2020’S MOST-ANTICIPATED AUTOMOBILES

The Top 10 cars, trucks and even a motorcycle that road warriors will want to get their hands on next year.

Wow, just plain wow. The next 12 months may turn out to be the most exciting in the automotive marketplace since the turn of the millennium, with budget-priced supercars, competition for Tesla and even a slew of electrified pickup trucks all vying for the attention of well-heeled shoppers. Not that those shopping for something just a little less extreme have been left out, not with Ford’s Bronco and the first Genesis Motors pickup about to drop. And what’s this? A quiet Harley-Davidson? Yes, Milwaukee’s Livewire electric motorcycle breaks cover. The 2020 model year is certainly starting off with a bang

Competition for Tesla ... finally

There will be legions who disagree, but Porsche’s Taycan ranks — by just a smidge — above Chevrolet’s new mid-engine Corvette as the most important car of 2020, primarily on the basis that someone is finally taking it to Tesla. Make no mistake: the Taycan has everything it takes to disquiet Lord Elon Musk. For one thing, it is absolutely gorgeous, the four-door version of the 911 that the Panamera was always supposed to be. For another, it is ridiculously quick, springing to 96 km/h in just 2.6 seconds. Get the Turbo S (there’s also a base Taycan Turbo available and, yes, we know it’s a bit of a silly name considering there’s no internal combustion going on) and you can get as much as 750 horsepower for short “overboosts.” Not only that, thanks to the latest version of Porsche’s Dynamic Chassis Control system, the Taycan Turbo S exhibits no roll — as in zero — even when cornering at the limit. This is an electric vehicle with the Model S’s power and style married to Porsche’s handling and classic 911 good looks. No wonder the company already has 20,000 deposits.

The mid-engine Corvette finally breaks cover

It’s been talked about for so long — nigh on half-a-century now — that most of us lost hope, but 2020 is the year that the new C8 Corvette really happens. Initial inspection says it will be everything expected of it and more. Even the base version — powered by a mildly warmed-over Chevy small-block V-8 — will scoot to 100 km/h in a Ferrari-challenging three seconds and its all-season radials — yes, all-seasons on a supercar — will generate almost a “g” in lateral acceleration. More importantly, it’s beautiful, with even former Corvette critics acknowledging that designer Tom Peters has hit one out of the park. Topping it all off, it’s the only supercar that can carry two golf bags. Perhaps most importantly, it will cost less than $70,000. A mid-engine supercar that can run with Ferrari’s 488 for just $69,998? Wow. Yes, that’s in Canadian currency. Double wow.

Ford takes direct aim at Tesla

Never mind that towing 1.25 million pounds of train is not anywhere near as difficult as Ford’s marketing team made it out to be — once started, there’s precious little friction in towing even multiple rail cars — it did prove how serious the company is about retaining an advantage in its prime product line: the F-150. “We are dead serious about delivering an electric pickup truck that again sets an allnew bar for what light-duty trucks can deliver — not in the science project sense, but in the reality of what tough trucks need to do,” says Ted Cannis, Ford’s global director of electrification. The big question: who will build it? Although the company has so far denied it, there remains much speculation that Rivian will build an upcoming full-sized electric SUV for the pride of Dearborn, Mich., so it would not be a huge hop, skip and jump to also manufacture a low-volume electric pick-me-up. The hybrid-electric F-150 due next, however, will assuredly be built by Ford.

Genesis finally gets into SUVs

With the glowing response to the G70 sedan still lingering, the South Korean luxury upstart Genesis is looking to maintain its momentum by introducing two SUVs during the next two years. The first will be the mid-sized GV80 — think BMW X5 here — due next year. Look for Genesis to break the current trend to turbocharging by sticking with its sweet, naturally aspirated, 5.0-litre V-8 (as well as the 3.3-litre V-6 Turbo invading its entire lineup). We don’t know a heck of a lot about the GV80, but if the gorgeous concept version is any indication, there will be a 22-inch touchscreen infotainment system and touch-capacitive controls. Of course, expect a full suite of safety nannies to take the GV80 to semi- autonomous status. Meanwhile, the GV70, the SUV version of the popular G70, looks to arrive in 2021 with a somewhat sportier demeanour than the luxurious GV80.

Everyone’s getting into the SUV business

The latest entry into the luxury SUV wars is Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC, with the famous English brand’s DBX looking to take a bow later this year. Encouraged by the whopping success of the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin’s CEO Andy Palmer is now claiming the DBX will “become the most important car in our history.” A Mercedes-sourced twin-turbo V-8 will almost assuredly power the DBX, though given Palmer’s commitment to electric vehicles, hybrid and EV versions are almost sure to follow. As for the interior, expect the four-door Rapide’s level of wood and leather, but without that sexy sedan’s four-passenger seating (i.e., the rear twin buckets will almost assuredly be swapped for a three-position bench). The DBX will also be the first vehicle built at Aston Martin’s St. Athan facility, a new state-of-the-art luxury manufacturing plant in the U.K. that will ultimately become the company’s “Home of Electrification” when the its full-EV models enter production. Only one question remains: Will — or is it when — James Bond drive a DBX?

