Auto Show Blues - 2026 Edition, Part Two

 Well, I looked at the floor map for the 2026 New York International Auto Show.  

Chevrolet an Ford have the bulk of floor space.  All of their "regular' family vehicles, like the 2026 Blazer below, are SUVs.

Cadillac won't be there, but BMW will . . . but its floor space, which one dominated an entire end of the main level of the Jacob Javits Convention center, is very small.  But not as small as the Mercedes-Benz exhibit. And the display area for Lincoln's all-SUV lineup is even smaller than that.

Right.  I'm not going to the New York auto show this year.

Or any other year, from now on.

The reason is obvious.  If you are into sedans and hatchbacks, you're out of luck.  The few auto brands that still offer real cars in These States are mostly confined to very little floor space, ,and while many of the Asian brands still have a healthy presence and a more diverse lineup, they offer little to get excited about.  Nothing new for Toyota or Hyundai.  Given the absence of some brands, like Mazda, the "international" auto show in the city feels more like a local show in a suburban arena.  Last year, when I went to the New York show,  I was in and out in about three hours. 

Also, there's no direct mass transit into New York City from where I live anymore except for commuter-only weekday buses - I've talked about that here.  It's just not cost-effective for me to travel to the city for a show where the admission is now twenty-two bucks a head.  The cars on display are not only more expensive, so are the tickets to get in and see them. 

The best car shows for me these days are the classic shows that show the sort of cars the automakers used to offer here before the sport-utility and pickup tsunami crashed onto our shores.  That most certainly includes Volkswagen.  And given that there are more VW shows in the Northeast these days, some of which are as likely to have old Rabbits and Dashers (Mark 1 Golfs and Mark 1 Passats) as Beetles, that's a better deal.  

You may not be able to get in any of these cars, but you can still look inside them, and the admission fee to these shows is cheaper.