A bigger, more electric Philly Auto Show follows a volatile year for the industry

Volatility. Tariffs. EV rebates. Affordability.

These are the buzzwords surrounding the automobile industry as 2025 gives way to 2026. But you probably won’t hear too much about them at the 2026 Philly Auto Show, where beginning Saturday the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia shines up the best and lets thousands of visitors check everything out, with only the pressure of other visitors waiting for their turn.

Show enthusiasts who’ve been missing the big events from pre-pandemic days will have a reason to smile. The show will cover almost 700,000 square feet, five more brands are joining in at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and the electric vehicle ride program will have doubled.

“It’s wonderful to be able to fill the building again,” said Mike Gempp, executive director of the dealers association, which puts on the show. “You gotta wear comfortable shoes, for sure.”

The added nameplates you’ll see will be Genesis, Lincoln, Lucid, Polestar, and Volvo. This allows the footprint to grow quite a bit since all of last year’s makes are back, making the largest number (27) since 2020.

The latest vehicles are the main draw, of course. Some that are attracting interested buyers, Gempp says, are: the redesigned 2026 Subaru Outback SUV; the reborn 2026 Honda Prelude Hybrid sports coupe, last seen long before hybrids were a big thing, in 2001; the redesigned Ford Maverick hybrid small pickup; and the 2027 Kia Telluride.

Other attention-getting vehicles expected at the show include the Chevrolet Corvette, Ineos Grenadier, Jeep Recon, Lotus Emira, McLaren 750S, and Subaru BRZ tS.

Coming off a steady rise in sales — up 3.3% in the nation and 1.2% in the region, Gempp said — the industry has been fighting tariff and EV rebate uncertainty since the Trump administration took office. But just over 16.3 million vehicles were sold in 2025, according to Cox Automotive, the highest number since the pandemic arrived.

Despite the end of rebates, electric vehicles may still be an attractive proposition in 2026. Manufacturers have new EV models coming to market, Cox Automotive executive analyst Erin Keating said, and without rebates to lower the prices, dealers will have to make them attractive to consumers.

“I really wouldn’t count EVs out,” Keating said, especially as more are coming to the used market.

EVs will figure into the show heavily. The indoor E-Track allowing visitors to ride in 20 different kinds of EVs is doubled in size and now features eight brands: Cadillac, GMC, Lucid, Kia, Polestar, Tesla, Toyota, and Volvo.

But the E-Track is not all EVs, as there will be plug-in hybrids to ride in as well, like the Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4 and Prius, and Volvo XC60.

Gempp sees the E-Track as a chance to teach visitors about the different kinds of powertrains available in modern vehicles.

Now that EVs are not as big a focus for manufacturers, Gempp sees technological innovations as a major area of industry attention. He points to the Lincoln Nautilus, with a 48-inch screen running pretty much the width of the entire dashboard.

Gempp sees hybrids drawing renewed attention from manufacturers. There’s no plugging in these models, just electric motors and batteries that supplement the engine, taking advantage of braking energy and adding that back into the power supply, saving fuel in the process.

“The manufacturers are refocusing on hybrids, and pulling away from concentration on EVs that we saw in the last few years because the incentives have gone away, because the penalties for carbon credits have gone away, there’s very little incentive for manufacturers to introduce or sell EVs” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions in Chester Springs.

All that refocusing is needed as the industry outlook grows cloudy. With tariffs and subsequent price adjustments, along with general economic uncertainty, Keating expects sales to fall to 15.8 million, while Fiorani is a little more optimistic that they’ll be just under 16.2 million.

Affordability remains as the final question mark.

“The biggest thing weighing down the economy going forward is how tariffs of ’25 will affect pricing in ’26,” Fiorani said. “We’ve already seen the manufacturers of all products absorb these costs as much as they can so we’re going to start seeing some of these costs being pushed onto the consumer.”

But we can take our minds off all that at the auto show, enjoying some of the exhibits that take the event beyond sitting inside stationary vehicles.

Here are some of the other attractions planned:

The lines are generally long at the 30,000-square-foot space, where visitors can ride in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, Grand Cherokee L, Compass, or Gladiator over a track that adds a breakover log crawl and a 25-degree wedge to an 18-foot mobile hill and stair climber. Nearby, Kiddie Camp Jeep will give future customers a chance to maneuver mini Jeep ride-on toys.

Unlike the indoor tracks, here licensed drivers 18 and up are able to choose from 10 Stellantis vehicles to test drive around Philly: Alfa Romeo Giulia and Tonale PHEV, Dodge Durango SRT, Ram 1500 and 2500, Chrysler Pacifica, FIAT 500e, and Jeep Wrangler, Gladiator, and Grand Cherokee.

Exotics Row will feature the kinds of cars most of us only dream about, and classics displays from Antique Automobile Club of America and Delaware Valley Triumphs bring back memories of what neighborhood streets once looked like.

Buick will showcase the first-ever concept vehicle, the Y Job, built in 1938. It premiered plenty of groundbreaking features, like a power convertible top, power door locks, automatic transmission, and retractable headlights.

In this new area, meant to celebrate first responders, kids of all ages can enjoy an interactive display of police, fire, and rescue vehicles. Qualified first responders will be able to enter the show for free on Feb. 6.

Route ’26 showcases the events surrounding Philadelphia and American history, marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Events on display include Wawa Welcome America, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game and All-Star Week festivities, and TED Democracy: Founding Futures at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.