The Real Story from the 2025 NY Auto Show
If the New York Auto Show were a dinner party, the loudest guests this year weren’t bragging about horsepower—they were quietly pointing to their passports. Not the ones in their glove boxes. The ones stamped “Made in the USA.” In an era where software updates get more headlines than crankshafts, the real story out of New York wasn’t about the future. It was about where that future is being built.
While everyone else was busy gawking at Lucid’s 828-horsepower electric beast or the carbon-fiber-hardened Mustang GTD, something sneakier happened: the return of the proudly American-built vehicle that actually makes sense for your driveway.
Q: What sets these cars apart?
Let’s start with the Lucid Gravity, built in Casa Grande, Arizona. It delivers the kind of specs that make even Tesla’s Plaid sound like a humble rental: 0–60 in 3.4 seconds, 450-mile range, and a 200-mile top-up in just 11 minutes. It also seats seven, hauls gear like a pickup, and feels more like a Scandinavian lounge inside than a tech demo. And it’s made, crucially, in the American Southwest—not some offshore island of tax breaks.
Then there’s Subaru, quietly dominating with two entries: the redesigned 2026 Outback, still proudly built in Indiana, and the new Trailseeker EV—Subaru’s second all-electric SUV, this one with proper off-road chops and symmetrical all-wheel drive. It may not shout, but it certainly climbs.
Q: How does this affect the average driver?
It brings sanity back to the showroom. For every six-figure EV with butterfly doors, there’s now a hybrid, gas, or electric SUV built for real life. The Honda Passport, for example, is assembled in Alabama and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It just does everything well. Off-road? Yes. Commute? Sure. Haul four kids, a golden retriever, and a month’s worth of emotional baggage? You bet.
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade, still earns its seat at the American table. With a new hybrid drivetrain promising 620 miles of range, it answers a question Americans didn’t ask out loud but were clearly thinking: “Can I stop worrying about charging every 30 minutes?” Add massage seats, all-terrain tires, and third-row safety that would make a Volvo nervous, and you’ve got one of the smartest long-haul family cars out there—even if it doesn’t carry a U.S. VIN.
Q: Is this all just marketing noise?
Not really. Amid the noise of overpromised EVs and underdelivered autonomy, it’s the real-world-ready vehicles making the biggest impression. Case in point: the Ramcharger, Ram’s extended-range EV pickup that manages to tow 14,000 pounds while still squeezing 690 miles out of a tank and battery combined. It’s assembled in Michigan and aimed squarely at the guy who’d rather climb a mountain than code an app.
Even VW, long associated with the autobahn, is going full Americana—just not in the way you’d expect. In 2024, they partnered with KONG and VCA Charities to create a VW-inspired dog toy that donates one to a shelter dog for every unit sold. Inspired by a dog chewing a VW Bus axle stop, it’s equal parts nostalgia, clever marketing, and genuine goodwill.
Q: So, what’s the takeaway here?
It’s not that America is winning some kind of manufacturing pissing contest—it’s that the country’s best vehicles now reflect what American drivers actually want: versatility, durability, and yes, a bit of indulgence. Whether you’re talking about a 540-hp Ram RHO, a tech-stuffed VW Tiguan, or a Mustang GTD that laps the Nürburgring in under seven minutes, these machines weren’t made just to be gawked at. They were made to be used.
Even better, they’re being built—many of them—by people who live in the same zip code as the people who’ll drive them.
