More than two dozen new cars, trucks, crossovers and concept vehicles are made their debut at this week's annual auto show in New York, the sort of roll-out that would traditionally be expected to give a boost to the U.S. new car market.
But despite the almost uniformly bullish speeches at the NY show's media preview Wednesday, there's a sense of growing concern, if not outright pessimism, that came across during interviews and private conversations with industry leaders and analysts at the show, which runs through April 28.
"At best, stagnation is expected for 2019," said Steve Rich, a vice president with auto supplier Autoneum, during the show's opening ceremonies. And that may be an overly optimistic view.
