The best new cars launching in 2022
Whether you’re into supercars or estates, petrol power or EVs, there are plenty of cars to get excited about in 2022. Some we’ve seen already and will be going on sale for the very first time, others are set to be revealed over the next 12 months. What they have in common is that we’re very much looking forward to all of them.
Alpina B4
We like Alpinas. BMW M cars are great, but Alpinas are performance BMWs with an emphasis on comfort and speed, rather than outright pace. New for 2022 will be the Alpina B4, expected to be based on the 4 Series Gran Coupe rather than the regular two-door 4 Series. Expect a comfortable ride, less jarring looks and a 180mph-plus top speed.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
Our ears still haven’t fully recovered from the Valkyrie’s visit to the 2021 Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. Yes, after several years of waiting very patiently indeed, the Valkyrie is expected to be on the road and in customer’s hands in 2022. There’s also a Valkyrie Spider following hot on its tyre treads.
BMW 2 Series Coupe
Not everyone likes the looks of the 2 Series Coupe, but we need to remember that, having played around with front-wheel-drive more and more over the last few years, BMW is still going to give us a small, two-door coupe with a straight-six engine up front with the M240i. Admittedly, the M240i is all-wheel-drive with an option to send power only to the rear wheels, but that’s better than AWD only. You can buy one in the first three months of 2022.
BMW M3 Touring
Continuing through daily life as normal while waiting for the new BMW M3 Touring to arrive is like trying to go to sleep on Christmas eve knowing Santa is on his way. The struggle is real. There has never been an M3 Touring before, at least not one that’s made production, so to have a 510PS (380kW) 3 Series estate is a scintillating prospect.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
For a number of years now we’ve done without a naturally-aspirated, mid-engined V8 supercar, as modern McLarens have all been turbocharged and Ferrari went the same way with the 488 in 2015. Now, though, the mid-mounted NA V8 supercar is back with the Corvette Z06. Its 5.5-litre flat-plane crank V8 punches out 670PS (493kW) and revs to 8,600rpm which, combined with some mightily aggressive but pretty bodywork, makes the new Z06 a proper supercar. The downside? Chevrolet doesn’t exist in the UK. But Chevy has confirmed the Z06 will be built in right-hand-drive, meaning it could be coming to the UK alongside the regular C8.
Citroën Ami
After an enthusiastic response the quirky little Citroën Ami is coming to the UK in mid-2022. With an 8PS (6kW) electric motor, a range of 43 miles and just 2.4m long it’s in a different universe to the aforementioned Corvette, but we love it all the same.
Ferrari 296 GTB
With nods in its pretty design to the SF90 Stradale, the mid-engined Ferrari 296 GTB hybrid is launching in 2022. Expected to cost around £230,000, the 296 GTB has a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and an electric motor for a total of 830PS (610kW), meaning 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 204mph. Which would you prefer, the V8 F8 Tributo or the hybrid V6 296 GTB?
Ferrari Purosangue
You may not like the idea of a Ferrari SUV but it is going to happen, and it should be launching in 2022. There are no exact details yet, but Ferrari’s Chief Technology Officer Michael Leiters has said the car could accommodate a V6, V8 or V12 engine, the former two with some form of hybridisation.
Honda Civic Type R
There’s a new generation of Honda Civic arriving in 2022, which means that the new Civic Type R, seen flying at the Nürburgring, will be on its way too. There’s still some question marks over exactly how it’ll be powered, as Honda had planned to only sell hybrids come the end of the year, but we’re expecting an evolution of the four-cylinder turbocharged engine we’ve known and enjoyed since the FK2 arrived on the scene in 2015. Similarly, we’re expecting front-wheel-drive and – joy of joys – a six-speed manual gearbox.
Lamborghini Aventador successor
With the final Ultimaes editions accounted for, production of the Lamborghini Aventador is coming to an end which in turn means a successor is on the way. The Urus helps plug a product gap, giving Lamborghini a little more time to develop a new V12 supercar, but we’re still expecting the Aventador’s follow-up to be launched in 2022. The new machine will arrive with a twist, however, as it’ll feature a hybrid powertrain.
Lotus Emira
We’re really looking forward to this. The Lotus Emira is an all-new model from Lotus, and in one fell swoop it replaces the Elise, Exige and Evora. Available initially with two powertrains, the familiar 3.5-litre supercharged V6 and a 2.0-litre, twin-turbo four-cylinder AMG motor, it’s a stunning car and we can’t wait to get behind the wheel.
Lotus Evija
Another Lotus but a very different beast. The Evija is the firm’s first EV, and rather than going for a lower powered, lower weight machine this is a full-fat hypercar, the likes of which we’ve never seen leave Hethel before. Even with 2,000PS (1,471kW), as Lotus Director of Attributes Gavan Kershaw told us at SpeedWeek presented by Mastercard in 2020, the Evija is more than just about raw speed: “The whole thing about this car is that we’re going to be looked at as the company that makes EVs dynamically enjoyable for the driver. We can do that at those speeds where everyone enjoys their Lotus, which is sort of down at 40mph up to 140mph, and you just feel like it eats roads up and talks to you.”
Maserati MC20
We saw the MC20 at the Festival of Speed and we’ll see it on UK roads this year. This is Maserati’s first mid-engined supercar since the MC12 in 2004 and while it certainly doesn’t sound as good it packs the same, hefty punch. The MC12 had a 630PS (463kW) NA V12, the MC20 has exactly the same but from a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6. The latter benefits from more torque, however, as well as an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, all with just a 3kg weight disadvantage. This will be seriously fast.
