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Summer vacation is over.
Car companies are back to work and moving full speed ahead into the 2018-2019 auto show season. Some have already put their cards on the table for all to see while others prefer to remain quiet in a bid to preserve the ever-elusive element of surprise.
We’ve consulted our crystal ball and compiled a list of the new models we think will leave their mark on America’s automotive landscape in 2019. Where possible we've used Autocar's spy shots of all the cars that have yet to be officially revealed:
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Audi E-tron
From the outside, there’s little to suggest that electricity drives the Audi E-tron. Designers intentionally gave it a rather conventional design in order to reach as many buyers as possible. Power nonetheless comes from a pair of electric motors that generate up to 402hp and 487lb ft of torque, enough for a brisk 6.4sec 0-60mph sprint. The motors draw electricity from a large, 95kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers about 249 miles of range, though Audi noted the homologation process is on-going and the final figure could be higher.
Audi will begin delivering the Audi E-tron halfway through 2019. Motorists who want to be among the first in line to receive the SUV can send Audi a fully refundable $1000 deposit. When it hits the road, the E-Tron will join the Jaguar I-Pace on Tesla’s growing list of nightmares.
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Aston Martin Rapide E
Aston Martin will deliver its first production electric car, the Rapide E, in the fourth quarter of 2019. The sedan will ditch the Rapide’s V12 engine in favor of two electric motors that zap the four wheels with 602hp and 700lb ft of torque. Electrifying a gasoline-powered model is easier said than done so the 65kWh battery pack will occupy the space originally carved out for the 12-cylinder, the transmission and the fuel tank. Aston Martin promises up to 200 miles of range.
Get in line as soon as possible if you want one. The firm’s plant in St. Athan, Wales, will build just 155 examples of the Rapide E.
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BMW 3 Series
From a design standpoint, BMW will bring the seventh-generation 3 Series in line with the bigger 5 Series. The two cars will share a basic architecture and some mechanical components, too. The new platform will make the 3 slightly longer and wider than its predecessor. Autocar briefly tested a pre-production prototype on and around the Nürburging track and concluded the 3 Series may at last be about to rediscover its sporting A game.
We’ll have a much better idea of how the 3 Series compares to the competition when it makes its debut at the 2018 Paris auto show. Sales will begin in 2019.
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BMW Z4
BMW presented the 2019 Z4 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a fitting venue situated at the intersection of style and money. The first examples will reach showrooms in the spring of 2019. At launch, the Z4 will be offered in two forms called sDrive30i and M40i, respectively. The first variant will receive a 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 255hp while the second one will benefit from a 3.0-liter straight-six tuned to 382hp.
An eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive will come standard regardless of how many cylinders are under the hood.
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BMW X7
The first-ever X7 will occupy the top spot in BMW’s SUV hierarchy when it goes on sale in 2019. Accurately previewed by the Concept X7 iPerformance, it will take the form of a super-sized SUV with a polarizing front-end design and an interior big enough to carry seven passengers and their gear.
Buyers will be asked to choose between an entry-level model with a straight-six engine and a more powerful variant equipped with a V8. We could see a high-performance, M-tuned model later in the production run. We expect to see it debut at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show in late November.
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Bentley Flying Spur
Bentley recently introduced the second-generation Continental GT so it stands to reason that a new Flying Spur isn’t far away. As we previously reported, the next Flying Spur will be the last car Bentley launches before it reinvents its line-up for the electrification era.
We understand designers have put considerably more effort into differentiating the Flying Spur from the two-door Continental GT and it will stand out from its predecessor with a sharper, leaner design.
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Cadillac XT6
We’ve heard rumors about Cadillac’s answer to the Audi Q7 since 2011. They will finally materialize at the 2019 Detroit auto show when the firm pulls the sheet off the XT6. Peeking through the camouflage reveals an angular design that borrows styling cues from both the CT6 and the smaller XT5.
The sheet metal will hide a brand-specific evolution of the platform found under the Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave, among other models. The Cadillac XT6 will reach American showrooms halfway through 2019.
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Chevrolet Blazer
The born-again Chevrolet Blazer shares little more than a name with its predecessors. No longer truck-based, it arrives as a soft-roading people-mover with an edgy front end that’s loosely inspired by the Camaro. We hope you like how it looks because Chevrolet said the Blazer’s design language will permeate across its entire SUV line-up in the coming years.
The Blazer will begin arriving on dealer lots in January 2019. Pricing starts at $29,995 including a mandatory destination charge.
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Chevrolet Corvette C8
The eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette is the worst-kept secret in Detroit. Though executives have resorted to automotive omertà, the countless spy shots, rumors and insider leaks confirm the Corvette will switch to a mid-engined layout for the first time in its decades-long history. Alchemizing the Corvette into a new type of sports car allowed engineers to place a greater focus on handling than ever before. Could it finally give the Europeans a run for their money?
We hear power will come from a 6.2-liter V8 tuned to send up to 700hp to the rear wheels. Recent patent filings suggest a seven-speed manual transmission will come standard but nothing is official yet. And, keeping up with the times, Chevrolet could add a hybrid model to the line-up later in the production run.
Chevrolet’s silence extends to the eighth-generation Corvette’s debut date. Insiders suggest we’ll see the model in the metal at the 2019 Detroit auto show but we’re not ruling out an off-site reveal in the weeks leading up to the event.
