See all Motoring NewsThe car market is changing direction, with more and more electric vehicles (EVs) on the way as we move towards a zero-emissions future. So, with that in mind, we’ve looked at some of the most exciting new cars heading our way in 2022, powered by both internal combustion and electricity as we move from one era of propulsion into another.
Audi Q6 e-tron
Audi’s e-tron revolution gathers pace and there’s another big, luxury, all-electric SUV on the way from the German firm. While the existing electric SUV is just called the plain ‘e-tron’, this Q6 and a smaller Q4 derivative take the same naming convention as the regular SUVs already on sale from Audi. Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but camouflaged development vehicles are already in testing.
BMW iX
Alarmingly contentious styling aside, the BMW iX promises impressive, future-gazing family motoring when it arrives here in time for 2022. Two models, called the xDrive40 and the xDrive50, offer either 326- or 503hp, with a range of 400km from the former and more than 600km from the latter. Prices will be over €81,000.
Cupra Born
Think of this as a spicier, Spanish version of the Volkswagen ID.3 and you’ll be on the right track. The Born packs an 82kWh lithium-ion battery and technology such as an augmented reality head-up display. Expect around 500km from a single charge and the ability to add 260km of range to the Cupra Born in just 30 minutes of hook-up.
Fiat Panda
The new Fiat 500 has gone all-electric and while the old model continues as an internal-combustion engine (ICE) car for another few years as the ‘500 Classic’, it leaves the Italian manufacturer without an ICE supermini. Up steps the next-gen Panda. It’s likely to still look cubist and to be powered by low-output engines, but it should have bags of appeal – and, in case you’re wondering, an EV option too if you prefer its appearance to the 500’s.
Kia EV6
Linked to the equally cool Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia’s first EV-badged electric car goes for a super-smooth sci-fi appearance, and it will likely be offered with a choice of battery pack sizes and one- or twin-motor arrangements, meaning either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. Expect power to range from 169-305hp, with 0-100km/h in as little as 5.5 seconds and an all-electric driving range of up to 480km.
Opel Insignia
D-segment family cars are dying in the face of a full-on SUV onslaught; Ford has already confirmed that, after 28 years of production, there will be no direct replacement for the Mondeo. Opel, however, plans to take the Insignia in a whole new direction, rather than killing it off. Described as ‘the biggest metamorphosis seen so far from Opel’, expect the next-gen Insignia to be more MPV-ish in shape and to have the option of a full electric model.
Skoda Fabia
Skoda’s fourth-gen Fabia will be bigger than its predecessor, tipping beyond the four-metre-long mark for the first time thanks to its new underpinnings. Crisply styled on the outside and cleverly packaged inside, to the point it has a 380-litre boot that’s as big as the larger C-segment Volkswagen Golf’s cargo bay, Skoda will launch the Fabia with petrol engines only. At the top of the tree, a 1.5-litre TSI Evo will deliver 150hp and 250Nm, making it the most potent Fabia since the long-departed RS TDI of yesteryear.
Tesla Model Y
A shrunken version of the Tesla Model X SUV, the smaller Model Y does without the former car’s eye-catching gullwing doors, but still promises to offer around 510km of driving range from its large battery pack and also all the usual high-performance power from Tesla’s dual-motor set-up.
Volkswagen ID.Buzz
With the ID.3 and ID.4 models already on sale, Volkswagen’s EV sub-brand will release an updated, zero-emissions version of its legendary Microbus (or Type 2) of the 1960s. It should sit on a lengthened version of the ID.3’s platform and have a 3.3-metre wheelbase, meaning there’ll be plenty of space on board. Electric range of more than 500km and a five-second 0-100km/h time is being mooted, with minibus, camper van and panel van options for the Buzz all in the pipeline.
Volvo C40
A stylish electric coupe-SUV, the new C40 uses the same dual-motor set-up as the related XC40 P8 and Polestar 2 vehicles from the Geely-owned Volvo group, so that means in excess of 400hp and 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. A 78kWh lithium-ion battery can be recharged at up to 150kW DC speeds and a 420km range is promised from the attractive C40.