Coming at the tail end of the 2014-2015 worldwide auto show season, the New York International Auto Show serves as one final chance for automakers to take the covers off what they will be presenting in American showrooms for the 2016 model year. This year’s New York show, which opens to the public on April 3, features a startlingly large number of exciting all-new models running the gamut from family sedans to luxury SUV’s and super cars.
2016 Jaguar XF- All eyes are on Jaguar in New York with its all-new second-generation XF midsize luxury sedan, sporting a sinuous new shape and increased performance to better take on the BMW 5-Series and Audi A6. While the new sedan features a form that is reminiscent of the current model, the car which revolutionized Jaguar styling upon its debut for 2003, it represents a more modern incarnation with forward-thinking technology thanks to a new platform and body that uses 75 percent aluminum for nearly 200 pounds of weight savings. Expect thrilling performance and the typical Jaguar old-world British luxury on the inside that helps set the brand apart.
2016 Kia Optima- The current Optima is Kia’s best-selling and most distinctive model, famously designed by Peter Schreyer of Audi fame. That means Kia has a big task at hand in bringing its midsize family sedan into the modern era while keeping its trademark shape intact. The just-revealed all-new 2016 Optima retains a stance that appears to leap forward and shows hints of modern Jaguar cars. The front end is sharper, with new LED headlamps and an attractive take on Kia’s wing-shaped grille. Interior space will increase, especially in the rear where the current model lags behind the segment sales leaders. As for engine choices, mum’s the word until Kia’s big reveal in New York, but the South Korean automaker has confirmed there will be multiple direct-injected engines, likely both naturally aspirated and turbocharged, and an increase in fuel efficiency. The Optima rides on a platform closely related to the new Hyundai Sonata, which just debuted for the 2015 model year.
2016 McLaren 570S Coupe- The reinvented McLaren British supercar brand has produced some truly awe-inspiring models in recent years, including the P1 hybrid hypercar that can set buyers back seven figures. In an effort to be attainable to a greater portion of the market, the company will debut a new, more-affordable Sport Series line in New York. The first fruit to come of this new sub-brand will be the 2016 570S Coupe. Set to start at around $150,000 or so, the new model will feature a similar turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 to the company’s more-expensive 650S, here making 562 horsepower. The 570S will also feature a design instantly familiar to the McLaren faithful, though it will do without some of the 650S’s high-tech features such as an active suspension. Still, this is a McLaren after all, so buyers can expect world-class handling performance at the track or on the street, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission that helps improve everyday driveability. The new model will help McLaren better compete with the likes of the Audi R8, Porsche 911 Turbo and new Mercedes-AMG GT.
2016 Lexus RX- Lexus’s best-selling model is not its IS sport sedan or ES comfortable luxury cruiser but rather the RX midsize luxury crossover SUV, this red-hot segment’s first and still one of its finest entries to date. The all-new 2016 Lexus RX lineup will be the model’s fourth generation as Toyota’s luxury brand seeks to respond to strong challengers from Acura, Audi and BMW. A single teaser photo reveals a shape that appears to be longer and incorporates a dramatically sloping rear roofline with a “floating” roof” effect thanks to blacked-out trim and wraparound glass at the C-pillar. With larger dimensions, the RX may also for the first time incorporate a third-row seat for seven-passenger capacity, a feature often called for by RX shoppers and already offered on the model’s key competitors. A hybrid model will debut a new gas-electric powertrain and could offer up to 35 combined mpg.
2016 Chevrolet Malibu- In a family sedan segment led by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord and to a lesser extend the Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet’s entry in the form of the Malibu has become something of an also-ran. Its exterior length and width, and especially its rear seating area, are quite a bit smaller than most of the segment’s major players, and its fuel efficiency is unimpressive. Chevrolet hopes to change all that with the dynamically styled all-new 2016 Malibu, which rides on the brand’s new front-wheel-drive platform that will also underpin the next Cruze and Volt gas-electric hybrid. The new platform uses liberal amounts of high-strength steel and other lightweight materials to cut curb weight by a reported 300 pounds. While teaser shots and spy photos are all that has been released to date, the car appears to be quite a bit larger and more modern. Expect a range of more-efficient four- and six-cylinder engines as well as a true hybrid model that offers well in excess of 40 mpg on the highway. Is it time for Honda and Toyota to fear American competition once again? Chevrolet certainly hopes so as it gives renewed attention to this nearly forgotten midsize.
2016 Scion iA- The first all-new Scion model to come in 3 years is key to the company’s future if it seeks to recapture its glory days achieved in the mid-2000s. The 2016 Scion iA is an all-new subcompact sedan that should be one of the most affordable cars on the market when it hits showrooms later in 2015. Said to be based on the next-generation Mazda2 hatchback, the iA is the first model in Scion’s history in the sedan bodystyle with a separate trunk. Power will likely come from a small-displacement Toyota-sourced VVT-i DOHC four-cylinder engine unrelated to the SKYACTIV engine found in Mazda cars. Scion will also release the production version of its new iM compact hatchback that the youth-focused brand debuted in concept car form at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, based on the European-market Toyota Auris hatch but with sharper styling specifically tailored to American tastes.
