The era of electric cars isn't coming; it's already here. Though they still make up a small portion of the new car market, EVs are where the action is when it comes to the exciting realms of vehicular development. No longer are they battery-powered compliance cars or subcompact shuttles for the crunchy granola set; today's electric vehicles come in a broad range of sizes, shapes and prices.
Still, while Tesla may have carved out a solid niche as a purveyor of cutting-edge automobiles, Porsche has redefined sport sedans and Audi and Jaguar have whipped up stylish crossovers that feel imported from the future. The next few years will be the ones that truly open up the electric vehicle market. Pickup trucks and SUVs packing battery packs instead of gas engines will soon be rolling off production lines en masse, remaking the American automotive landscape with every day they're on sale.
So to keep tabs on all the cool new EVs coming down the pike, we've put together this roundup of the ones we know about that have us most excited. You won't find plug-in hybrids or hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars or anything like that here; we're just talking about pure electric vehicles, the kind that only gets power from a plug and wouldn't know what to do with liquid fuel if they had it dumped on their hoods.
(Note: the years in the story below refer to the year the vehicle is expected to debut, not the model year — hence why they come at the end of the vehicle name and are in parenthesis.)
Cadillac's new flagship vehicle will be called the Celestiq, and the brand intends it to be the Cadillac of EVs. It will have a massive 55-inch display and a flashy design incorporating elements of the El Dorado Brougham.
The Kia EV9 is the brand's next vehicle to launch on the E-GMP EV platform. It should be the electric equivalent of the popular Telluride SUV. The production version has been revealed. It will have 800V fast charging and should start under $60,000.
Part of Audi's flood of new electric models means some existing internal-combustion ones are set to be washed away in favor of EV equivalents, eventually. The A6 E-Tron concept that debuted in 2021 is very, very close to the eventual production version — think how similar the E-Tron GT concept was to the final car —and while it'll likely be sold alongside the gas-powered A6 when the new EV goes on sale (likely in 2023), eventually, it'll likely supplant the ICE version.
Chevy unveiled its new Silverado EV earlier this year. It looks a lot like the Avalanche from years past or a detuned version of the Hummer EV. The RST First Edition will launch with 664 horsepower, 780 lb-ft of torque and a price tag of $105,000.
Tesla's Cybertruck blew away the motoring world when it debuted in late 2019, with a design that lived up to Elon Musk's promises for a Blade Runner-inspired pickup like nothing else on the road and claims of Porsche-rivaling acceleration. It's finally heading into production this year, though "full-volume" production may be delayed until 2024.
The one (and only) knock on Hyundai's brilliant Ioniq 5 is that it's not quite sporty enough. The upcoming Ioniq 5 N should resolve that with some sharper tuning and up to 641 horsepower with the right modes engaged — about twice as much as your typical combustion hot hatch.
Volvo unveiled the EX90, its electric take on the brand's popular three-row XC90 SUV. It will offer nearly 500 hp and 300 miles of range — in different versions. And Volvo says it will be available well-equipped for less than $80,000, which should qualify it for a federal tax credit. Deliveries are expected in early 2024.
Volvo unveiled the EX30, a tiny new electric crossover. It will be as quick as a Kia EV6 GT in top-spec (0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds). It will offer a cross-country variant. But the most important number may be its price tag. It will start under $35,000.
Fiat announced the return of the 500 to North America at the Los Angeles Auto Show with concepts by Armani, Kartell and Bvlgari. This time, it will be available solely as an electric car, which should arrive in Q1 2024.
The Macan EV will pack more than 600 horsepower, 737 lb-ft of torque, enough oomph to undo all that good work your hair straightener did in the morning.
Jeep unveiled its first electric American SUV, the Recon. It's not an electric Wrangler. But it will be boxy, capable off-road and about the same size. Production begins in early 2024. Jeep will begin taking reservations for them next year.
Jeep's other electric vehicle launching will be the Wagoneer S. This vehicle will take the Wagoneer brand in a new, sportier direction. Jeep's targets are 600 hp, 400 miles of range and a 0-60 mph time in 3.5 seconds. Jeep brand CEO Jim Morrison noted at a launch event that "Wagoneer S" will not be the final production name. Production will start in 2024. Jeep will begin reservations in 2023.
Ram will be last among the Big Three to the EV pickup game. But don't expect their offering to be least. The Ram 1500 REV will offer more than 650 horsepower, and the brand is targeting a top range of 500 miles. And it will look pretty much like the Ram 1500 we already know and love. Expect it in Q4 2024.
Mercedes-Benz AG - Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans
Mercedes is building an electric version of the G-Wagen. It will be called the EQG. It will be based on the current G-Wagen's body-on-frame architecture. It may be the first vehicle to get Mercedes's next-gen battery tech. The EQG is expected to enter production in 2024.
