(Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

By Kara Scagliola

Last week, the Jacob Javits Center hosted the 114th New York International Auto Show, putting on a display of concept and production cars that kept even those who were not car experts in wonder as they journeyed through the huge complex.

The Javits Center, located on Manhattan, N.Y.’s West Side just next to the Hudson River, is an impressive, even overwhelming venue in a city that is very condensed. The fact that they fit nearly 200 cars into a building in the middle of New York City is quite an amazing feat.

While the uber-luxury cars, including Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Lamborghinis and Bugattis, remained behind glass encasements, not allowing the general public near them, there were still plenty of amazing vehicles to see. While it is too difficult to name the single car that was my favorite, I have managed to pinpoint a few that stood out.

The 2015 BMW M3 sports sedan made its New York debut, and the hoards of loyal BMW Motorsport fans surrounding the car spoke volumes about the hype this legendary model generates. It packs a high-tech 425-horse power turbocharged six-cylinder that is both more powerful and more fuel-efficient than the traditional eight-cylinder in the outgoing model. These significant improvements hint at the amount of research and development that go into groundbreaking sports cars.

While it is nice to fantasize about driving cars of such a high caliber, the auto show also displayed plenty of cars that are more in the realm of possibility for somebody like myself, who is about to graduate college and may not be able to spend over $100 thousand on a car right away. The most attractive of these was the first-ever Audi A3 sedan, a sporty four-door the size of a Honda Civic with the luxury and craftsmanship, for which the German automaker is known. The Audi A3’s suggested retail price starts at $29,900.

The show also showed off many types of electric and hybrid vehicles. The Javits Center even housed a small test track where attendees could test drive the new BMW electric cars, which are bringing luxury to the usually unappealing super-compact class.

Finally, one of the most impressive cars was the 2015 Corvette, all new for its seventh generation. The iconic American sports car has been completely redesigned from the ground up, bringing its aesthetics to a new level and delivering world class performance at a tremendous value versus its European competitors.

The New York International Auto Show was an impressive event, both in quality and quantity, and is certainly an event that car enthusiasts and novices alike could enjoy.