The 2026 New York Auto Show brings a slate of vehicle debuts — not just the Hyundai Boulder SUV.
Auto show season is once again in swing as the New York International Auto Show opens up to the public between April 3 and April 12, 2026. Especially on the main floor of Manhattan’s Javits Center, there are quite a few new car debuts you’ll want to check out. Andre rocked out both a truck-themed Talkin’ Trucks podcast as well as a full episode of TFL Car Chat walking around the latest and greatest, and if you’re thinking of heading on down to the show yourself, these are the cars you’ll definitely want to check out.
There was one heartening recurring theme to this year’s show: It’s a lot brighter than previous years. And what do I mean by that? It’s not just a sea of gray, black and white metal (for the most part). There’s more vibrant colors (a la Toyota’s new Wave Maker blue for its TRD Pro lineup and the Fiat 500e’s Lime color, as well as plenty of other lively yellows, greens, blues and reds all over the floor. There are still those cooler, stealthier models out there, but on the whole the scene looked a lot less boring than previous years.
First up: 2027 Chrysler Pacifica
There’s a reason I’m leading off with the refreshed Chrysler Pacifica. The minivan life may not be to everyone’s tastes, but plenty of family-minded folks will undoubtedly hit the show floor with kids in tow. For those people out there, Chrysler has a new-ish version of its ever-popular van for you.
And you’ll see the biggest change to the 2027 Pacifica lineup right off the bat: its new face. Chrysler’s sole model on sale today gets a much sleeker and more modern fascia, complete with the brand’s new wing logo on the grille, taillgate and steering wheel.
Apart from the fascia, the Pacifica admittedly hasn’t changed much from previous model years. There’s a new Olive Green exterior color (that sadly wasn’t on display, but you can see it here), a Blue Agave interior on the top-end Pinnacle, and some adjustments to the available package options.
Under the hood, you still get the well-known 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with 287 horsepower, as well as available all-wheel drive. If you don’t like the Pacifica’s new face for some reason, you can still get the pre-facelift version if you go for the base Pacifica LX trim, which effectively replaces the outgoing Voyager. If you just flat-out don’t want a minivan at all, the nearby Dodge both also has an America250 version of its Durango SUV, which you can check out about 13 minutes into our TFL Car Chat podcast (also embedded down below).
2027 Volkswagen Atlas
Sticking with the SUV types out there, Volkswagen also premiered the second-generation Atlas SUV in New York. This model finally moves the three-row Atlas on from its original run, which has been with us since 2018. The first-gen model did get a couple different facelifts, but this new model is a different animal.
Not only did Volkswagen update the styling for this new Atlas, but it gets a new interior and an updated engine as well. On the powertrain front, the 2027 lineup gets VW’s 2.0-liter EA888 Evo5 engine, which bumps up the output to 282 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That’s 13 more horses and 15 more lb-ft of torque than before, and more or less puts this four-pot model on par with the old Atlas’ V6, but with a benefit to fuel economy. Like before, the Atlas can still tow up to 5,000 pounds when properly equipped.
Outside, the 2027 Volkswagen Atlas gets a range of 18- to 21-inch wheel options, as well as three new colors including Sacramento Green shown here. Inside, the Atlas gets a thoroughly updated arrangement with a new gauge cluster setup, infotainment screen (up to 15 inches), drive mode selector, center console layout and dashboard. Again, it is still a three-row SUV, and you get a host of high-end features the more you move up the trim stack, particularly to the SEL Premium R-Line.
2027 Kia EV3
You may have seen the news about Honda’s canceled EVs, the recently departed Nissan Ariya or Volvo’s decision to scrap the EX30 in the U.S. and thing electric cars just aren’t happening anymore. Several automakers are indeed sticking with it, however, and one of those OEMs is Kia. In fact, a couple years after initially showing off the concept, the company’s production-spec EV3 will land in the U.S. later this year.
For a small SUV, the 2027 Kia EV3 also packs quite a few promising specs for your everyday buyer. It packs up to an 81.4-kWh battery pack and 320 miles of driving range, depending on the model. Its 400-volt electrical architecture also promises decent DC fast-charging times (10-80% in about 29 minutes), while the GT model has up to 288 horsepower on tap.
Much like the larger EV9, the EV3 is quite a funky looking little car as well. It’s distinctive and features plenty of technology under the skin, including a standard Tesla-style NACS port for greater convenience, as virtually every automaker switches over from the previously dominant CCS setup. Price is going to be the critical factor here, particularly as Kia aims squarely at cars like the Toyota C-HR, Rivian R2 and the front-wheel drive Chevy Bolt. It’s likely Kia will price the EV3 well below the Rivian, but we don’t yet have official numbers.
The 2027 Kia EV3 will actually land at dealerships in late 2026.
