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You could argue that this is the year of the internal combustion engine supernova, as the electric vehicle comes of age.
So, we're counting down the most anticipated cars of 2024. There's no scientific rigour or popular vote here – but we reckon the order looks a little something like this. And everybody loves a countdown.
Here's 40 to 31, and we'll roll out another few stories over the next few days. Hold onto your horses.
JUMP AHEAD
- 40. Chevrolet Corvette
- 39. Cadillac Lyriq
- 38. BYD Ute
- 37. Kia EV9
- 36. Mustang Dark Horse
- 35. Toyota bZ4x
- 34. Subaru Outback Wilderness
- 33. Porsche Macan E
- 32. Porsche Panamera
- 31. Subaru Solterra
40. Chevrolet Corvette
Due: Q1 2024
Model: Z06
Price: $336,000
Decision time. Would you rather pay $336K for a new 475kW Corvette Z06 or $419K for 375kW worth of Porsche 911 GT3?
Both feature charismatic naturally aspirated engines behind the driver that send grunt to the rear treads, both are race track optimised and both will catapult you to 100km/h in around three seconds. Only one has a flat-plane 5.5-litre V8 though and it isn't the Porker.
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In the past we've occasionally been a bit sniffy about hot Corvettes, but the Z06 is the real deal.
In Car and Driver's Lightning Lap at Virginia International Raceway, it recorded a time of 2:38.6, two seconds a lap quicker than the current GT3 and the second fastest car in the 16 years the event has been run, just behind the monstrous 911 GT2 RS.
Availability is limited and it'll come to Australia in 3LZ coupe guise only with the option of a Z07 Performance Pack. Please form an orderly queue.
39. Cadillac Lyriq
Due: Q4 2024
Model: Tech, Luxury, Sport
Price: from c.$135,000
The Lyriq large electric EV will spearhead US luxury brand Cadillac’s return to Australia when it lands in late 2024, with ambitions to take on BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla.
The arrival will make Cadillac the first standalone GM brand in Australia since Holden was axed and comes 15 years after the Global Financial Crisis put the handbrake on the brand’s last crack at heading to Oz.
The almost five-metre-long Lyric rolls on a 3.1m wheelbase which, with a flat floor, lets the five-seater comfortably accommodate three adults in the back, with legroom to spare.
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Up front, a 33-inch digital display headlines a treatment that’s restrained for a Cadillac but not Tesla-minimalist.
The 2024 Cadillac Lyriq produces 255kW and 440Nm in single-motor, rear-wheel drive form and 373kW and 610Nm as a dual-motor all-wheel drive. Range is officially 505km for the RWD and 494km for the AWD.
With the Optiq and Escalade IQ nameplates also trademarked in Australia, this big, battery-powered wagon looks to be the start of even bigger things for the brand.
38. BYD Ute
Due: H1 2024
Model: Ute
Price: from c.$50,000
BYD’s as-yet-unnamed ute is expected early in the year in plug-in hybrid form, which will later be joined by an electric variant.
Depending on when the latter lands, it could be the first EV ute with a consumer – as opposed to fleet – focus, beating more established brands to the punch.
Spy photos reveal a masculine dual-cab around the size of a Ford Ranger, featuring broad flared arches, an F-150-style grille treatment, and touches of Land Rover Discovery around the turret, penned under chief designer Wolfgang Egger, formerly of Audi.
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BYD importer EV Direct says engineers have taken extensive input on the unique demands and tastes of the Australian market and will subject the ute to a local evaluation program.
A line-up of well-sorted plug-in hybrid and all-electric utes, featuring large digital cluster and infotainment displays, and wearing an enticing price tag? That could be worth getting excited about.
The business certainly thinks so: “The successful launches we've had so far with products that people didn't anticipate would go very well suggests we might shock a few people with the ute,” EV Direct CEO Luke Todd said.
MOREEverything BYD
37. Kia EV9
Due: Q1 2024
Model: Air, Earth, GT-Line
Price: from $97,000
The seven-seat, upper-large EV9 electric SUV will become Kia’s most-expensive vehicle in Australia, priced between $97,000 and $121,000 before on-road costs – surpassing the $99,590 EV6 GT.
