Most of us will be happy to put 2020 in the rear view and look forward to the coming year. It may be of small solace, but at least when it comes to new cars – both electric and gasoline – this year is shaping up to be a good one.
In addition to the deluge of new high-performance machinery for enthusiasts, there are major updates coming for two of the perennial best-selling vehicles in Canada, as well as a long list of new electric cars and SUVs. Here are some of the most-anticipated new models you can expect to see in showrooms this year.
Perennial best-sellers
The 2022 Honda Civic is due to arrive in Canada in the spring.Courtesy of manufacturer
The Honda Civic is a favourite of young and first-time car buyers, but the all-new 2022 Civic appears to have grown up. The new version of Canada’s most popular passenger car is slightly larger and less aggressive-looking. The company hasn’t revealed many details yet, but the car should go on sale in Canada in March or April.
The Ford F-150 has maintained its position as the best-selling light truck in the country, according to market-research firm DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, but Ford is not resting on its laurels. The revamped 2021 F-150 is available with a new hybrid powertrain that’s 19 per cent more fuel-efficient than its non-hybrid counterpart.
Cars for enthusiasts
Among gearheads, the big news is that 2021 will bring all-new versions of two cult favourites: the Porsche 911 GT3 and BMW M3. The GT3 is keeping the flame alive for driving purists with a naturally-aspirated 500-horsepower engine, rear-drive chassis and manual gearbox. Photos of the prototype model indicate it’ll have a comically large rear wing, even by Porsche standards.
The all-new BMW M3 sedan and M4 coupe look even more outlandish. The new nostril-like grille on both cars is best described as, well, ugly. But the fact they’ll be available in both rear- and all-wheel-drive versions for the first time will invariably broaden their appeal.
Cadillac’s CT4-V and CT5-V were somewhat underwhelming, but the new Blackwing-badged versions of these two sport sedans should please gearheads. Arriving in 2021 with a V8 engine and a manual gearbox, the Blackwing sedans could offer a genuine alternative to the likes of M and AMG.
The new Subaru BRZ gets a much-needed power boost with a larger 2.4-litre engine.Brendan McAleer/The Globe and Mail
For enthusiasts on a budget, a revised Subaru BRZ coupe will arrive in the fall as a 2022 model-year vehicle. It looks much the same as before but gets a bigger 2.4-litre engine with more power and torque, which is what the car desperately needed. With any luck, Subaru can keep the price under $30,000.
If you’re looking for something more practical, the next-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI and all-wheel drive Golf R are slated to arrive in Canada in late 2021, according to a company spokesperson. Both versions will have high-tech, screen-filled cabins and a little more horsepower. The Golf’s more up-market stablemates – the Audi A3 and S3 sedans – should arrive in showrooms around the same time too.
Vehicles for families
The Kia Sorento has been redesigned with an optional plug-in-hybrid powertrain.Courtesy of manufacturer
Of course, a new year brings a flood of new SUVs. “Lockdown or no lockdown, the consumer stampede from passenger cars to light trucks continued apace,” Andrew King, managing partner at DesRosiers, wrote in an e-mail. Light trucks, including SUVs, accounted for nearly 80 per cent of all light vehicle sales during the third quarter of 2020, according to the firm’s estimates.
This year will see the return of classic SUVs such as the new Ford Bronco as well as the two-door Land Rover Defender 90. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer, first produced in 1962 and beloved for its wood-panel siding, will be reborn as a three-row luxury SUV in 2021.
As if more proof were needed that drivers are looking for more spacious automobiles, both Kia and Hyundai have new SUVs that are larger than the models they replace. Kia’s popular seven-seat Sorento has been redesigned with an optional new plug-in-hybrid powertrain, and Hyundai will only sell the larger, long-wheelbase version of its all-new 2022 Tucson SUV in Canada. Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, will have two new SUVs in showrooms: the 2021 mid-size GV80 and the smaller 2022 GV70. The latter is expected to arrive in the second half of the year.
The 2022 Hyundai Tucson will only be sold in its long-wheelbase form in Canada.Supplied
Even Aston Martin is finally getting in on the SUV craze in 2021. The British brand, and its new owners, will be counting on the new DBX SUV to bolster the company’s bottom line.
SUVs will rule the road this year, but minivans are not yet extinct (although they are definitely an endangered species). The Toyota Sienna had gone without an overhaul for 10 years, but finally, in December, 2020, an all-new version of this minivan arrived in showrooms. It’s not like the minivans of your youth though; this one is only available as a hybrid and starts at nearly $40,000.
Electric vehicles
The Audi e-tron GT is expected to arrive in Canada next year.Daniel Wollstein/Courtesy of manufacturer
If Canada has any hope of meeting its zero-emissions-vehicle (ZEV) targets, electric vehicles and plug-ins are going to have to become much more popular, and fast. They only account for about 3 per cent of new-vehicle purchases, but the federal government wants that figure to rise to 10 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.
The high price of electric vehicles makes them prohibitively expensive, and upcoming EVs – including the Audi e-tron GT, Tesla Roadster, Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and the Rivian R1T and R1S – are not going to buck that trend. The Rivians will start at around US$70,000, while the other cars listed won’t be any cheaper.
BMW will begin production of its next-gen EVs – the iX SUV and i4 sedan – in late 2021, so they likely won’t land in this country until next year. The Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV has been delayed once already, so would-be buyers will have to keep waiting. A company spokesperson confirmed the upcoming EQS, a full-size (and surely high-priced) sedan, will be the first of Mercedes’s new EQ electric models to arrive in Canada, but no date was given.
Pricing for Rivian's electric pickups will start around US$70,000.Courtesy of manufacturer
However, there is some good news for people looking for a (somewhat) more affordable EV this year. The new Mustang Mach-E starts at $50,495, while the Volvo XC40 Recharge costs $64,950. Both are on sale now.
In 2020, General Motors made a big deal out of its new Ultium batteries and flexible EV platform, but we still don’t know much about the upcoming Chevrolet Bolt EUV, a compact electric SUV slated to arrive in summer 2021. For reference, the current Bolt hatchback starts at $44,998.
No price has been announced for the Nissan Ariya electric SUV either, but it should be available in late 2021 with a manufacturer-estimated range of 482 kilometres.
The Nissan Ariya SUV is expected to arrive late next year.NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images
Last but not least, Volkswagen Group is in the early days of a decade-long effort to launch 75 all-electric vehicles across its many brands. Volkswagen’s ID.3, an electric car the company said was “for the millions, not the millionaires,” has thus far only been available in Europe, but the ID.4 electric SUV is slated to arrive in Canada this summer with an estimated range of more than 400 km. VW has been tight-lipped about the price, but in the U.S., it will start at US$39,995.
Of course, the ongoing pandemic could still disrupt vehicle production and throw these estimated delivery dates out the window. So, as in 2020, expect the unexpected.
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