10 Of The Coolest Cars From The 2024 New York Auto Show

Auto shows aren’t as big or elaborate as they used to be, but they’re still a great way for the public to get a glimpse at the latest and greatest rides. The 2024 New York Auto Show fills less of the Jacob K. Javits convention center than at any time in recent memory and there are fewer concepts this year, but automakers are still using the annual spring show for major debuts, and show-goers will find fresh machinery from Kia, Infiniti, Nissan and Porsche.

Meanwhile, for some years now the show’s organizers have been putting their spare space to good use. The convention center’s lower level now features an EV test track where you can get rides in the latest electric models as well as a huge display of classic and modified cars. There’s also a choice selection of classic and modern Porsches right at the front entrance to the main floor and the usual set of exotics from Karma, Lotus, Bentley and others.

The 2024 New York International Auto Show opens to the public on Friday, March 29 and runs until April 7. Here are some of the cool things you can expect to see.

Genesis GV60 Magma Concept

Genesis has been turning up the heat on BMW and Mercedes for nearly a decade, steadily creating a line of luxury cars and SUVs that’s genuinely competitive with the Germans. Now it’s decided to go after BMW’s M cars and Mercedes-AMG’s hot rods with its own high-performance line: Magma. The Korean company showed four Magma concepts in New York, but only was truly new, the GV60 Magma concept. The other three, all painted in the same volcanic orange hue, are the G80 Magma Special, GV80 Coupe and X Gran Berlinetta, which broke cover in 2023.

While the G80 Magma special is reportedly going to be a limited production machine for the Middle East (it debuted in Dubai last December), Genesis says the GV60 Magma will soon go into regular production. How soon? It’s unclear, but plenty of high-performance hardware already exists for the GV60’s E-GMP platform, which also underpins the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, so a 2025 debut seems likely. Since that vehicle packs a 601-horsepower punch, it’s likely the GV60 Magma will be as hot as its orange paint, fender flares, spoilers, huge wheels and fat tires suggest.

Ultimately, the company may create a whole array of Magma vehicles, but Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke was quick to tell the press that they’re not meant to be as “hardcore” as AMG and M cars. They’ll certainly go fast and look cool, but they’re meant to be a high-speed extension of Genesis’ comfort-focused formula, not necessarily track-day machines.

Genesis Neolun Concept

The popularity of Genesis’ compact GV70 and midsize GV80 SUVs has led to considerable speculation about when the Korean brand will launch a full-size GV90. The fully-electric Neolun (meaning “new moon”) might preview just such a vehicle. It’s a big, hyper-luxurious SUV concept with a lavish two-row interior with front seats that swivel backward, but it could easily be a three-row machine if it reaches production.

Inside, the Neolun is full of ambitious features, only some of which would make it to a real-world model. Rotating seats and coach doors have been done before on other vehicles, but the radiant heating in the floor and the complete lack of a B-pillar are ambitious indeed. Genesis’ Chief designer SangYup Lee said that the ideas are being studied for production, but they wouldn’t be cheap or easy to implement for reasons of crash safety and rigidity. The lights, which are totally flush with the body panels, seem more likely to make production.

The Neolun’s soft edges aren’t as bold as the GV80’s swept lines or the GV70's slinky parabolas, but it is an imposing presence that would fit in well among Range Rovers and Maybachs. It’s a way off from production but a sign of things to come.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz

It’s been just over two years since the Hyundai Santa Cruz arrived, but Hyundai took the wraps off of a refreshed 2025 model at NYIAS’ media days. Closely based on the Tucson (also updated for 2025) the Santa Cruz is a compact pickup with only one truly direct rival, the Ford Maverick, which also debuted for 2022. The Santa Cruz has always been practical and sprightly to drive, with its 2.5-liter turbocharged engine, but it’s never gotten as much attion as the Maverick. 2025’s changes bring more extroverted styling, interior tech, and off-road functionality.

On the outside, Hyundai has butched up the visuals with a more aggressive front end, and it’s also created a slightly different face for the Santa Cruz’s off-road XRT trim. Taking center stage in bright orange paint, the XRT on display has bold tow hooks and a shorter front overhang to improve the truck’s approach angle, it also gets chunky all-terrain tires on special wrench-pattern wheels. Having actually taken two Santa Cruzes off road in the past two years, these improvements really will make it more capable.

Inside, there’s a new curved-panel information and infotainment display, the kind which orginated in Hyundai’s EVs and is now filtering through the entire lineup. There are also available heated rear seats, a redesigned wireless charging pad and other updates, almost all of which are shared with the Tucson. One thing we didn’t get? A Hybrid Santa Cruz. Maybe next time.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has been making the rounds at various global shows since last last year, and first broke cover in the U.S. at November’s L.A. Auto Show. It’s a monster of an EV, with 601 horsepower, a bevy of track-focused changes to its suspension and chassis, and a more aggressive interpretation of the Ioniq 5’s retro-futuristic visuals that evokes the 1990s-era Lancia Delta Integrale.

But while it may not have debuted in New York, ordinary folks can actually get into one there and get a ride in one. Hyundai has a small demonstration track near its stand, and there’s an even larger EV test track down on the Javits Center’s lower level. If you’ve never been in a high-powered EV, the experience is memorable, and you can try out many different models at the show without having a dealership salesman breathing down your neck. Other models you can get into include the Lucid Air, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Silverado EV and more.

2025 Infiniti QX80

Days before the show, Infiniti took the wraps off of its much-anticipated 2025 QX80 at Hudson Yards. The Japanese luxury automaker’s flagship SUV, the outgoing QX80 was a good deal but a bit of an automotive Methuselah dating all the way back to 2010 under the skin. The new one keeps the model’s familiar full-size profile but transforms it with sleeker styling inspired by the tasteful, understated QX Monograph concept SUV that bowed last summer. The entire vehicle is new, and under the hood a 450-horsepower twin-turbo V6 replaces the old model’s thirsty V8.