Three trim levels will be available in Australia: Air RWD, Earth AWD and GT-Line AWD. The base rear-drive Air will feature a 76.1kWh standard-range battery, while the Earth and GT-Line are fitted with the flagship 99.8kWh long-range battery.
The Air RWD has a 443-kilometre driving range, a 512km range for the Earth, and a 505km range for the GT-Line.
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The rear-drive 76.1kWh Air model features a single 160kW/350Nm electric motor, with an 8.2-second claimed 0-100km/h time.
In dual-motor form, the EV9 has total combined outputs of 283kW and 700Nm and a 5.3-second 0-100km/h time for the GT-Line.
Kia Connect will be standard-fit, with a new online store to debut in Australia for the EV9. A local ride and handling tune was also completed for the EV9. Led by suspension guru Graeme Gambold, the program tweaked spring and damper settings to suit local conditions and preferences, as with the smaller EV6 and other internal-combustion Kia vehicles.
MOREEverything KIA
36. Mustang Dark Horse
Due: Q1 2024
Model: Dark Horse
Price: from $99,102
The evolutionary seventh-gen Ford Mustang will continue to bring EcoBoost four and V8 GT coupes and convertibles from early 2024, but the one we’re jonesing for is the Dark Horse.
Wheels' Jez Spinks came from the Stateside international launch at Charlotte Motor Speedway raving about this mysterious hi-po Pony, which blends blacked-out menace with hard-hitting powertrain and chassis upgrades and a dose of exclusivity.
The spiritual successor to the previous ‘Stang’s Mach 1 – and historic special the Bullitt – the Dark Horse is a limited production variant that’s tipped for collectability.
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Leaving aside its significance as a model, it’s a ripper drive, says Jez, with depth of appeal beyond its 349kW naturally aspirated V8 and Tremec six-speed manual (a 10-speed auto is also available).
Engine mods run to GT500 conrods and a dual throttle body, and there’s a lighter radiator, an engine oil cooler, MagneRide® 2 adaptive suspension, underbody brake ducts, six-piston Brembo front calipers and four-piston rear calipers, and differential cooler. Serious stuff.
You’ll need to part with six figures to park one in your garage.
MOREEverything Ford
35. Toyota bZ4x
Due: Q1 2024
Model: Single motor, Dual motor
Price: from c.$80,000
Toyota’s first foray into dedicated EVs, the bZ4X medium SUV, will have to play catch up with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y when it finally arrives early in the year.
But having been slow to embrace electric vehicles Toyota is now thinking big, with a line-up of 30 EVs globally targeted by 2030.
The bZ4X – ‘bz’ stands for ‘beyond zero’ – shares its e-TNGA platform with co-developed twin the Subaru Solterra and is roughly the size of a RAV4.
Local line-up specifics have not been announced, however the bZ4X is likely to offer a choice of 150kW, 266Nm single-motor front-wheel drive and 160kW, 337Nm (combined) dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.
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Both will draw from a 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack for a range of 516km for the FWD and 470km for the AWD (based on WLTP figures).
Standouts in the quirky cabin include a fabric-upholstered dash, a high-mounted cluster display, and Toyota’s latest-generation 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment, which features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Hey Toyota voice control.
Expect pricing to be a significant whack more than an equivalent grade RAV4 Hybrid – perhaps by as much as 25 percent.
34. Subaru Outback Wilderness
Due: Q3 2024
Model: Wilderness
Price: from c.$65,000
The Subaru Outback Wilderness – a more off-road focused variant of a model that was born as, erm … an off-road focused variant of the Subaru Liberty wagon – is coming to Australia.
Formerly a product of Subaru North America – the Outback Wilderness edition has been available in the US for two years, along with Wilderness versions of the Forester and Crosstrek – now Japanese production will see Wilderness models offered in other markets, including Australia.
The 2024 Subaru Outback Wilderness features raised suspension that brings 28mm of extra ground clearance, an improved 20-degree approach angle and 241mm ground clearance, lightweight 17-inch matte black alloy wheels wearing 65-profile Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tyres, additional matte black body cladding, and underbody protection.
