The Supra was Toyota's top performance car from the late 1970s until 1998. The Supra was originally a more powerful and more luxurious version of the Celica coupe. But by the second generation, the Supra finally stood alone as a separate model and gained the option of a turbo. But it was the third-generation that gave the Supra its high-performance image. The twin-turbo model launched in 1996 made Corvette power (320 hp) and became the stuff of dreams for an entire generation of import car fans. The durable inline-six-cylinder engine could be modified to safely handle hundreds of extra horsepower, and the Supra became a sensation starring in 2001's The Fast and the Furious. In two short years—the Supra will return.
Why We Want It:
This time, instead of developing this all-new sports car on their own, Toyota will partner with BMW and share parts with the upcoming BMW Z5. This is good news because BMW certainly has the expertise to build a fun-driving sports machine. Many are predicting that under the Supra's hood will be a choice of either a potent twin-turbo V6 or some type of hybrid powertrain. And many,
including enthusiast websites, think the new car should carry forward some design themes presented in the radical FT-1 Concept (pictured above). It's been years since Toyota fans have had a real high-performance sports car, and this Supra should be as good to look at is it is to drive.
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2019 Rolls Royce Cullinan
Big, luxurious SUVs are dominating traffic in car dealerships these days. The Range Rover really started the high-end luxury SUV trend in the U.S. back in the later 1980s and had no competition for many years. But today just about every upscale brand has a vehicle to fit the needs of buyers looking for a roomy, high-riding machine. Rolls Royce, BMW's ultra-luxury arm, has so far stuck to cars. And that was the case with the company's archrival Bentley, too. But now Bentley has the 600 hp Bentayga SUV. Rolls Royce will answer with an SUV of their own in 2019, the Cullinan, and you can bet it will pamper with even more upscale features and perhaps even more power than the Bentley.
Why We Want It:
Reports suggest that the Cullinan will ride on an all-new platform specified expressly for Rolls Royce products. Translation? No need to compromise on the specs to appease less expensive BMWs. Prototypes of the massive machine appear to be enormous, perhaps larger than any luxury SUV this side of a Cadillac Escalade. And we can only guess the Cullinan will offer V12 power under that table-top hood. If the SUV sales trend continues for Rolls Royce, the Cullinan will not only become wildly popular in wealthy enclaves, but it will be the company's best seller.
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2019 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
The original Jeep Wagoneer, one of the very first SUVs, launched way back in 1963. Its lines were penned by legendary industrial designer Brooks Stevens and lasted almost 30 years. In the 1980s, its name became Grand Wagoneer and nearly every one was fitted with wide woodgrain paneling and trimmed in soft leather. It was an American luxury SUV whose only true competitor was the Range Rover. The last Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, but today they are cherished amongst fans and command serious money in good condition. Since SUVs (both modern and old school) are booming in popularity Jeep decided the time was right for a remake. So, a new Grand Wagoneer is planned to hit dealerships right around 2019 (though
delays have been reported).
Why We Want It:
Judging by the size of the current Grand Cherokee, in order for Jeep to have an even larger, more capable SUV, the company would need to move to a body-on-frame chassis or seriously alter the next-generation Grand Cherokee platform. If Jeep goes the more capable route, it means borrowing a chassis from Ram. As a bonus, both the 1500 and 2500 series Ram pickups already use a comfortable-riding coil sprung rear suspension—perfect for an SUV.
A Ram 1500 pickup-based Grand Wagoneer would hypothetically have the size and luxury to challenge a Cadillac Escalade but mixed with Jeep off-road capability. No vehicle made by an American manufacturer meets those needs. The company's efficient Ecodiesel V6 would make an excellent power plant. We'll take one in Hunter Green with woodgrain paneling, please.
4
2019 Chevy Silverado
The future is incredibly exciting for Chevrolet fans that like to go fast, with (finally) a mid-engine Corvette on the horizon. But the vehicle platform that makes the most money for the brand rides underneath the body of a pickup truck. The last major redesign of the light-duty fullsize Silverado pickup was back in 2014. However, much of that vehicles frame and suspension date back the 2007 model year. After a more than decade, it's time for GM to up its game. The next all-new Silverado is due to hit showroom for 2019.