McLaren Artura
While Maserati has opted for a turbo V6, McLaren has gone for a turbo hybrid V6 in the all-new Artura. It’s the first hybrid since the P1 but this is very much a supercar rather than a hypercar, the Artura taking over from the McLaren Sports Series, the 540C, 570GT and 570S. Another car we saw on the Goodwood Hill in 2021, the Artura is good for a 18.6-miles all-electric range thanks to a 7.4kWh Lithium-ion battery. Put your foot down and you’ll be punched down the road by a total of 680PS (500kW). To think this is the more junior McLaren.
Mercedes-AMG Project One
Like the Valkyrie the Mercedes-AMG Project One is another “at long last” car, and will finally hit the roads in 2022. It’s tested on the Nürburgring, tested on roads, and after years of waiting this ridiculous F1-engined hypercar is nearly here. And if you’re not familiar with it then let us refresh you: 1,000PS (735kW) from a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 hybrid, more or less a detuned version of the engine that’s powered Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car for the last eight years. Expect an EV range of 15 miles and a top speed around 220mph.
Mercedes-AMG SL
At the more regular end of the Mercedes spectrum, if you can call it that, is this, the new AMG SL. With a fabric roof rather than a folding metal hardtop for the first time in decades, the new car launches in SL63 form with a 4.0-litre V8, twin-turbo V8 good for 585PS (430kW) and 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds. In an SL. This new drop-top is also 18 per cent more rigid than the outgoing SL and up to 50 per cent stiffer than the GT Roadster’s body.
Mini John Cooper Works GPE
As our electric future draws nearer it looks as though Mini will be one of the first to create a serious all-electric hot hatch. There aren’t many details yet but it will effectively be an electric John Cooper Works GP, with the same aggressive bodywork. To match the petrol-powered GP for power and performance it’ll need 306PS (225kW) and be able to hit 62mph in 5.2 seconds.
Morgan 3 Wheeler
We thought it was gone but, remarkably, the Morgan 3 Wheeler is coming back. Reintroduced in 2011, nearly 60 years after the last three-wheeled Morgan, but dropped in early 2021, we loved the 3 Wheeler’s character, everything from the looks to the 82PS (60kW) V-twin engine riding exposed out front. The new one will be a little different, however, as Morgan has said it will be petrol “at first”, which leads us to believe there will be an EV 3 Wheeler in the near future, too.
Nissan Z
Another car we won’t see in the UK but one which will be going on sale in the USA and elsewhere in 2022 is the new Nissan Z. Informally known as the Nissan 400Z it has a 400PS (294kW) 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V6, with power going to the rear wheels only via a nine-speed automatic or six-speed manual gearbox. A reasonable amount has carried over from its predecessor, the 370Z, but Nissan claims this new car is far more rigid, not to mention crammed with technology the 370Z could only dream of.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Porsche hasn’t officially announced this yet, but there’s no reason to doubt the natural progression of launches from 911 to 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS will continue. Expect to see independent rear suspension, a la GT3, more than 510PS (375kW) from a 4.0-litre flat-six engine, and the most extreme aero work of any GT Porsche to date. The new GT3 RS will also, sadly, be PDK only.
Porsche Cayman GT4 RS
From one Porsche hasn’t confirmed to one it has, the new Cayman GT4 RS. Ever since the first 911 GT3 in 1999 Porsche fans across the globe have wondered what a proper GT Cayman would look like. The GT4 got close, but it wasn’t quite the same as a full-on GT3. This is that car, with the new GT4 RS moniker and the same 510PS (375kW) flat-six engine as the new 992 GT3.
Radford 62/2
Take a Lotus Exige, cover it in a new carbon-fibre body, reincarnate a historic name, and trust the development work to a former F1 champion who also happens to be one of the company’s owners. This is the Radford Type 62/2, the product of a project led in part by Jenson Button. Only 62 cars will be made, of which some will have 436PS (321kW) from a Lotus Exige, 3.5-litre V6, ‘Gold Leaf’ cars will have 507PS (373kW) and 12 John Player Special cars will throw down 608PS (447kW). Goodness.
Range Rover
The all-new Range Rover is coming, and it’ll cost from £94,000. A hefty sum, but this is the most advanced Range Rover ever, with a range that includes four, five or seven seats, a standard or long wheelbase, and petrol and diesel hybrid powertrains. Ultimately, this new car should be just as capable, if not more so, at climbing every mountain and fording every stream.
Toyota GR 86
We might not get the Nissan but we will get this, the new Toyota GR 86. A successor to the excellent, if not quite as popular as it should have been, GT86, the new car uses a larger and more powerful 2.4-litre four-cylinder boxer engine, with 235PS (173kW). It weighs more or less the same as the GT86, at 1,270kg, is loaded with more technology, still comes with a six-speed manual and is still rear-wheel-drive. We can’t wait to have a go.
List
BMW
Porsche
Aston Martin
Range Rover
Morgan
Alpina
Corvette
Chevrolet
Toyota
BMWValkyrie
2 Series
M3
Citroen
Ami
Ferrari
296 GTB
Purosangue
Honda
Civic
Lamborghini
Lotus
Emira
Evija
Maserati
MC20
Mercedes
Project One
SL
Mini
EV
Nissan
911
GT3 RS
GT4 RS
Cayman
Radford
GR 86
