Spot on new EVs at the The New York International Auto Show

The event opened on Friday, after skipping two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 20 automakers from around the world are present with their latest models. The spotlight for many is on new electric vehicles.

If you look around the New York Auto Show, the big trend is electrification. All of the independent car makers are trying to introduce electric vehicles, but also some of the major manufacturers. Hyundai, for example, has a whole test track to drive their new IONIQ 5 electric car.

Even Chrysler is re-upping their interest in the electrified space. They introduced a vehicle called the Chrysler Airflow. It is an all electric SUV that will get somewhere between 350 and 400 miles of range. It is a concept car, but Chrysler has the intention to bring it to life as the car maker is interested in getting into the electric car game. However, that’s not going to arrive until 2025.

“Electrification is absolutely the hottest trend happening right now. Electric vehicles are in fast lane at the New York auto show” – says Mark Schienberg, the president of the organizer, Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.

This is the first major trade show in the US since the pandemic broke out, in March 2020. US auto giants General Motors and Ford display their electric pickup trucks. Japan’s Toyota and Nissan are among the Asian makers bringing their latest electric vehicles. There’s an increasing interest in EVs. In two years, the amount of models of electric vehicles that are for sale in dealerships and by manufacturers has been increasing.

According to some New York official sources,  the three months through March saw new car sales in the US fall by 15 percent from a year earlier. The global chip shortage is behind this painful slump. However, electric vehicle sales grew 72 percent. That’s been fueled in part by surging gasoline prices not only in US, but across the globe. In the US, right now, the average price is over $4 a gallon.

“One of the big things that’s happening is sort of a general move towards electrification, it’s better for the planet, that kind of thing. But also there’s a real spike in consumer interest in electric cars right now because of rising gas prices, people are really looking at their options so they don’t have to burn down their entire budgets on gasoline” – Micah Muzio, editor of a car magazine said.

Looking ahead, higher nickel prices linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may pose a threat to that growth. Nickel is essential for making EV batteries.

At the New York auto show there are a lot of electric car startups, and each one of them is trying to distinguish its own vibe and establish itself as a unique entity.