Ask most Americans to name some iconic VWs, and odds are good Bus would be the second word out of the average person's lips. The iconic VW Type 2, as it was formally known, is coming back as an electric minivan, the ID. Buzz. It arrives in America in 2024.
Dodge — Mopar's masters of mayhem, the crew who hasn't yet found a vehicle they can't stuff a Hellcat into — is going electric, just like everyone else. But that doesn't mean it's going to be boring. Dodge's concept version includes a simulated manual transmission and a "Fratzonic" chambered exhaust that will emit a haul on par with the Hellcat.
Toyota revealed the Compact Cruiser as a concept and won a design award for it. The brand has been reevaluating its EV plans, and the Compact Cruiser was reportedly put on hiatus. But an adventurous EV "Cruiser" branded crossover to slot below the new 2024 Land Cruiser would still make a lot of sense.
The Prologue will not become Honda's first EV in America; that honor rests with the departed 89-mile range Clarity EV sedan. But the Prologue will be Honda's first full-fledged mass-market offering. Whether you're looking at powertrain, market positioning or manufacturing, the Prologue will be unlike any other Honda on the road.
Toyota has confirmed an electric pickup is in development (though a timeline and details are scarce). The brand announced plans to offer a pickup truck with a BEV powertrain when it debuted the concept that became the bZ4X SUV in 2021. Toyota has since unveiled the all-new 2024 Tacoma. And the Pickup EV definitely looks like an electric version of it.
Porsche has no plans to take the 911 fully electric this decade — though watch out for a hybrid in the near future. But that doesn't mean Porsche won't build an electric sports car. The brand has confirmed that the next generation of the entry-level 718 Cayman and Boxster sports cars will be electric. We should meet them in 2025.
Ford did a masterful job with the F-150 Lightning. The electric pickup was a no-brainer pick for our game-changing vehicle of 2022. But it's effectively old tech — a reworked version of the 14th-generation F-150 rather than a ground-up electric vehicle on a dedicated platform.
A new EV platform truck is coming with the codename "Project T3," for Trust the Truck. Ford plans to start building them in 2025. But we should meet the truck sooner.
The Escalade SUV has proven a mainstay for Cadillac during a series of rebrandings, reinventions and relocations this century. It’s not too hyperbolic to call the Escalade the reason the Cadillac brand still exists. And it's going electric in 2025 with the Escalade IQ.
Land Rover has confirmed its first EV will be the Range Rover EV, which launches in 2025. It will be a medium-sized luxury SUV, run on a new EMA platform and be the first JLR EV built in-house.
Toyota announced a new three-row electric SUV arriving in 2025. It may bear considerable resemblance to the "bZ large SUV" Toyota unveiled back in 2021.
The next-generation Giulia (or the car that succeeds it with a different name) will be an electric car. And early reports suggest it's a pretty exciting one, with a top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio version packing nearly 1,000 horsepower.
GM has confirmed that the Corvette brand is going electric. The latest reporting has two new Corvette vehicles, a performance sedan and an SUV arriving around 2025. A fully electric Corvette sports car is coming — GM is going all EV by 2025 after all — but that's not expected until the upcoming C9 generation.
Volkswagen is reviving the Scout nameplate for a new off-road truck and SUV brand. We know Scout will offer a pickup and an SUV. We know production will begin in 2026. A VW exec sort of throughout the idea of "Rivian but at a more affordable price point," which sounds like a swell idea.
The Cayenne is Porsche's midsize luxury crossover. It has been a vital vehicle for Porsche's profits since its debut and become more of a Porsche with each successive generation. For its next act to meet Porsche's goal of at least 80% of its sales to be EVs by 2030, the fourth-generation model will need to morph into an EV.
Mercedes has confirmed that a "Little G" crossover is on the way as a "son or daughter" to the G-Class. It should be cheaper. It may be a unibody crossover. It will be off-road capable. We should see it on the road as soon as 2026.
Sony Honda Mobility announced the creation of a new car brand, Afeela, at CES 2023. The name stems from "feel" being central to the mobility experience (yes, that's really what they said). The Afeela looks a bit like an electric Honda Accord, should have some cool Sony tech features and is due to hit the American market in 2026.
Volkswagen ID. GTI (2027)
Volkswagen
VW is dropping the manual transmission from the Golf GTI. But enthusiasts won't have to pour one out for too long. Volkswagen has confirmed an all-electric ID. GTI hot hatch is heading to production. And all signs point to it coming to America.
Okay, we're a bit into the realm of conjecture here, but given the fact that a) the new Bronco is already a massive hit for Ford, b) FoMoCo has vowed to go heavily into electric mobility over the next decade, and c) the company showed off the above conceptual image of a "theoretical" EV SUV in a 2021 presentation, it seems pretty much like a lock that a Bronco EV will happen sooner or later.
Nissan is reportedly considering an EV pickup that will be smaller and cheaper than full-size competitors. It may be — wait for it — the new Frontier after the third-gen model bows out in 2029.
