Dozens of new car models will be launched in the coming year. Here are the ten most important and interesting ones.
VW Golf:
With some new cars, it takes weeks and months to be seen on the road after the premiere. With the VW Golf this should be the case within days. Another question is whether an average auto-interested observer will notice this fact. The Golf remains a Golf even in the new edition. If you sit in the optically only slightly modernized five-door, you should notice the leap in generations. The digital age is moving into the cockpit, including highly networked infotainment, digital instruments and probably a head-up display for the first time. There are also new assistants and autonomous driving functions that are supposed to relieve people of their work, especially on the motorway. Three-cylinder turbocharging and four-cylinder mild hybrid technology dominate the drive.
Tesla Model 3
The US electric limousine wants to be something like the Golf for e-drivers: the model with which the Californians are conquering the mass market after the luxury market. For the German average, the 4,70-meter mid-range model is probably a bit too big - and a little too expensive. At least at the start there are only the variants with a large battery, powerful engines and all-wheel drive that cost at least 58.000 euros. There are almost two E-Golfs for this course. The four-door will only be attractive to a wider audience if the basic variants in the 35.000 euro class are submitted later.
BMW 3er
Despite all of Munich's SUV successes, the best-selling BMW model is still the 3 Series, and around 400.000 units found customers worldwide last year. The manufacturer is therefore reluctant to experiment with the new edition. Visually, corners and edges were sharpened slightly, the length increases by a hand's breadth. In future, the engine range will consist almost entirely of four-cylinder engines - a development that was already hinted at by the predecessor. After all, the classic in-line six stays on board the 340i. There will also be a new plug-in hybrid model with an electric range of up to 60 kilometers. Apart from that, the most important innovations consist of the modern assistants and infotainment functions. Among other things, powerful voice control should move into the cockpit. The limousine will start in March, followed shortly after by the estate called “Touring”.
Renault Clio
Most recently, the Clio was clearly ahead of VW Polo and Ford Fiesta in the European small car three-way battle for new registrations - even though it is the oldest in the trio at the age of six. The success should also have something to do with the comparatively bold design of the Frenchman, which is sharpened again significantly in the new generation. The new edition looks more adult and is a bit more spacious with the same length, there are also semi-autonomous driving functions and new small four-cylinder petrol engines, which are already known from the new A-Class from cooperation partner Mercedes. A fast RS variant is also planned, but not before 2020.
Opel Corsa / Peugeot 208 / Citroen C3
So far, the takeover by PSA has not changed much of the Opel model range, the jointly built compact SUVs were used before the purchase. In the coming year, the Corsa will be the first model of the brand to feature French lightning. The small car rolls off the assembly line with the Peugeot 208 and Citroen C3. As usual, the three models will use identical technology, but will clearly differentiate themselves externally. In addition to small petrol engines, there is also an electric motor for the first time, but probably only in the year after its market launch.
Toyota Corolla:
Successful names should not be given up. Toyota also had to learn that when they renamed the legendary, reliable Corolla 2006 to Auris. Despite an expensive and time-consuming advertising campaign, the new name was never really accepted in this country. Around 13 years later, Toyota is now correcting this mistake: the compact model of the Japanese is now called "Corolla" in Europe, just like everywhere else in the world. In addition to the big name, the latest generation of the brand-typical hybrid drive is to help narrow the gap to the market leader from Wolfsburg. The fact that the five-door car now looks much fancier and faster than its ancestors should not hurt either.
Range Rover Evoque
The first Range Rover Evoque finally made the compact SUV segment satisfactory in the premium league in 2011. The new edition therefore only cautiously modernizes the body design that is decisive for the success of the predecessor, but revampes the interior even more. The orientation point is the big brother Velar, where the operation is almost exclusively via large touchpads in the dashboard. The drive range is filled with mild hybrids and, for the first time, a three-cylinder. In 2020 there will also be a plug-in hybrid drive. In terms of new technology, the Evoque has a "transparent" bonnet. Thanks to a sophisticated camera system, the driver can see the area under the front of the car on his display, which should be just as helpful for difficult off-road sections as for parking in tight spaces. The latter is likely to become the more common usage scenario for the Boulevard SUV.
Honda Urban EV
If it were purely about the look, the Honda Urban EV would certainly be a bestseller. At least if you can trust the study presented at the IAA 2017, which reminds of the first VW Golf with its elegant retro style and arouses sympathy among many trade fair visitors. The order lists open at the beginning of the year, then technical data should become known, which reveal whether the little Japanese offers more than good looks. Until the first cars are with the German customer, it will probably be autumn.
Porsche 911
The most important novelty for driving dynamics in the coming year is the Porsche 911. Visually, the new 992 differs from the old model particularly in the rear with a wide spoiler and a higher end. In addition, all variants, regardless of whether they have rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, now carry the wide body. In the rear of the 991 sits a six-cylinder boxer with 3,8 liter displacement and turbocharging, slightly more advanced than the 331. The Carrera S, which Porsche will launch on the market before the normal Carrera, now has an output of 450 kW / 22 hp - an increase of 30 kW / 120.000 hp. The power is transmitted via a new eight-speed dual clutch transmission that can only be shifted using the rockers on the steering wheel. The prices start at around 2019 euros, the subsequent entry-level model should be just under six figures. In addition to the coupe, there will also be a convertible and an uncompromising Speedster in XNUMX.
Mercedes EQC:
Apart from the city electric vehicles of the sister brand Smart, the electromobile successes of Daimler have so far been manageable. That should change in the spring of the Mercedes EQC, a 300 kW / 408 PS all-wheel SUV with battery power for 450 kilometers. Together with the Audi E-Tron, the E-Crossover wants to break the supremacy of the Tesla Model X in the segment and at the same time compete with the Jaguar I-Pace that was launched in 2018. It remains to be seen whether this will succeed: While the competition from the USA and UK is already using a specially developed e-car platform for their models, the EQC is essentially a GLC with a battery. The Schwabe cannot stand out from the other two main competitors in terms of other technical characteristics either. So the relatively cheap price (73.000 euros) and the good brand image remain the most important selling points. The E-Tron (around 80.000 euros) is no different.
Holger Holzer / SP-X