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2024 New York International Auto Show Editors' Top 5 Picks

The New York Auto Show, like many other shows over the past few years, has shrunk. But it's still playing host to some interesting reveals, and we even got a few surprises this year. It was dominated by Nissan and Hyundai Motor Group products, but ones running the gamut from affordable cars to flagship SUVs. It was a strange situation of being both quite diverse in reveals, and not at all, depending on how you looked at it. Our favorites of the show are a clear representation of that. And another interesting observation, only one of the picks was significantly electrified. Scroll down to see the best reveals of the New York Auto Show,. 2025 Nissan Kicks View 10 Photos 5. Nissan Kicks "The Nissan Kicks has gone from a reasonably attractive and small crossover into something way more funky with cool textures, color combinations and some actual presence. Plus, it's more spacious, more powerful and has available all-wheel drive. If Nissan can keep the price nice and low to compete with similarly stylish and well-executed competition like the Chevy Trax, the company's got a real winner on its hands." – News Editor Joel Stocksdale InfinitiQX80-Z63-051 View 39 Photos 4. Infiniti QX80 "The QX80 wasn't technically shown at the New York Auto Show, but it was revealed just a week prior at Hudson Yards – accross the street, in other words. Frankly, I wasn't blown away by the initial photos, but I think it looks great in person. The attention to detail both outside and in seem appropriate for an SUV that Infiniti hopes to sell for six figures loaded up. I'm a believer." – Associate Editor Byron Hurd 2025 Kia K4 Live View 7 Photos 3. Kia K4 Sedan "The Kia K4 interior has way more style than anything in the compact car price range has any business having. Now, if we don't get the green interior option shown in the initial global reveal photos, I'm retracting several of my points here. Otherwise, wowza. I kept looking and looking at that K4 interior photo, and finding new, interesting details to admire. Oh, and the exterior is pretty cool, too, though I do prefer the hatchback in that regard." – Senior Editor, West Coast, James Riswick Genesis GV60 Magma Concept View 10 Photos 2. Genesis GV60 Magma "I am psyched to see Genesis show off a proper performance car. The “Sport” trims on its various models are sort of neat, but the Magma brand looks like the real deal.

2015 Nissan Versa Note adds sporty-ish SR trim

The funny, little Nissan Versa Note is getting a new trim level - two, actually - for the 2015 model year. And the one you see above is the sporty-ish Note SR, making its debut at the Chicago Auto Show this week.
Underneath, it's the same Versa Note we've already driven, complete with Nissan's 109-horsepower, 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine and up to 40 miles per gallon highway. The SR's changes are purely cosmetic, with a revised front fascia featuring smoked headlamps, standard foglamps and black chrome accents. Those are matched with new dark-finished 16-inch alloy wheels, revised mirrors and side sills, along with a new rear roof spoiler.
A few interior enhancements have been made, as well, with the addition of a "370Z-inspired" leather-wrapped steering wheel, suede-like fabric on the seats with orange accents and a piano-black center stack.

How Nissan's NYC Taxi of Tomorrow has turned into a nightmare

"Why can't we have competition? Why did the city think there had to be exclusivity?" – Taxi Association Nissan's takeover of the lucrative New York City taxi market hasn't exactly gone according to script. An agreement that should have seen the company become the exclusive supplier of taxis for the next ten years has resulted in nothing but headaches, controversy and legal challenges, despite the $1 billion deal between the Japanese marque and the Big Apple. The opposition to the Nissan deal has been fierce since day one, Automotive News reports in a sweeping writeup of the Taxi of Tomorrow saga, with the Greater New York Taxi Association – which represents nearly a third of the city's taxi owners – putting up a fight against the new van cabs. Whether it's the monopolistic nature of the Nissan deal – as we said, under the terms of the deal Nissan would become the sole distributor of taxis for New York cabbies – the NV200 taxi's limited reliability record, or concerns over the company's ability to supply the cabs, the Taxi Association has fought tooth and nail against the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow, AN reports. "Look, Nissan is a good company. And the NV200 is not a bad car. If it turns out that people like it, then great – they should be able to sell them here," Ethan Gerber, an attorney for the Taxi Association told Automotive News. "But why can't we have competition? Why did the city think there had to be exclusivity? It stifles competition and stops innovation." "Why couldn't we just have standards for the taxi, and if Toyota and Ford wanted to offer an identical vehicle that might be somehow better or more competitive, why can't they?" Gerber asked. "Obviously, there is always disappointment, but I trust that there is fairness." – Carlos Ghosn The biggest source of opposition, though, focused around how the NV200 was approved in the first place, because it doesn't subscribe to one of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's requirements for the next-generation taxi – that it would be available as a hybrid. It was that last point that initially got Nissan in trouble with the courts. In May 2013, New York County Supreme Court Justice Peter Moulton ruled the deal void, declaring that cab operators were free to shop for non-Nissan hybrids, though cab owners still had to go through Nissan if they wanted a standard, gas-powered taxi. Or, they would have.