BERLIN: Numerous new car models and even a few new brands will be hitting the market in 2023. The vast majority are electric but three of the most prominent new cars have been around for decades and still use internal combustion engines (ICE).
Mercedes promises a new edition of the E-Class as a saloon and estate, and later as a coupe and convertible. And at VW, the successors to the Passat and Tiguan are in the starting blocks.
Even though all three models are equipped with conventional petrol or diesel engines they’ll also be available as plug-in hybrids, some with an electric range of more than 100km.
For those seeking all-electric cars, VW is also putting out a new ID.7 and an all-electric Passat while Mercedes is launching the EQE SUV, its fourth electric luxury-class model.
BMW’s new 5-Series will offer ICE, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric versions on the same platform and with the same design.
In the small car segment, deliveries of the new Smart #1, which has now matured into a handy SUV, begin. Fiat offshoot Abarth offers the 500 while Citroën is preparing to launch a new C3 and at Mitsubishi the Renault Captur becomes the ASX.
Something is also happening in the class above that, even if the most important models are only getting an update, such as the VW ID.3, or additional engine variants, such as the Opel Astra, which is now also becoming an electric car. Two other electric cars on the way are the Citroën ë-C4 X and the Peugeot 408.
For those who like SUVs, there are many premieres on the way. From Japan comes the bZ4X, Toyota’s first all-electric car. From Honda there’s the C-RV, the Z-RV crossover, and the all-electric e:Ny1.
Also on the way are a new BMW X2 and two Ford models based on VW's MEB electric platform. Hyundai plans to ride the SUV wave with the next Kona while Jeep is launching the Avenger as its first all-electric vehicle.
China is spicing up the SUV soup with the Aiways U6 Coupé, and Renault is launching the Austral, which will be available at the end of the year in a long-wheelbase version as the successor to the Scénic.
Classic vans, on the other hand, continue to be a species threatened with extinction. Only the Mercedes EQT and Nissan's electric Townstar at the beginning of the year and the long-wheelbase version of the ID Buzz and the Ford Tourneo Connect at the end of the year will keep the flag flying.
In the upper mid-range, the successors to Skoda's top models Kodiaq and Superb, the newcomers Nio EL7 and ET5, electric cars from BYD, and Mazda's upcoming flagship CX-80 will be in the spotlight.
The streamlined Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan will be coming to the charging station for the first time while there will also be the all-electric Kia EV9 large SUV, the large Volvo EX90 and its sporty cousin the Polestar 3, as well as the RZ 450e, with which Lexus is turning its full attention to electromobility.
SEAT's Cupra offshoot is also growing, with the Tavascan joining the Born as a large electric SUV. Not premium enough? Then wait for Audi's Q6 e-tron launch at the end of the year, when the first model based on its new electric platform arrives.
And for wealthy petrol-heads, BMW will be debuting the XM, the most powerful production model in the company's history with up to 748hp.
Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, hopes to attract the climate-conscious super-rich with the electric Spectre, while Mercedes offers the first electric Maybach in the EQS SUV.