2027 Kia Seltos
Sticking with Kia, it’s not just EVs the company is touting at the New York Auto Show, either. The popular subcompact Seltos also enters its second generation for the 2027 model year. New exterior styling, a new interior and more space are all headline changes from the outgoing model, and there’s an important powertrain note in there as well.
By default, the 2027 Kia Seltos still packs the same gas engine options as before. A 2.0-liter engine with 147 horsepower on tap is available throughout most of the range (LX, S, EX and X-Line trims), while a 195-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo-four is exclusively an option on the range-topping X-Line. A Seltos Hybrid is on the way, but it won’t arrive until later in the year. The gas-only Seltos models will arrive first, around the second quarter of this year.
We take a closer look and chat at greater length about the Seltos in the TFL Car Chat podcast embedded below.
2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
Chevrolet didn’t have a formal press conference at the New York Auto Show, but it did make a big debut in the weeks leading up to it. Specifically, we’re talking about the 2027 Corvette Grand Sport, the latest offering in the C8 generation and a huge update not just in terms of the Grand Sport name returning to the Corvette lineup, but the V8 it’s packing mid-ship.
The new Grand Sport brings GM’s latest small-block V8 to the mix: a 6.7-liter unit designated as the LS6. On the standard Grand Sport, this engine packs 535 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque, mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. There’s another layer to the story, however, as Chevy also debuted a Grand Sport X model, which brings electrification into the mix.
Just like the Corvette ZR1X, the Grand Sport X adds a 186-horsepower electric motor on the front end, assisting the V8 in both power and all-wheel drive capability. Total, the 2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport X packs a whopping 721 horsepower, bringing it above the Z06 in the range.
There’s more good news for V8 fans: GM’s new LS6 V8 will also be the default engine for the Stingray from 2027 onward, too!
Genesis G90 Wingback Concept
You may not be able to buy this one, but you need to swing by Genesis’ booth and take a look at it regardless. Why? Because the G90 Wingback Concept is freaking gorgeous. I’d typically say, “well, styling is subjective” and all that crap, but no. The Genesis G90 Wingback is a superbly styled wagon, and there’s no arguing the matter.
Now, the automaker did technically reveal this car back in November. This is our first time seeing it in person, and the pictures really don’t do the details justice. Sure, there’s still plenty of G90 sedan DNA baked into the look: same split light setup, a largely similar front end (though meaner…I’ll get to that in a moment), and a low-slung sort of stature. From the C-pillar rearward, though, everything changes. You get a dual spoiler setup, an awesome looking roofline and quad exhaust pipes. Not just quad exhaust pipes, but asymmetrical pipes, where you have to small outlets flanked by two massive ones. And speaking of massive, how about those 22-inch wheels!?
Genesis insists this is just a design study. It brings in some inspiration from its Magma performance arm (of which the GV60 Magma is also at the show and bright orange, so you can’t possibly miss it). The conversation between us folks in media and the PR team at the automaker’s Genesis House showroom in Manhattan suggests we not get our hopes up too much.
The enthusiast in me (and everyone else there, for that matter) is absolutely screaming at Genesis to just build the damn thing. If you feel the same way, make sure you let the Genesis folks on the floor know your mind. Maybe we have a chance!
Hyundai Boulder Concept
So, we’ve covered Kia and we’ve covered Genesis…are you spotting a theme here? If not, then let’s get into the New York Auto Show’s headline act: the Hyundai Boulder. It’s another concept, of course, with this body-on-frame SUV named after the Colorado city your very own TFL team calls home. That obviously earned it some brownie points with us, but there’s far more at play than just a boxy off-roader with which Hyundai’s just teasing it. In some form or other, it does plan to put this sort of vehicle — or at least its body-on-frame platform — into production.
Hyundai CEO José Muñoz hyped up the Boulder like this: “Body-on-frame vehicles are the backbone of American work and adventure, and we intend to compete in the midsize pickup segment with everything we have. The body-on-frame truck is one of 36 new Hyundai vehicles coming to North America by 2030. We are entering segments we have never competed in before, and we are doing it the right way: designed in America, built by Americans for American customers.”
The key word in all that is truck, which Hyundai has committed to rolling out in the next three-and-a-bit years. So, we will see a vehicle emerge from the Boulder SUV concept, its 37-inch tires, boxier design and body-on-frame construction. As for whether the Boulder itself will move into production as a one-to-one match to this concept…that’s a little more up in the air at the moment. Technically speaking, the SUV is more of a design study than an actual intent of a Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco rival. Nevertheless, with three dozen Hyundai models supposedly rolling out in the coming years, this could also feasibly be one of them. We’ll have to wait and see.
Can’t make the show? Check out our full walkarounds on TFLtalk!
While I wanted to round up the best cars to check out at the New York Auto Show for you guys, we also have a solution if you can’t make it. Our podcast channel, TFLtalk, has both car and truck-themed walkarounds up for you right now. In those, Andre chats about the latest and greatest, and you can watch those below:
