Great cars still to come in 2024 and beyond

These are the ones we reckon are the ones to watch – and we preview some cars to come beyond this year as well, illustrated by our spy shots and artist impressions of how they may look:

Even a sports car firm like Alpine can’t ignore SUVs for ever, and its new A390 SUV will be unveiled as a concept car in October ahead of going on sale in 2025. A sister car to the Nissan Ariya, we expect a range of around 300 miles.

The new Aston Martin Vantage coupe was unveiled in February 2024 and features a powerful 656bhp 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine, with a much-improved interior, and we love it. We expect the convertible version to be unveiled later in 2024.

The Aston Martin Valhalla hypercar begins production this year and the company is already working on a track-focused version named AMR. The car has various visual differences from the standard Valhalla. Expect a price of around €5 million when it goes on sale in 2026.

We recently tested the new Aston Martin Vantage and we reckon it’s one of the company’s best cars in years. So we were intrigued to recently see this new version testing at the Nürburgring, being driven by British racing driver Andy Priaulx. The car has a massive rear wing, and we speculate this is a new version of the Vantage with a V12 engine.

We’ve recently tested the new Vanquish coupe and it’s a terrific car. Its convertible counterpart is still under wraps however and we’ve just spotted it testing in England, with heavy camouflage.

Audi has started on-road tests of a new, third-generation version of its three-row Q7 SUV. Set for dealerships in early 2026, the SUV will be one of the last diesel and petrol powered cars Audi launches. The firm plans to launch only electric cars from 2026, and end production of petrol and diesel cars entirely in 2033.

We're also expecting a larger Q9 model too.

We spotted this model testing in Germany; it replaces the A6 Allroad, and will have conventional engine options. All-wheel drive is standard, and we expect the car to arrive in 2025 as a 2026 model year car.

Audi Sport is to resurrect the RS6 saloon as an electric-powered rival to the likes of the recently unveiled BMW i5 M60 saloon and the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 saloon.

We also recently saw the new estate version too. Both should be on sale in 2025.

We also expect the RS6 to have a more streamlined version, to be called RS7. Expect it also in 2025.

The large Q8 e-tron SUV got itself a special Dakar version earlier in 2024, and now it seems the smaller Q6 e-tron is getting a version as well. Designed to celebrate Audi’s involvement  in the famous rally race, the car we spotted testing has major ground clearance and is fitted with Toyo Open Country tyres, designed for major off-roading.

We expect the model to go on sale in 2025.

Audi has recently unveiled the all-new Q5, and we recently spotted a new Q5 Sportback version out testing. This particular prototype is a plug-in hybrid. The new Q5 goes on sale in March 2025, and we expect the Sportback to arrive in summer 2025.

The new Q5 may have been unveiled but the new Q3 remains under cover and we recently spotted it out testing in Germany. It’s longer than the current Q3, and has very different headlights and rear lights. We expect to see it on sale in March 2025.

We’ve spotted the new Audi A7 Avant out testing a few times, but we’ve finally managed to snap the new Audi A7 Saloon. This model replaces the Audi A6 and is expected to be launched in 2025.

This car is rumoured to be BMW’s first electric M car. It has carbon-ceramic brakes to match what we can only assume is rapid acceleration. The prototype shows a grille design, similar to the M3 CS and M4 CSL. Expect this to be launched in 2025.

The new BMW CS Touring is in development, and though we’ve spotted it testing before, this is the first time with the familiar CS headlights, that feature yellow daylight running lights. Expect the same 542bhp engine as in the saloon. We expect the model to go on sale in in early 2025.

BMW M Motorsport is currently developing a new entry-level model for the 2026 motorsport season. Exact details about the new model are not yet known, but a prototype has now been spotted for the first time at the Nürburgring.

We recently spotted the next generation X5 testing on the public road for the first time, in Munich. It looks like the model adopts the new BMW ‘Neue Klasse’ design language.  Notably, the car doesn’t have any door handles. We expect this new model in 2026.

Four prototypes of the Chevrolet Corvette C8 Zora recently arrived at the Nürburgring for testing. This new high-performance C8 will be the second model to receive a hybrid system, following the C8 E-Ray, but the main power comes from a twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8. Expect total power of around 1000bhp, and we expect it on sale in the summer of 2025.

This will be the Cupra version of the Volkswagen ID.2, and as such will be a small and affordable electric car designed with the city in mind. We expect around 200bhp of power and a range of 250 miles.

Citroën is gearing up to launch a new version of the C5 Aircross in 2025 that will effectively become its flagship model and gain electric power for the first time.

Citroen has committed to focusing on main-segment models in the future. As a result, it will not replace the slow-selling C5 X, but that saloon’s more popular SUV sibling will survive into a new generation.

This is the new flagship SUV EV from DS. We expect two power options – one with around 200bhp with a single motor, and another with two motors and 300bhp. Expect it on sale in early 2025.

Ferrari hasn’t said what form its first EV will take, but it will feature in-house batteries, motors and electronics. The CEO has driven a prototype but would only say: “I like it a lot.” This is our guess of how it might look.

We recently spotted this car testing in Italy wearing its full body for the first time. It’s a follow up to the SF90 model, and will feature a hybrid engine, like the SF90. We expect it to arrive in 2025.

This may resemble a Maserati Levante but beneath it is a new Ferrari electric vehicle chassis - the four exhaust pipes are fake. It’s possible that this is the start of Ferrari development of an all-electric SUV, but it’s very early days here.

Ford is planning a new range of small electric cars on a new platform which will bring successor vehicles to the Fiesta and Focus, and also for the next-generation Puma. The new cars will launch first in America in 2026 before coming to Europe. Ford boss Jim Farley has made it clear that he wants to be able to compete with both the upcoming Tesla Model 2 and the large number of cheap electric cars from China.

Spyshots of Honda’s new mid-size SUV suggest that it will adopt a much more rugged design than the previous model. It’s notably more box-like in shape as well as taller, and the square cargo compartment should yield plenty of interior space.

We expect the launch of this new model in early 2025.

We saw photos of the concept version of this car earlier in 2024, but now the production car is out testing in Germany. The Prelude will inherit the self-charging hybrid setup and CVT gearbox from the Civic. The car is expected to be launched in mid 2025.

Hyundai is working on a new generation of its hydrogen fuel cell-powered Nexo crossover. The second-generation model, which sports a boxy new look modelled on the Santa Fe, is set to swap to a smaller and more durable fuel cell stack that will power more efficient batteries and motors. It’s not clear yet what countries this car will be sold in.

This second generation Palisade looks like it will adopt the same design language we’ve seen with the new Hyundai Santa Fe. We expect two new engines: a 2.5-litre Hybrid, and a new turbocharged 3.5-litre V6. We expect this car in 2025.

This is the all-new seven-seater Hyundai electric vehicle, which will be the sister to the Kia EV9. If the EV9 is a guide, it should be capable of a range of around 400 miles in the real world. We expect to see it on sale in 2025.

Hyundai’s N division is putting the finishing touches to a hot new version of the Ioniq 6 saloon, which it hopes will bring Porsche Taycan levels of performance and dynamic agility.

“Going forward in Europe, Hyundai is developing Hyundai N as a pioneer of high-performance EVs,” the brand said recently. “Our customers will benefit from technological developments that will make EVs even more attractive in the future.”

Jaguar is shortly about to revamp its entire model range as the brand goes all-electric from 2026. The first clue we’ll have is in December of 2024, when a concept version of a new four door ‘GT’ electric car will be unveiled, ahead of a production car launch in 2026. Expect a range of 500 miles, rapid charging and 575bhp.

Next up from Jaguar will be a new electric limousine – in effect a replacement for the XJ model that went out of production in 2019. We expect this car to broadly feature the same technology as the GT. Expect this car in 2028.

And finally: in 2028 or so we expect Jaguar to launch a new large electric SUV which will compete with vehicles like the Bentley Bentayga and Aston Martin DBX.

This car was unveiled as a concept car in October 2023, and we recently spotted the new production version out testing. This new electric car will come as a saloon and a hatchback  and is based on a new architecture called E-GMP. We expect a range of 400 miles, and the car to be on the road in 2025. There will also be a saloon version.

Sales of the Discovery have been badly affected by the popularity of the Land Rover Defender, a sister car. Accordingly, the company aims to reposition it for its sixth generation, possibly by injecting more people-carrier like design elements. Expect to see it in 2025.

With this electric sports car, Maserati says it’s committed to retaining the feel of a V6 while giving it whip-crack acceleration, courtesy of an expected 745bhp and 1351 Nm of torque. Expect it in 2025.

The new mild hybrid Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 has powerful performance, a redesigned interior and sporty styling over the standard car. Some 442bhp and 560 Nm of torque is delivered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine.

We’ve also recently spotted the drop-top version of the CLE 63. Now the top-of-the range CLE Cabrio is also on the road with less camouflage.

The Mercedes-AMG is losing its V8 engine for a straight-six plug-in hybrid. Figures are still unknown, but it’s claimed AMG is targeting more than 700bhp and 1200 Nm.

The new GT 4-Door Coupé will feature 1000bhp of power in an electric super-saloon that will begin testing soon. Arriving in 2025, this will likely be the firm’s most powerful road car yet.

We spotted it testing once again recently, and it’s certainly very low and very long.

PHOTO: spy shot, Autocar artist impression

The EQS and S-Class model lines will merge in around 2029, and continue with both conventional and electric power. Slowing growth in the electric car markets has led Mercedes to slow down on its electrification effort, and has led it to extend the life of its conventional engines for longer than previously planned.

Mercedes-AMG is hatching plans for a spectacular electric supercar that will launch the performance brand into the EV age. The new model was previewed by last year’s retro-inspired Vision One-Eleven concept, and it is described as a “brand-defining successor to the SLS Electric Drive”, the 730bhp quad-motor EV that was launched in 2013.

But while that car was limited to just nine examples, the new AMG supercar is planned for significantly higher production numbers when it arrives later this decade.

We recently spotted the third generation Nissan Leaf electric car out testing for the first time. It is dropping the hatchback shape and is becoming a crossover. We expect to see it launched in 2025.

The next generation Porsche Cayenne is going all-electric. We saw some early Cayenne EVs testing at the Nürburgring in 2023, but we have recently spotted the car winter testing near the Arctic circle. Expect to see the car formally for the first time in 2025, as a 2026 model.

This car may wear GT3 clothing, but the engine noise we heard at the Nordschleife suggests it definitely has a turbocharged engine. We reckon it will feature a 4.0-litre engine, but it’s early days here – we don’t expect this model to arrive until 2026 at the earliest. 

The first electric Range Rover will be crucial to finding sales volume and perhaps helping convert a new group of buyers to EVs. The company says 16,000 people have expressed an interest in buying the new model.

We recently spotted the new all-electric Range Rover EV testing at the Nürburgring. Most notably, this prototype has a completely redesigned grille from the current petrol and diesel version of the car. We expect the car to be on the road in the first half of 2025.

In addition to the all-electric Range Rover Electric and the future Range Rover Velar Electric, the Range Rover Sport will also be available as an all-electric model. We recently spotted it testing in England. We expect the car to be unveiled in early 2025.

Skoda is working on a hot vRS version of its Kodiaq Mk2 SUV which we believe will have pure-petrol power. The previous Kodiaq vRS was a strong seller in its first generation, launched initially with diesel power before switching to the Octavia vRS’s 242bhp petrol engine.

Skoda is further expanding its compact SUV model range for India and will launch the new Skoda Kylaq from 2025. Although the Skoda Kylaq is only intended for the Indian market, the prototype underwent final testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife recently. The car is set to celebrate its world premiere on 6 November 2024.

We recently spotted this new model testing in the United States. Though Subaru unveiled its new Forester in 2023, we believe that this is the new Hybrid version. The new Hybrid system will maintain some version of Subaru’s iconic Boxer engine—possibly dubbed "e-Boxer”—which is expected to served as both a drive unit and a generator, in a set-up similar to the Toyota Prius. The Forester Hybrid is expected to launch next year, sometime in early 2025.

The market is demanding cheaper electric cars and we can certainly see this model selling like hot cakes, if and when it arrives. As with everything that Elon Musk does, it’s unlikely to be boring. We like to think this car could be on the road by 2025.

A hotter new variant of the GR Supra is set to arrive later in 2024, this time featuring a S58 engine from the new BMW M2. That should make for a very healthy power bump.

We saw this new Toyota EV on the road for the first time in 2023. This prototype is a pure electric vehicle, but the model will also be available as a plug-in hybrid. In terms of size, the new model is similar to the Yaris Cross; we expect to see this car officially in late 2024.

Toyota Gazoo Racing is launching a new GT3 racing car for the 2026-2027 motorsport season We previously spotted the car at Toyota’s Fuji Speedway, but it’s now arrived in Europe, testing in wet conditions at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

The design reminds us of the Dodge Viper, and we gather power will come from a V8 engine – which sounds awesome according to people lucky enough to hard it. 

Toyota is also testing a road-going version of the same car. We suspect it may be a successor to the famous Lexus LFA supercar, and as such may receive the name LFR. Our photographer watched as the car moved silently before a conventional engine kicked in, suggesting this car will be a hybrid.

Toyota unveiled the GR Corolla recently but we recently spotted a new and more powerful GRMN version out testing at the Nürburgring. The main visual difference is a much larger rear wing. We expect it to go on sale in both Europe and North America in 2025.

Volkswagen released a concept version of its new ID.2 small EV in 2023, and we recently spotted the production car version out testing on the Nordschleife circuit for the first time. Our spyshots suggests that the new model will be based on a shorter version of the body used for the ID.3.

Based on the spy photographs, it’s likely the new Phideon will be using the same platform as the current version. The test car appears to have a slightly longer wheelbase and Passat influenced styling. Expect it to arrive in some showrooms around the world in late 2024.

Volkswagen will launch the second generation of the Volkswagen T-Roc in 2025 as a 2026 model, and we’ve spotted it out testing several times. It will be Volkswagen’s final petrol/diesel car. It’s an important model; the T-Roc was the third best-selling car in Europe in 2023.

We recently spotted the second generation of the Volkswagen Teramont/Atlas testing in Switzerland. Expect the model to arrive in 2025 as a 2026 model.

Volkswagen has launched ideas for a new electric-powered Scirocco as a part of a joint project with Porsche, Audi and Cupra. Expect a launch in 2028 if approval is granted the company.

Electronics giant Xiaomi is entering the car market and the SU7 is its first model. The basis for it is a new electric car platform that goes under the internal name Modena. It has been conceived to support 400-volt and 800-volt electric architectures, plus single- and dual-motor drivetrains.  

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