Keen to wash away memories of 2020 with a new car in the driveway? Well, you’re in luck.
The world’s car manufacturers, which are just as eager as the rest of us to move onto a better, brighter 2021 – will introduce some exciting models to Australian showrooms over the next 12 months. We can expect to see everything from fresh iterations of familiar and iconic franchises to all-new names that hold their maker’s future hopes on their shoulders.
Here are five new arrivals destined to make a big impact, whether it’s on the sales chart, the hearts of car-loving Australians or the future of motoring itself.
1. Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai has a huge 2021 planned that will include new offerings from its Genesis luxury division and soon-to-be-standalone Ionic electric-vehicle (EV) brand. This sharp-looking new number is likely to strike a chord with a lot more buyers. Built to make a splash in the hyper-competitive mid-sized SUV segment – home to Toyota’s RAV4, Mazda’s CX-5 and some of the country’s other biggest selling vehicles – the new Tucson delivers a big lift in technology, safety and sheer class, as well as the prospect of fuel-sipping petrol/electric hybrid drivetrains down the line.
Expected: First half of 2021
2. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Benz’s luxury model has been a technology bellwether for decades, giving the car world everything from crumple zones and anti-lock brakes to stability control. The latest seventh-generation version introduces a host of world-firsts, from an augmented-reality head-up display that overlays vital information onto the outside world, to a centre-front airbag and suspension that automatically lifts the body to protect occupants in a collision. If history is any guide, these will all be standard fare in your garden-variety car of the 2030s.
Expected: Second quarter
3. Mazda MX-30
Mazda is set to enter the burgeoning mainstream EV market with this intriguing new contender. It bucks the ‘more-is-more’ EV orthodoxy with a single 107kW electric motor, modest-sized battery pack and similarly modest 224km claimed driving range. Mazda says the result is less cost, less weight, faster charging times and still-sufficient range for the urban buyers it’s targeted at. A mild-hybrid MX-30, combining a regular petrol engine with a 24-volt electrical system to improve economy, arrives ahead of an EV sibling in the second quarter.
Expected: Mid-year
4. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
What is General Motors’ plan for Australia now it’s put our home-grown Holden brand out to pasture? Well, in addition to selling king-sized Chevrolet Silverado utes to niche markets through its new General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) dealer network, we’ll be seeing this iconic US sports-car name before the end of the year. Not just the first Corvette to be built in right-hand-drive and sold Down Under, it’s also the first to place its engine – a fiery 369kW 6.2-litre V8 – midship rather than up front, a la Ferrari and other exotic sporting fare.
Expected: Fourth quarter
5. Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series
The trusty LandCruiser is intrinsically linked to Australia, from its packhorse role in the nation-building Snowy Mountains Hydro scheme to its perennial position as our top-selling large heavy-duty 4WD. While Toyota is keeping details of the still-to-be-revealed Cruiser close to its chest, it’s expected to ditch the current model’s petrol/diesel V8s for more high-tech, fuel-efficient V6s and introduce an even thriftier petrol/electric hybrid option down the track, all while retaining its hardcore off-road and towing abilities.
Expected: Fourth quarter