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Ford Explorer
The next-generation Explorer will give Ford the opportunity to put its controversial all-SUV strategy to the test. Aimed right at the heart of the SUV segment, the Explorer will ride on a new architecture that will send it back to its rear-wheel drive roots. Ford will also offer all-wheel drive, a must in America's snowy regions.
Leaked documents suggest the panoply of available engines will include four- and six-cylinders plus a hybrid drivetrain. The range-topping, performance-oriented model ST model (tentatively pictured) could offer over 400hp from a twin-turbocharged V6.
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Ford Mustang GT500
Ford aims to topple the Dodge Challenger Hellcat with the 2020 Shelby Mustang GT500. Expected to break cover in 2019, the GT500 will build on the track-honed GT350 with a supercharged, 5.2-liter V8 engine rated at over 700hp. Visually, the GT500 will signal its intent with a purposefully aggressive design characterized by functional heat extractors in the hood, a front splitter and a fixed rear wing (not pictured on the prototype shown above).
There’s one last twist in the plot: The Cobra emblem seen on the grille of pre-production cars has led some to speculate Ford will bring back the GT500KR nameplate it last used in 1968 on a high-performance variant billed, as the initials clearly state, as the king of the road.
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Genesis GV80
Genesis’ very first SUV, the GV80, will go on sale before the end of 2019. It’s shaping up to be an immensely important model for Hyundai’s luxury division because it will compete in a quickly-expanding segment of the market. Details about the model remain murky but it’s safe to assume it will borrow many styling cues from the GV80 concept (pictured) unveiled at the New York auto show in 2017.
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Honda Passport
Honda will resurrect the long-dormant Passport nameplate on a smaller variant of the Pilot (pictured) with two rows of seats instead of three. Its main rivals will include the Jeep Grand Cherokee and, later on, the production version of Volkswagen’s Atlas Cross Sport concept.
Designed primarily for the American market, the Honda Passport could make its debut at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show.
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Jeep Scrambler
Fans asked, Jeep listened.
Jeep will introduce a pickup variant of the fourth-generation Wrangler inspired by the CJ-8 Scrambler from the 1980s. It will be a lifestyle-oriented truck made for the great outdoors, not a heavy-duty model that’s at home hauling lumber across a construction site. Insiders suggest it could wear the Scrambler nameplate when it arrives in showrooms in 2019.
The Jeep Scrambler will likely make its debut at the 2019 Detroit auto show. Our exclusive rendering shows what it might look like. Production will start in April 2019.
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Kia Telluride
Kia left little to the imagination when it displayed a thinly-disguised Telluride at the New York Fashion Week. The big, brawny SUV has changed significantly in its transition from a concept car to a production model. Its design is softer and less upmarket than we were expecting. We know power will come from a V6 engine and the Telluride will offer seating for eight passengers when properly equipped.
Kia will begin building the Telluride in its Georgia plant in 2019.
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Mercedes-Benz GLB
The on-again, off-again Mercedes-Benz GLB is scheduled for a 2019 debut. As its name implies, the brand-new compact model will slot between the GLA and the GLC as an alternative to the Audi Q3, the Lexus UX and the Volvo XC40.
It will share its front-wheel drive platform with Mercedes’ other compact models while drawing styling cues from the emblematic G-Class.
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Mini Hardtop Electric
The first series-produced electric Mini will reach American roads in 2019. It will look just like a standard two-door Hardtop with the exception of drivetrain-specific trim pieces like the grille; Mini isn’t currently planning a standalone electric model.
It will drive like one, too, thanks in part to the battery-powered drivetrain’s instant torque and low center of gravity. The Mini Electric will share some components with BMW’s i3.
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Porsche 911
Porsche will introduce the new 992-generation 911 at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show. We already have a better-than-decent idea of what to expect from the model inside and out. It still looks like a 911; there are no major surprises in the design department.
Every member of the 992-generation 911 line-up will be turbocharged, however, and two plug-in hybrid models will arrive a couple of years into the production run.
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Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid
Subaru’s first plug-in hybrid model will arrive in showrooms in early 2019. The Crosstrek Hybrid will combine a direct-injected flat-four engine with plug-in hybrid technology provided by Toyota. We expect a continuously variable transmission (CVT) will channel power to both axles.
Subaru has confirmed the plug-in Crosstrek will be capable of driving on electricity alone for short distances. Range and efficiency figures will emerge closer to its unveiling date. Note: Non-hybrid Crosstrek pictured.
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Toyota Corolla
Toyota is on a mission to build cars that appeal to the heart, not just the mind. We’re curious to see how it applies this new way of thinking to the Corolla, a nameplate which hasn’t raised anyone’s pulse in decades. Early spy shots suggest Toyota’s perennially popular compact will wear a sportier, more emotional design inspired by the Corolla Hatch (pictured).
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Toyota Supra
At least seven years in the making, the Toyota Supra will finally make its debut in 2019. It rides on a platform shared with the BMW Z4 but Toyota insists it went to great lengths to make it look and drive like a Supra, not like merely the closed-roof variant of a German roadster. Official statistics are few and far between.
We know it will launch with a 3.0-liter straight-six borrowed from BMW and it will have a 50:50 weight distribution. Judging from our recent session in a prototype, we also know that’s it’s good to drive; Toyota has ensured it will be worth the wait.
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Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen won’t follow Ford out of America’s sedan segment. It wants to remain a full-line auto-maker and it’s in the final stages of developing a successor to the American-spec Passat (pictured). The model will switch to the modular MQB architecture but the similarities with its European-spec sibling will end there.
The brand has already confirmed the next Passat is being designed in America specifically for the local market. Production will begin in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2019.
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