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The 2.4-litre turbo petrol flat-four will feature, driving all four wheels through a CVT automatic and a lower 4.44:1 final drive.
As well as the off-roading features, the Wilderness will feature the full catalogue of standard equipment, and will sit atop the Outback line-up.
It’s expected a Wilderness version of the forthcoming sixth-generation Forester will also make its way to Oz.
33. Porsche Macan E
Due: H2 2024
Model: Macan, Macan S, Macan Turbo
Price: from $180,000
Quick. Name another car manufacturer that's switching its most popular product line to electric power and doing it right now. Give up?
That might give you some idea as to the massive punt Porsche is taking on the electric Macan and why this car – more than any other that'll be launched next year – has the entire industry seeing how it'll do.
First impressions look promising. We've had our man Georg Kacher in the car and he reckons it's everything we'd hope for from a next-gen Macan, but the proof of the pudding comes when it finally arrives in Australia and see how real-world customers react to it.
With an augmented-reality head-up display that “correspond to the size of an 87-inch display”, three digital displays across the dash and a 56-LED communication light strip, the Macan's not going to want for showroom wow factor.
The driving position will feel even more Porsche too, with the front seats positioned 24mm lower than the current Macan and the option of a race bucket. Naturally, rapid 270kW charging is a given and the Macan also gets rear-wheel steering, a circa 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack with the entry-level single-motor model packing 280kW and the air-sprung Turbo expected to develop over 450kW and 1000Nm, with a range of 500km+.
While this is the future for Porsche, the company hasn't pushed every last one of its chips in quite yet. The existing ICE Macan will be sold alongside it, for a while at least.
32. Porsche Panamera
Due: Q2 2024
Model: Panamera, Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid
Price: from $277,000
Blink and you might miss this one. It's fair to say that Porsche's design department didn't blow the overtime budget reimagining the new Panamera's exterior lines.
The news for 2024? The sleek Sport Turismo has been ditched, the cabin adopts many of the design tropes of the Taycan and the range has been given a fairly severe haircut.
Priced from $227,000, the base 2.9-litre car packs 260kW/500Nm, good for 5.1s to 100km/h. It features panoramic roof, 14-way 'Comfort' seats, soft-close doors, a cooled smartphone compartment with inductive charging function, and what Porsche claims is an “improved fine dust filter with GPS-supported, automatic air-recirculation function”.
Step up to the $402,300 Turbo E-Hybrid and you get a 4.0 V8 and 500kW/930Nm, rear-wheel steering, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, ioniser including carbon fine-dust sensor, and electric roll-up sunblinds for the rear side windows. Sink the pedal in this one and 100km/h vanishes in 3.2 seconds. Not quite Taycan quick, but not far off. There's life in the Panamera yet.
31. Subaru Solterra
Due: Q1 2024
Model: AWD, AWD Touring
Price: from $85,000
Subaru's first electric vehicle sold in Australia will be offered in two model grades and will start at $85K when it goes on sale near the start of the year. The twin to Toyota's BZ4x, the Solterra, both versiuons are dual-motor platforms with a WLTP-verified range of 414km.
That compares with 533km for the Tesla Model Y Long Range, priced at a sniff under $80K. How does Subaru aim to tempt people away from Elon's chariot? For a start, it doesn't look like a misshapen computer mouse, which will appeal to some.
Then there's the fact that both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both fully compatible, playing through the landscape-oriented 12.3-inch infotainment system.
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Its 2850mm wheelbase is shorter than the axle spans of most rivals – as much as three metres in the case of the Ioniq 5 – yet six-footers can be accommodated without issue in all four main seat positions.
The rear seat doesn’t feel as airy as the Ioniq 5’s and unlike its key rivals, the Subaru forgoes a frunk up front.
The $90K drive-away Touring adds 20-inch alloys, a panoramic glass roof, synthetic leather trim, a wireless charging pad, a 10-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system, a heated steering wheel, memory function for the driver's seat and mirrors, hands free park assist and the option of a $1200 two-tone roof.
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