Welcome to the Daily 5 report for Wednesday, April 16.
Back when auto shows made news, auto journalists would often write stories about the "big surprise" unveiling or "winners and losers from the show." Most auto shows these days would crave that kind of coverage.
So what was the big surprise from this week's New York auto show? Relevance.
Led by Subaru and Hyundai Motor Group, the 2025 show from the Big Apple is reminding some of us that an auto show can still generate plenty of news.
Sign up for Automotive News' quick rundown every business afternoon of the top five stories of the day, along with the day's market gainers and losers.
Subaru today unveiled the seventh-generation Outback, which for the 2026 model year is shedding its wagon-like exterior in favor of boxy styling with a slightly wider stance that suggests it's built for brawn and practicality. The bestselling midsize crossover in the U.S. has a 2-inch taller roofline and 2 more cubic feet of interior space, for a total of 34.6 cubic feet.
The Japanese automaker also introduced a second electric vehicle to its U.S. lineup next year with the 2026 Trailseeker, an Outback-sized two-row crossover boasting a range of 260 miles. Subaru also touted the 2026 Solterra. Its first electric vehicle is getting significant powertrain, performance, in-cabin technology and design upgrades intended to make it more competitive in the compact crossover segment, as Omari Gardner reported in his story today.
Meanwhile, the Hyundai brand today highlighted its 2026 three-row Palisade, which will offer more space, improved range and two new powertrains, including a hybrid, when it goes on sale this year. Hyundai also chose New York in 2022 to debut changes to the Palisade that moved its aesthetics in a sportier direction.
Sibling automaker Kia today also made some news in New York. Kia is doubling down on the small-car segment with a pair of compact offerings that create new entry points for the brand's electric and gasoline-powered lineups, Carly Schaffner reported. The South Korean automaker unveiled its EV4 all-electric compact sedan and a hatchback variant of the small K4 sedan.
In other news today, this survey from Santander Holdings USA Inc. gave some much needed data on the mood of potential car buyers in the U.S. amid tariffs. Many middle-income Americans planning to buy a car are worried about vehicle prices going up, the survey showed. The lender, based in Dallas, in February surveyed about 2,200 Americans who make between $53,000 and $161,000 a year. About one-third said they plan to buy a vehicle in the next year.
Santander said 53 percent of those considering buying a car said they are more likely to purchase in the next three months because they are worried about prices increasing.
Another angle on tariffs in the retail world comes from this story by Riley Hodder and Mark Hollmer. One of the more salient anecdotes came from Michigan's LaFontaine Automotive Group. The dealership group assembled a tariff task force to stay on top of the latest news out of the White House, spokesman Max Muncey said.
"I could get an update in two hours that's completely different than the update I got yesterday," he said. "This is evolving in real time."
One thing LaFontaine isn't doing, Muncey said, is raising prices.
That's it for now. Have a great rest of your day.
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— Philip Nussel, online editor
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