been able to match the outdoorsy all-wheel-drive appeal of Subaru.
The Japanese brand, which has seen sales rise 60 percent in the past five years, is now unveiling a new version of the Outback wagon, its top-selling vehicle.
The 2020 version shown in New York doesn't look much different than the current model. It's a little curvier with a rugged-looking front grille. But Subaru says it gets a much stiffer frame, an optional 260-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine and a reworked standard 2.5-liter motor that puts out 182 horsepower — seven more than the current version. All are mated to eight-speed continuously variable transmissions.
The Outback is built on Subaru's new global underpinnings, with stronger crash protection, better handling and a quieter ride, the company says. Even the base model gets Subaru's suite of driver assist technology standard, including adaptive cruise control, lane centering and automatic emergency braking. An anti-distraction system uses a camera to spot signs of driver fatigue or distraction and sets off audio and visual warnings.
Subaru estimates the 2.5-liter Outback will get 33 mpg on the highway, while the 2.4-liter version will get 30 mpg. Price wasn't announced. The new Outback will reach showrooms in the fall.
CADILLAC CT5
Even though luxury buyers are shifting rapidly to SUVs, the General Motors luxury brand wanted to stay in the sedan market but do it with fewer models. So it's unveiling the CT5, one of two new cars in addition to the CT6 full-size sedan that Cadillac will introduce to replace the discontinued ATS compact, CTS midsize and XTS full-size sedans.
With the CT5, Caddy takes another shot at the compact luxury market where the ATS fizzled against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C Class and others.
The fastback CT5, which looks like a shrunken version of the larger CT6, will be the second Caddy to get Super Cruise, General Motors' hands-free driver-assist system that can handle most tasks on a freeway. The system comes in calendar year 2020.
The CT5 gets two engine choices: a 237-horsepower 2-liter four-cylinder or a turbocharged 3-liter V6 with 335 horsepower. All versions get 10-speed automatic transmissions. Safety features like automatic emergency braking and front pedestrian braking are standard. All-wheel-drive is available.
The new Caddy will be available in the fall. Price and fuel economy were not announced.
