FUTURE CARS! 2021 & BEYOND
Everything seems to be changing by the hour as the global health crisis completely upends the way the world works, but while automakers are making face masks and ventilators today, the core of the business—designing and engineering cars to (someday) sell—continues apace. It may be happening in home offices, but these machines are just too complicated and important to completely shut down research and development and restart it later. Plus, suppliers have been contracted to make everything from shock absorbers to stamping dies—and they need to get paid.
The cars on sale today and coming to a dealer near you in the next year have been in development for the past five to 10 years. The ones you’ll be able to buy a few years from now are already deep in the development process. Cars you won’t be able to buy for the better part of a decade are already being approved, with a design freeze in progress. This industry runs on a multiyear cycle, so even when it’s disrupted, there’s always more on the way. One note: Near-term arrival dates are subject to change based on the duration of quarantines in various regions.
From the SUVs, trucks, and cars already confirmed for production when the factories reopen to those waiting to have the sheet pulled later this year and the ones still in the concept phase, we have more than 50 of the most interesting, exciting new vehicles coming to your streets and driveways. Endless SUVs, radical trucks, cars of the future, and all manner of cleaner, safer technology are coming, and you get the goods on all of it.
What’s Now SUVs
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
What’s New: The latest addition to the Mustang model line is a battery-electric four-door SUV. Really. Although the Mach-E looks nothing like any Mustang before it, the Blue Oval’s EV certainly packs the straight-line punch to woo pony car fans. The most powerful model—the nearly 460-hp three-motor Mach-E GT—aims to scoot from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The slinky crossover relies on one of two available battery packs to power its standard rear-axle motor and optional front-axle motor: a 76-kW-hr Standard Range pack or a 99-kW-hr Extended Range setup. Ford estimates a maximum driving range of 300 miles between charges for rear-drive Mach-Es equipped with the Extended Range battery, though a heavy right foot will surely drag down that distance. What’s Not: Save for its Mustang nomenclature, the Mach-E shares little else with any Ford before it. When: Late 2020 How Much: $44,995
Genesis GV80
What’s New: At long last, the Genesis brand’s first SUV is launching for the 2021 model year. The GV80 is a midsize, rear-drive-based SUV with seating for up to seven. The GV80 will be plenty luxurious in base form, offering extra-posh features such as diamond-stitched leather, ash wood trim, augmented reality navigation, and more at a competitive price. Engine choices for the U.S. will include a 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4 making 300 hp and a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 good for 375 hp. Both engines will come mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. What’s Not: The GV80 is all-new from the ground up, but the design hasn’t changed much from the excellent concept we first saw in 2017. When: Summer 2020 How Much: $49,925
Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV
What’s New: Cadillac shares its stretched, independently suspended architecture, 6.2-liter V-8 gas and I-6 diesel engines, and 10-speed transmission with the Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon. It justifies its hefty price premium with such tech treasures as 38 inches of curved OLED display screens, augmented reality navigation, Super Cruise, night vision, and AKG Studio Reference 36-speaker sound. New for 2021, a Sport model features blackout trim. Cadillac offers eight interior color themes that can be decorated with myriad woods and leather sew patterns. Standard-wheelbase versions will launch late this year, with the Suburban-size ESV following in early 2021. What’s Not: Platinum remains the ne plus ultra trim grade. When: Late 2020 (ESV early 2021)
How Much: $77,500–$102,000 (est)
Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
What’s New: Nearly everything, but most important: an independent rear suspension. This change, plus 4.9 and 6.8 inches added to the Tahoe’s wheelbase and length (Suburban adds 4.1