An electric pick-me-up

American automaker Rivian garnered a whole bunch of attention at 2018’s Los Angeles Auto Show when it introduced its R1T pickup (and R1S SUV). Brilliantly styled and featuring a host of innovations that should be in every pickup (I am especially fond of the ski pass-through between the bed and cab, the bed-mounted tent and the mini-kitchen also built into the bed), the R1T has a lot going for it, including a claimed 640-kilometre range. Putting aside that some of the company’s claims seem, well, a little exaggerated — its payload versus range numbers particularly seem a little optimistic — the reception the R1T has received on the show circuit has proven that there’s potential for an EV truck segment and Rivian would seem to be one of, if not the, front-runners in the field, especially given the US$500-million investment Ford Motor Co. has made in the company. Taking a page right out of the Elon Musk playbook, the R1T — first examples of which are reported to be delivered in late 2020 — will start at US$69,000, but getting a “launch” model for less than US$100,000 is unlikely.

Mazda thinks differently

Having heretofore stuck resolutely with internal combustion — i.e., offering neither EVs nor hybrids in its lineup — Mazda would seemingly have little experience in the electrification trend that is sweeping the automotive industry. And yet, at a recent symposium in EV-friendly Norway, Japan’s smallest mainstream automaker brought its typical innovation to the increasingly orthodoxy that is the modern electric vehicle. Mazda will apparently produce a fully battery-powered EV and a range-extended EV based on the same platform — still rare in the electrified segment — and its range extender is rotary-powered. Last seen here in the ultra sporty RX-8, the rotary powerplant is small — important since space is at a premium in a battery-packed EV — and, according to Mazda, it can be powered by multiple fuels, including hydrogen. That means, if you’ve been paying any attention to the zero emissions discussion, that if we ever do get hydrogen refuelling stations, this Mazda would be the first completely emissions free range-extended plug-in hybrid.

Busting out

Not as long a gestation period as for the mid-engine Corvette, but a revived Ford Bronco has been rumoured at every auto show since 2017, and there’s still no sign of the thing. Oh, we see patents detailing things such as side air bags that work on even doorless off-roaders, which has fuelled speculation the new Ford SUV will challenge the most Rubicon-friendly of Jeep Wranglers. And the entire blogosphere seems to have coalesced on the “fact” that Ford’s new off-road buggy will be based on the latest Ranger pickup. There’s even a Canadian angle to all this speculation since www.off-road.com noticed that Canadian Tire’s latest online catalogue lists wipers available for a 2021 Ford Bronco designated as 4-140, which, as far as the Internet goes, “proves” that the Bronco will be powered by a four-cylinder, 140-cubic-inch (2.3-litre) engine, just like the turbo four that powers the Ranger. From less certitude have greater rumours spread, so it must be accurate. Whatever the truth, don’t look for the Bronco to be in Ford dealerships any earlier than late 2020.

We’re not quite sure when it’ll arrive, but …

The Tesla Roadster has more than a few people sitting on the edge of their seats. Elon Musk, the company’s enigmatic CEO, originally promised Roadster production by 2020, but missed deadlines are almost as much a part of Tesla as electric motors. That and outrageous promises, of which the Roadster offers many. First off, there’s the claim it will accelerate to 100 km/h in just 1.9 seconds — that’s as fast as a Formula One race car, folks. Then there’s the claim that, thanks to a 200-kWh battery pack (current Teslas top out at 100 kWh), the Roadster will be able to travel 1,000 kilometres on a single charge. Now, never mind that said batteries would have to weigh anywhere from 750 to 850 kilograms — blunting performance and handling — Tesla is talking about a 400 km/h top speed. If even half of all that is true, Teslarati around the world will start hyperventilating en masse.

Harley is a Livewire

This is quite the departure for a brand so protective of its aural attributes that it trademarked its syncopated “patato-patato” heartbeat, but Harley-Davidson Inc. will be the first mainstream manufacturer to release an electric motorcycle. Milwaukee has high hopes for the Livewire, what with 86 pound-feet of instantaneous throttle-by-wire torque and 105 horses of high-end power emanating from its Revolution permanent-magnet electric motor. Exquisitely styled — like all Harleys — the Livewire handles well, has great brakes as well as topflight suspension, and can accelerate to 96 km/h in just three seconds. Maximum range is said to be 158 kilometres, and the 15.5-kWh battery can be recharged in an hour. All this electrified chopperdom will also cost — cough, cough — $37,250. And it’s not completely silent, either. Get all those free electrons motivated and there’s still some high-speed drama to be had.