New York City skyline
The official launches have started pouring out, along with more announcements of what to expect are rolling in, which can only mean one thing: The 2011 New York Auto Show is about to get underway. Timed against the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show this year, some of the best concepts and production cars won't be making their appearance in New York, but plenty of enticing hardware will be. Here's a look at what to expect. We're less than 48 hours away from the first press day, so in the meantime stay up-to-the-minute on our NYAS coverage at our official show page.
Production Cars
Porsche's Panamera Turbo S will be on the stage, with another 50 horsepower and quicker 0-60 mph times from a tweaked and tuned version of the twin-turbo 4.8-liter V-8 engine under the hood. A few unique styling and interior elements also mark the new car as the top model--and well they should, with a starting price around$174,000.
The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle will be on display, with a new yet familiar look plus a new name. Sharper handling, refined styling and a much more premium interior are the main improvements, though there's also a bevy of new powertrains including one with more than 200 horsepower on tap and another offering 40 mpg on the highway.
Fiat 500C
Fiat will be pushing the second version of the 500 for America at New York as well, with the 2012 Fiat 500C. The C stands for Cabriolet, otherwise it's a standard 500.
Corporate partner Chrysler will have some flash new hardware on the stand as well, with the 300C SRT8 and with Jeep thought to be planning the 2012 Grand Cherokee SRT8 for a debut. Based on the new, widely-acclaimed Grand Cherokee, the 470 horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi SRT8 version should be a welcome sight for fans of unreasonably fast SUVs.
2012 Subaru Impreza
Subaru is planning to unveil the production version of its 2012 Impreza this month, as well. Last year's Los Angeles Auto Show hosted the unveiling of a production-oriented concept of the car, but sadly the dramatic change in direction we were hoping for hasn't materialized.
Audi's U.S.-spec A7 will also be on display at the NYAS, packing a 310 horsepower supercharged V-6 engine and more curves than Megan Fox.
The 2013 Malibu will be Chevrolet's contribution to the experience, with a completely new look and a four-cylinder-only powertrain layout. Leaked shots have been out for days now and might we say, it certainly is quite the looker.
Not to be left out of the game, Kia will bring its 2012 Rio sedan to the show, following on the very handsomely-styled five-door hatch shown previously. Sister company Hyundai will show off the 2012 Accent as well.
Concepts
Lexus has a new hybrid on the way, and the concept version of the car--a term used loosely by Lexus to mean "a thinly disguised future production model"--dubbed the LF-Gh will presage the coming GS hybrid sedan update.
BMW and Brilliance 5-Series plug-in hybrid prototype
BMW's planning a "New Energy Vehicle" for the Chinese market via the Shanghai show this month, but there's talk around the corners of the web that it may also make an appearance in New York. If so, it could be a production model for our market too, but due to the guesswork involved, we're calling it purely a concept for now.
The latest Concept A-Class from Mercedes-Benz is the clearest indication yet as to what the automaker’s next-generation A-Class will look like. On show in both Shanghai and New York this week, the concept’s unveiling in our home turf hints strongly at a possible local launch.
Suzuki will show off two concepts--one an advanced powertrain project, the other an homage to its motorcycle division's successes. Both will be based on the Kizashi platform.
