Trucks, crossovers — and even some cars — make their way to the Philadelphia Auto Show

Cars will begin rolling into the Convention Center toward the middle of the week as the annual Philadelphia Auto Show gets ready for the public on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Well, maybe not so many cars — SUVs, trucks, and crossovers make up the bulk of sales these days, as U.S. sales trends keep their inexorable drive toward taller vehicles.

“Two years ago, I think it was 50-50, and now were at 70-30, trucks vs. cars,” said Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia. “Some major manufacturers say they’re not going to make passenger cars anymore.”

The auto show runs from Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 10, and features 750,000 square feet of display space — or, as Mazzucola puts it, “One ticket, 700 rides.”

Still, expect to find almost every car available from participating manufacturers on the show floor — SUV or not.

And while trucks, SUVs, and crossovers have strengthening sales, sales of all vehicles continued to rise in 2018, said Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at the car website Edmunds.com.

“2018 surprisingly was a little higher than the expectation; it was higher than 2017,” Caldwell said.

Sales reached 17.2 million for 2018, but she expects them to fall back to 16.9 million in 2019.

“A big trend for last year was more fleet sales — think Hertz, Avis, Enterprise — and I think that padded the numbers a bit,” Caldwell said. That’s generally a sign of trouble for manufacturers, who usually don’t get favorable prices on fleet sales.

For trucks and crossovers, the strongest brand growth in the Philadelphia market for the last five years has been Jeep; it’s up 111 percent, Mazzucola said. The second? Subaru, up 60 percent.

Naturally, many of the new models coming to the Philadelphia Auto Show aim to broaden SUV lines to fill niches — small, medium, large, or luxury.

“They want a full pallet, so to speak, of vehicles in this growth area,” Mazzucola said, noting that new models are coming, “from a new Kona from Hyundai to a Lamborghini [the Urus] and everything in between.”

So what’s coming to the Philly Auto Show? Here’s a closer look (subject to change, of course):

Room at the top: The three-row Kia Telluride/Hyundai Palisade SUV siblings expand the South Korean brands' lineup at the large end, which until now had stopped at the smallish Sorento/Santa Fe models, tight three-row vehicles. The eight-passenger rides are expected to be available in spring.

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator will bring its three-row luxury to the Philadelphia show as well.

The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty pickup also adds a whole lot of oomph for truck buyers, with 1,000 pound-feet of torque, which means some serious hauling and towing capability.

Something in the middle: Chevrolet will add the 2019 Blazer to its wide range of SUVs and crossovers, and Honda will reintroduce the Passport for the 2019 model year. Both vehicles add to the larger two-row segment of SUVs, with more off-road capability than typical crossovers.

For a change of pace, Audi will bring the 2019 E-Tron, an all-electric SUV, to the show floor as well.

Certainly only small by comparison with the rest of the pickup truck class, the new 2020 Jeep Gladiator and 2019 Ford Ranger add more competition to the midsize truck category. This segment had been left for dead just a few years ago, with just the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier on the market, but General Motors renewed interest by adding the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon a few years back.

Filling out the bottom: The Hyundai Kona adds to the niche at the smaller end. The strange-looking vehicle has been out for 2018 but will still garner a place alongside the newer entrants as well.

Lexus plans to show the new UX crossover, a little but luxurious entrant in the crossover contest.

Bread and butter: A couple of best-selling vehicles are coming to the Philadelphia Auto Show sporting long-awaited redesigns — the 2020 Toyota Corolla and the 2020 Ford Explorer. Explorer hadn’t gotten a redesign since the 2011 model year, so it’s definitely overdue.

Lots to do: Don’t forget that the Philly Auto Show also features Camp Jeep, an indoor off-road simulation track, where visitors can ride along. Ride and Drives will allow licensed visitors to test vehicles from Mazda, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

Classic cars will be on display from a variety of collectors and clubs. The Hollywood Cars exhibit brings such worthy rides as the Griswold family Truckster and Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. And Philadelphia’s Simeone Museum will bring special cars from around the world for display as well.

Missing characters: Cadillac will again be a no-show at the Philly Auto Show, and it’s joined on the sidelines by BMW and Mini in sitting out the 2019 event.

Feb. 2-10 at the Convention Center, 1101 Arch St.

Hours: Saturdays: 9 a.m.-10 p.m; Sunday, Feb. 3: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; weekdays: noon-10 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 10: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Admission: Adults, $14; children 7-12, $7; children 6 & under, free; seniors (62), $7; military, $11.

Information: phillyautoshow.com