The QX80 is based on a global model, the Nissan Patrol, but unlike the previous model, the Infiniti is the first vehicle of this new generation to debut, with the more humble Patrols to follow. There are lots of luxury amenities, including massaging rear seats, climate zones for individual passengers and a 24-speaker Klipsch audio system, plus the existing full-frame four-wheel-drive brawn. It’s an impressive replacement, but it will cost more than the old version, which reduces some of the big price advantage the QX80 used to have over rivals like the Cadillac Escalade.

2025 Kia K4

While many automakers have been ditching sedans, and especially small affordable ones, Kia seems intend on keeping the flame alive. The automaker no longer sells the tiny Rio, true, but it debuted a new K3 for global markets last year and dropped the stunning new K4 this week in New York. The K4 will replace the old Forte this fall, but with its predecessor very popular (it’s the only compact sedan to sell better in 2024 than in 2014), Kia has kept the Forte’s value-packed traditions alive but brought much more style to the table.

Karim Habib, Kia’s head of Global Design described the K4’s looks as “Both rational and emotional, as well as practical and dynamic,” which if anything underplays the car’s longer, lower and wider visuals. The upright C-pillar, low beltline and box-flared fenders make it look like a low-slung rally car, and the interior is a huge upgrade in premium feel from the Forte. Though Kia had teased photos of the K4 before the show, it also had a surprise to show, the K4 hatchback, which a Kia spokesperson confirmed would arrive stateside shortly after the Sedan.

2025 Nissan Kicks

It’s been six years since Americans met Nissan’s funky and frugal Kicks, and now Nissan has taken the wraps off an entirely new second generation model. It’s true that the Kicks is not an exotic vehicle, but it’s cheap and more cheerful than ever. Its triple-beam LED lights and slotted grille are inspired by NFL helmets and its plastic surfaces and wheels are full of cool cues and thoughtful design touches. It’s “floating roof” design is more cleanly integrated into the whole look than the old Kicks, and the whole shape looks at once tall, muscular and chonkily cute.

Under those cool new looks lurks more substance. A 141-horsepower 2.0-liter four has replaced the old 122-horse 1.6 and all-wheel drive (AWD) has joined the options list for the first time. There’s also a larger back seat and more overall cargo room. The gains aren’t huge, but they’re still major improvements over the outgoing Kicks. Nissan’s nice zero-gravity seats are now standard front and rear, and there’s more driver assist gear too, including lane tracing assist. It’s not exotic, but the 2025 Kicks does look like a strong competitor for budget-crossover buyers’ dollars.

Polestar 3 And 4

EV buyers have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of these two Polestar SUVs, and the Sino-Swedish company brought both to its New York stand for the announcement of the 4’s pricing and specs. On the first day of the show, Polestar announced that the single-motor 4 will start at $56,300 while the more potent dual-motor AWD version will ring in at $74,300, including destination fees, and that it’ll have a maximum range of around 300 miles. Both SUVs, dressed in minimalist white paint jobs with gray interiors, look very fashionable and sport lots of technology.

Of the two, the 4 is the less conventional, famously eliminating the rear window in favor of a sophisticated camera system. The change saves weight and manufacturing complexity while also boosting rigidity, although how well drivers will like it remains an open question. Certainly onlookers were fascinated and took lots of pictures of eachother through the central screen’s camera display. There’s lots of other high-tech stuff too, including Lidar-backed driver-assistance systems. Additionally, the more conventional Polestar 3 will be the first of the company’s cars built in America, which may help with tax credit availability.

Porsche Macan EV

The Macan has been Porsche’s best-selling model for almost a decade now. A sporty crossover that combines both the style and feel of the company’s sports cars with some of the practicality of the bigger Cayenne SUV, the appeal is obvious. But for 2024 there’s a whole new type of Macan—the fully-electric Macan EV. The model’s arrival at dealerships has been delayed, but Porsche proudly displayed one on its New York stand alongside a conventional Macan and its electric Taycan.

Like the Taycan, the Macan EV will be a scorcher, with 402 or 630 horsepower depending on the model, and it’ll charge quickly thanks to its 800-volt architecture. Supposedly, it can juice from 10 to 80% in 21 minutes on a DC fast charger, and the automaker claims that it will also return longer ranges than the Taycan. The Macan EV rides a whole different platform than its gas-powered sibling and will ultimately replace that vehicle, but it’ll get the same kinds of athletic chassis and suspension designs that Macan buyers are familiar with.

The Old School Cars At R2X

NYIAS may not fill as much of the Javits Center as it once did, but that’s actually left room for some creative additions to the show. One of those is the R2X Rides + Rigs Expo, which focuses on modified cars and SUVs, catering to both off-roaders, overlanders, and especially fans of old-school Japanese and German hot rods. On the lower level, adjacent to the EV test track, you’ll find legions of classic Toyotas, Mitsubishis, Subarus and Mercedes-Benzes, including JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars and tiny Kei-class vehicles.

I was delighted to find cars that I’ve written about before among the crowd, including a pair of Toyota Corollas belonging to the founders of Team Toyminator, who’ve been organizing tuner car shows for more than two decades. Ordinarily, one must venture out to the wilds of summertime car shows around the tri-state area to see such vehicles, but for NYIAS they’re on display in Hells’ Kitchen for all to see. Fans of classic Japanese cars, Gran Turismo, low riders, off-road builds and Fast and the Furious won’t be disappointed.