“People ask me to predict the future, when all I want to do is prevent it. Better yet, build it,” Ray Bradbury wrote. “Predicting the future is much too easy, anyway. You look at the people around you, the street you stand on, the visible air you breathe, and predict more of the same. To hell with more. I want better.”
The dystopian view from Bradbury’s crow’s nest in the 1980s very well may have made it easy to imagine an automotive world that resembled today’s reality: electric propulsion, advancements in autonomous driving, and an industry-wide arms race to pack new vehicles with as much comfort, convenience, and entertainment tech as possible.
We’re faced with more than ever, but is it better? That depends on what matters to your automotive experience, on your philosophies about driving and riding, and on the machines in question. We won’t endeavor to answer for you, but as we take our annual look at cars headed our way, one reality is certain: There’s something for just about everyone.
2024 Buick Electra
WHAT IT IS The Buick Wildcat EV concept showcases the brand’s new face, logo, and design language for a lineup of future electric vehicles. Each will be called Electra, followed by an alphanumeric designation. Although the Wildcat is a coupe, the Electras will be SUVs, beginning with a compact offering in 2024. By 2030, Buick’s entire lineup will be badged Electra. Two compact models are planned. One is lower, sportier, more carlike, and geared toward couples; the other rides higher with more cargo room.
WHY IT MATTERS GM saved the Buick brand because of its popularity in China, but cool electric SUVs could make it hip in North America and restore some former glory. Besides, the more EVs that share GM’s Ultium system, the greater the company’s ability to reduce costs and make them more affordable.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN All these new electric vehicles use GM’s BEV3 electric architecture and Ultium battery technology developed with partner LG Chem. The first Electra SUV’s powertrain could mimic that of the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq, which launches with a single motor in the rear, good for 340 hp, 325 lb-ft of torque, and about 300 miles of range. An all-wheel-drive performance variant should follow in 2023. Buick has shown previous concepts with dual electric motors and a 12-module 100-kWh battery, providing 583 hp, a 0–60-mph time of 4.3 seconds, and about 370 miles of range. When the first production Electra SUV arrives in 2024, it will also feature one-pedal driving, on-demand regenerative braking, and GM’s Ultra Cruise hands-free driver assist technology. A giant screen will stretch across most of the cockpit.
ESTIMATED PRICE $55,000
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE 2024
2024 Chevrolet Camaro EV
WHAT IT IS An all-electric performance model, reported to be a sedan and effectively a replacement for the two-door Camaro. It may retain the Camaro name, as Chevrolet has recently used the Blazer moniker on a crossover that bears no resemblance to historical models.
WHY IT MATTERS Parent company GM is transitioning all its brands to electric vehicles during the next 13 years, performance models included. The Corvette is already slated to adopt hybrid and pure electric powertrains in the next few years, but the Camaro’s future is unclear after today’s generation ends production in 2024 or so. In presenting its plans for an all-EV future, GM provided an illustration of its Ultium EV platform with an outline of a sports car hovering above. The picture bears striking resemblance to a profile view of the present Camaro, though Chevrolet wouldn’t comment on the similarity. Reports indicate the car will be a sedan even if it retains the name despite all past Camaros being coupes. Although Chevrolet could theoretically put any type of body on the Ultium skateboard platform, Camaro sales in recent years have dropped sharply, and coupes in general have faded in popularity over the past decade.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN All of GM’s EVs in the foreseeable future will be built on the company’s Ultium platform, which can be tailored to fit any vehicle size or style. It also supports one to three electric motors, so this EV sedan could be anything from a classic rear-drive performance car to a 1,000-hp all-wheel-drive supersled. Chevrolet has given no indication what route it will take or whether it will offer multiple battery and motor configurations as GMC now does with the new Hummer EV pickup and SUV.
ESTIMATED PRICE $40,000
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE 2024
2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
WHAT IT IS Electrification is coming to America’s Sports Car. Lots of it. The first baby step will represent one giant leap for Corvette-kind by powering all four wheels—a 70-year first for a production Corvette. Yes, at some point in 2023 the C8 Corvette will get e-AWD, courtesy of hybridization with an electric motor powering each front wheel. In April 2022, GM president Mark Reuss confirmed an all-electric Ultium-based Corvette was also in the works. One of these variants is expected to get the E-Ray moniker, a trademark GM renewed in August 2020.
WHY IT MATTERS Corvettes have long been regarded as the most daily-drivable of high-performance sports cars, so adding a hybrid all-wheel-drive variant with price and performance in between the base Z51 and Z06 models extends its general usability by improving traction in foul weather—and when trying to route an extra 100-plus horsepower to the ground.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN Plug-in hybridization was planned for the start, with Ultium pouch battery-module-shaped space reserved in the C8’s aluminum center tunnel. So at least for the hybrid, the architecture carries over mostly unchanged. We’re not entirely convinced this first hybrid model will be a plug-in, largely because we can’t find any charging-port doors in spy shots of the car. That could also add a lot more weight and makes more sense to be offset by the 5.5-liter twin-turbo flat-plane V-8 in the considerably wilder Zora model. We fully expect the 2023 Corvette hybrid to retain its venerable 6.2-liter V-8, with the inboard motors adding at least 50 hp each for a total of 600-plus. Those motors will erode but hopefully not eliminate the front trunk space.
ESTIMATED PRICE Presuming light hybridization, a price just undercutting the snazzier Z06 makes sense, so figure somewhere in the $90,000 range. Or a bit more if there’s a bigger battery and plug.
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE 2023
2025 Chrysler Airflow
Chrysler first showed the Airflow concept at the 2022 CES in Las Vegas and followed up with an updated version of the two-row midsize SUV at the New York International Auto Show. The sleek crossover previews the styling and advanced tech we can expect from future Chryslers.
