Hoo boy what a week it’s been at the New York International Show! We hafta say there’s been a lot of good stuff so far. SUVs and crossovers are continuing to bloom, a Tesla competitor has shown its face and Dodge finally unveiled the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which you can read about here. There’s no point in waiting, let’s get down to it.

SUV Boom

It’s been a long time coming, SUVs and crossovers have claimed a sizeable part of the auto industry. Research and statistics show that advances in modern technology and engine designs, the once gas-guzzling metal machines have become as economical as they are practical. Now, families can pack into a 5-7 passenger SUV, load up equipment and still have decent fuel economy.

As far as statistics go, the numbers are the real proof. In 2006, SUVs accounted for 28 percent of the american auto market and today that number is as high as 40 percent. Some companies are taking a smarter approach, knowing full well that the millennial generation still has a couple of youngin’s still in high school, and it might be five to seven years before the majority of the generation hits the tipping point of whether they’re flying solo or settling down.

With that in mind, several companies are starting to rethink the look and designs of their SUVs - the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, currently being reworked by Mitsubishi Motors and Nissan.

Then of course there’s Jeep, which always has their own agenda. Jeep specializes in SUVs and they have a great lineup that offers consumers fuel efficiency, space and luxury, but at this year’s New York International Auto Show, they spiced up their lineup with the all-new 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

Jeep has been talking about making an SRT Hellcat version of their SUV for over a year now, and it’s safe to say while SRT was working on the new Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, they were also working on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The new  2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee  Trackhawk is powered by the same 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI SRT Hellcat V8 engine that is in the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat models. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, covers a quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds and it has a top speed of 180 mph.

Not only is this new Jeep fast, but it has an all-wheel drivetrain so it’s power is unbelieveable. The new Trackhawk has the largest set of front brakes ever used on a Jeep and it has high-end performance features like performance pages, an upgraded suspension and advanced TortqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission.  

Electric Vehicles Taking Over?

SUVs and crossovers aren’t the only ones claiming a stake in the auto industry. Hybrids have been paving a path for years, and with new engine and hybrid technology, electric vehicles are starting to make some noise as well. A few months ago we discussed some of the all-electric automakers that have popped up in the U.S., but one company that flew right under our radar until this week was Lucid Motors.

Lucid Motors is being called a rival to Tesla Motors and the company has even hired a former Tesla engineer. While competing with Tesla Motors may seem a bit crazy, the vehicle Lucid Motors debuted at the New York International Auto Show is pretty fierce.

Lucid Motors told journalists their model, the Lucid Air, could generate as much as 1,000 horsepower and travel up to 400 miles on a single charge. If that is true, the Lucid Air would be the most powerful street legal vehicle in the world, surpassing the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which is rumored to have as much as 1,023 horsepower (if modded with the contents of the Demon Crate). That being said, the base model of Lucid Air will generate around 400 horsepower and it will be able to travel about 240 miles on a single charge.

But as the auto industry blooms with hybrid and electric vehicles, small companies like Faraday Future and Lucid Motors have to compete with manufacturers who have been at this for years.