Another year, another New York International Auto Show in the books. New York’s annual car show, held in the Javits Center, drew in hundreds of thousands of attendees over the course of the 10-day run, with automakers showcasing their past, present and most importantly, future vehicles. Some automakers decided to merely show up, while others decided to show out, and in the case of BMW, not show up at all (we still love you BMW, no hard feelings.)

Despite the presence of the German luxury automaker, the 2019 New York International Auto Show had some amazing bright spots, with Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Ford, Subaru, and Toyota really going all out to win the week with exceptional displays.

Last week we gave you a guide on what to look out for and while we would love to talk about each and every brand’s performance, let’s get into our top five favorites things we saw at the NYIAC.

5. Nissan’s GTR 50th Anniversary Display

Celebrating a half a century of anything is a big deal, and Nissan made sure that proper arrangements were in order for the milestone that was the 50th anniversary of the Nissan GT-R.

Showcasing various iconic GT-R models from the past, the epic tribute was hard to miss and hard to move on from, as Nissan did a fantastic job nailing all of the important details in their display.

4. Feel the Electricity

It’s no secret, electric cars are the wave of the future. With increased pressure by world governments to produce more zero-emissions vehicles, automakers have risen to the challenge by investing more resources into the production of new hybrid and fully electric models. And make no mistake, they were on full display during the NY Auto Show – to the tune of over 40 new hybrid or electric vehicles.

Every automaker seemed to have multiple hybrid vehicles front-and-center, with Mercedes unveiling their EQC electric vehicle, Jaguar showcasing their award-winning electric I-Pace SUV, and Porsche rolling out the hybrid version of the Cayenne.

Newcomer Rivian Automotive, a fully electric automaker in the same mold as Tesla, also impressed with their line of adventure SUVs that were unveiled at the LA Auto Show back in November (more on them later.)

All in all, electric vehicles dominated the 2019 New York International Auto Show, which is a trend we don’t see letting up anytime soon.

3. Return of the Supra

The 2020 Toyota Supra is set to hit showrooms this summer and quite frankly, we can’t wait to see the iconic performance coupe back on the streets again.

A big hit earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Toyota continued to build momentum towards launch date with a prominent display at the New York International Auto Show.

Evidently, we’re not alone in that thinking, as the Supra was a huge hit with attendees this week, with people flocking to get a glimpse of the resurrected enthusiast favorite.

The Supra looks sleek and aggressive as ever, and its 3.0L six-cylinder turbocharged engine outputting 335 hp backs those looks up. The interior also boasts some nice comforts as the Premium trim and up will get you leather seating, a JBL premium sound system and navigation.

The Supra starts around 50K for the base model and Premium and the Limited Edition Launch versions will set you back 53K and 55K respectively.

2. Rivian Makes a Bold NY Entrance

When we were initially introduced to the quirky, cute stylings of electric automaker Rivian back in November, we admittedly didn’t know what to think. Were they actually viable mass-market players in the industry or just a company showcasing some futuristic concept cars and tech. Fast-forward to April 2019 and Rivian is fresh off of a cool $700 million investment from Amazon and a $500 million dollar investment from Ford, and it’s pretty obvious Rivian is here to stay.

Labeled the “World’s First Electric Adventure Vehicle” Rivian is attempting to change the optics of what an electric vehicle can do. Gone are the days of the fragile, highway cruising electric vehicles of 20 years ago. Now we have the off-roading, extended range, high-performance electric vehicle we’ve always dreamed of in the Rivian RS1.

The RS1 boasts pretty insane metrics for an all-electric SUV, like a 0-60 time of 3 seconds, 400-mile range and a wading clearance of up to three feet. That’s definitely enough to get your attention.

At the heart of the RS1 is Rivian’s “skateboard platform” which perfectly situates insulated battery packs, drive units, braking systems and more into the vehicle’s chassis. Production is set to start in 2020, with preorders for the RS1 currently being taken on their website.

On top of their impressive vehicles, Rivian also boasted an equally impressive display at the auto show, fully embracing the “outdoor adventure” theme they aim to inspire with the RS1.

1. Subaru Brings the Outdoors, Indoors

If there’s an award for the best performance at an auto show, Subaru would win by a landslide this year. If not, we’ll create one for them. That’s how impressed we were with Subaru’s execution and over-the-top performance in the 2019 New York International Auto Show.

In order to commemorate the newly redesigned 2020 Subaru Outback, Subaru constructed a giant tree house in the middle of the Javits center, complete with a changing light display on the floor, park benches, faux grass and a steaming geyser that the new Outback emerges out of. The display was done in collaboration with the National Parks, which Subaru has pledged $68 million dollars to, which goes towards conservation of the parks.

Besides easily being the grandest display out of all the automakers that attended, Subaru did an amazing job encompassing what their brand is truly about – exploring the outdoors.

Every 30 minutes there would be a “Geyser Eruption” that would unveil the Outback and trigger a video explaining how important the National Parks are to Subaru customers. It was the perfect way to tie the Outback and the outdoors together, and it really hit on the connection that many of us have with our cars.

On top of that, in collaboration with the ASPCA, Subaru held a Subaru Loves Pets adoption event on the lower level, furthering their message of creating memories with the ones you love in your Subaru.

Bravo, Subaru, bravo.

Conclusion

Overall, the 2019 New York International Auto Show was dominated by the wave of new electric/hybrid vehicles, the commitment by many automakers to zero-emissions and of course, Subaru’s larger-than-life tribute to the great outdoors. If you want to check out more pics from our trip to the auto show, click the link below!

2019 New York International Auto Show Full Photo Album

If you’re interested in any of the cars you saw this year at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, contact the automotive experts at Capital Motor Cars! Unless of course, you’re looking for a concept car. Then we might not be able to help ya out. Sorry!