8:57 am, January 2, 2023
The automotive world is in a weird state of flux right now. At one end of the spectrum, we’ve got manufacturers announcing they’ll never sell another petrol or diesel as they switch to EVs.
Then, at the other, we’ve got firms letting their hair down with wild performance cars, almost as a final blow-out for the combustion engine as we know it. All this makes it a particularly exciting time to be a part of this industry.
There’s a lot of great new metal on the horizon, whether it’s EVs, supercars or hot hatches. These are the cars we’re looking forward to the most in 2023.
Alfa Romeo supercar
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a true supercar from Alfa Romeo, but that time is set to come in 2023 as the brand looks set to send its combustion engines out on a high and celebrate the centenary of its sporty Quadrifoglio division.
Alfa Romeo still hasn’t definitively confirmed the arrival, but given the firm’s boss Jean-Philippe Imparato has spoken frankly about it being ‘limited to 100 cars’ and ‘designed with customers’, we highly expect it to make its appearance in the first few months of 2023.
BMW M3 Touring
Performance BMW fans have been asking BMW for years for an estate version of the M3, especially given that both Audi and Mercedes have rival models. But the wait is over this year, with the new M3 Touring.
Revealed at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, first cars will arrive in dealers in 2023, bringing far greater practicality than the standard M3, yet still with the same focus on performance and driving enjoyment.
Honda Civic Type R
While Honda’s mainstream European line-up has already switched to selling purely hybrid and electric models, the exception to that rule is the new Civic Type R. Set to hit the roads early in 2023, it’s a development of the predecessor, which was a true hot hatch favourite.
Limited to only a few hundred cars in the UK, it offers a sporty exterior design – including the trademark big rear spoiler and triple-exit exhaust – while its 325bhp 2.0-litre engine is the most powerful VTEC Turbo engine ever fitted to a Honda.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Hyundai has quickly established itself as an EV leader, with its futuristic Ioniq 5 being widely praised. In 2023, things get even more interesting with the new Ioniq 6. It’s a car Hyundai has been teasing for what seems like an eternity, but it finally arrives in Hyundai dealers early this year.
Offering a raft of new technology, its impressively streamlined shape is a far cry from the boxy and inefficient SUVs, and enables an electric range of up to 328 miles. We can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this EV.
Jeep Avenger
‘Jeep’ is a name that many think of in relation to big, thirsty SUVs. But this American 4×4 brand is changing, with nearly all of its models already electrified in some way. Jeep takes the next big leap in 2023 with its first production-ready EV – the Avenger.
Slotting beneath the Renegade in the line-up, the Avenger offers Jeep’s well-loved EV powertrain and a developed version of a powertrain found in various other Stellantis products. A four-wheel-drive model is set to follow, too. Jeep has underperformed in the UK for some time, but the Avenger will hopefully serve as a return to form.
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato
It seems like 2023 is going to be the year of the raised-up sports car – just see what Porsche has done to the 911 – with the Sterrato being a more go-anywhere-focused version of Lamborghini’s Huracan.
It’s a release tinged with sadness, mind you, as it’ll probably be one of the last times we see Lamborghini’s famous V10 in one of its new cars. That said, as a finale it’s a heck of a way to go out.
New Mini Hatch
Mini’s Hatch continues to soldier on and it’s a consistent sight in the monthly list of best-selling new cars. So how do you go about replacing it? Well, you might expect it to switch to a full electric model, but the new, yet-to-be-revealed Mini will continue to be offered with petrol engines in some form.
That said, it’s likely that we’ll still get a new version of the Mini Electric, and we’re hoping that it’ll get a longer range than the current version, as that is the model’s only real shortcoming.
Polestar 3
Polestar has been establishing a firm reputation here in the UK, with its ‘2’ electric model finding favour with all manner of buyers. So you can’t blame the Swedish firm for looking to capitalise on this popularity by expanding its range with the new ‘3’ SUV.
We think it’s a particularly good-looking new car, too, and a range of around 379 miles means it’s more than just decent aesthetics we’re getting here.
Porsche 911 Dakar
How do you go about making a Porsche 911 even more desirable? The answer, it seems, is to crank up the suspension, add some extra spotlamps and give it a name that sounds good whenever you say it – Dakar.
Drawing inspiration from the classic 911s that conquered the famous Dakar Rally, this off-road-ready 911 is limited to 2,500 examples, with each one costing £173,000. Our lottery numbers had better come in.
Volkswagen Amarok
How could you not get excited by a new pick-up truck? Okay, maybe it’s just us. But the original Volkswagen Amarok had such a huge impact on the truck market when it first arrived that it’s hard not to feel just a little bit of anticipation about the arrival of the new one.
Sharing a platform with the new Ford Ranger, this latest Amarok looks even more aggressive than the one it replaces, yet it’s expected to retain the same car-like driving experience and solid build quality that made its predecessor such a hit.
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