Why We Want It:
Ford may be married to small turbo engines and aluminum, but GM is still making its trucks from steel and loading V8s into their noses. We suspect that the next Silverado (the one pictured above is the 2017 2500hd) will have quite a few body panels formed from stamped aluminum but the beds will remain steel. And though there might be a more economical small-displacement engine with a smaller cylinder count and turbo-charging, the majority of the trucks leaving the factory will likely use V8 power, and the next-gen small-block V8s should deliver class-leading power and torque. Since those engines will be linked to the new 10-speed automatic GM has developed with Ford—these trucks should be quicker and more efficient, too.
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2019 Jaguar I-Pace
Seven years ago, Jaguar unveiled a plug-in hybrid concept supercar—the C-X75—and it was gorgeous. But as is the case with many concepts, the company decided not to build this slinky two-seater. In fact, Jaguar has yet to offer a hybrid or electric anything, and that means it's well behind other European competitors, like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
That's about to change. Jaguar could skip right over hybrids and go for full electrification. Last year, Jaguar took the wraps off the I-Pace Concept electric vehicle at the LA Auto Show and immediately said it would be on the road in 2018.
Why We Want It
The I-Pace concept was a real stunner, and Jaguar has an excellent reputation translating the lines of concept vehicles directly to production without messing up the shape. The production I-Pace will use an all-new electric vehicle architecture suitable for sedans, crossovers, and perhaps even a sports car. The concept rides on a wheelbase several inches longer than the F-Pace (Jaguar's current crossover) and is slightly narrower. The I-Pace concept uses a big 90 kWh battery which Jag says will deliver more than 220 miles on a charge—and hit 60 mph in around 4 seconds. Sounds good to us.
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2019 Porsche Mission E
PORSCHE
The specs and shape of today's Porsche 911 harken back to some the brands earliest models. But the very first Porsche wasn't powered by a flat-six-cylinder engine or an engine at all. The very first Porsche, built in 1898, was also electric.
More recently (okay…way more recently) Porsche has embraced the technology once again and brought to market a plug-in electric hybrid version of its Panamera sedan, Cayenne SUV, and created a stunningly quick supercar, the 918 Spyder. However, each one of those still carried along an internal combustion engine. But Porsche has confirmed that an all-electric model based on the 2015 Mission E (pictured above), will soon reach production.
Why We Want It:
The production version of the Mission E will be extreme. After all it has to be in order to compete with Tesla who already have a model that can reach 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. Porsche says the production four-door EV will produce around 600 hp and have a range of 300 miles. The company says the car's 800-volt charger will be able to charge the lithium ion batteries within the car's floor to 80 percent capacity in just 15 minutes. That's so quick it would be a game changer in the EV space.
Also, if the production version of the Mission E looks anything like the concept introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2015, it will become one of the most desirable models in the company's playbook.
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2020 Ford Bronco
Next to the Mustang, no other nameplate within Ford
has the cache or fan base of the Ford Bronco. Launched in 1966, the Bronco was larger and more refined than the Jeep CJ, and it came from the factory with optional V8 power—a unique move at the time. The Bronco's chassis and powertrain were race proven. Ford campaigned the SUV in off-road racing and took home the overall win in the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972. The Bronco moved on to a larger chassis in 1979, but because increasing preferences for roominess, refinement, and a four-door configuration, Ford replaced the Bronco after the 1996 model year, only teasing a concept model in 2004 (pictured above).
Now 20 years after its demise, Ford has announced the classic SUV will return for the 2020 model year.
Why We Want It
The Bronco is so uniquely American and so beloved that the simple announcement of its return became the biggest story of the 2017 North American International Auto Show. The new Bronco will join the Ford Ranger pickup as a pair of midsize vehicles sharing the same chassis, and that means a turbocharged four-cylinder or small turbo V6 engine is likely to be under the hood instead of a classic V8.
Ford insists that the Bronco will have real 4WD capability, likely because it will have to take on the Jeep Wrangler at the most hardcore end of the SUV market. Perhaps Ford will borrow technology from the Raptor pickup and apply it to the Bronco to create a more versatile 4x4 than what Jeep might have in store. Ford's head of design, Moray Cullum, told Popular Mechanics that the Bronco won't be overtly retro. Instead, it will borrow cues from the original much like the current Mustang.
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2022 VW Microbus
Launched in 1950, VW's microbus was the world's first minivan. The original bus was a breakthrough in transportation and a model of people-moving efficiency. The bus had the seating capacity for the whole family in a tidy package that just happens to be the same length as a new 2017 VW Golf.
Powered by a version of the Beetle's flat-four mounted right over the rear wheels, the bus had excellent traction in all types of weather. I was also a cultural symbol of the "free love" hippie generation of the late 1960s and early 1970s. But today the rarest models can command well north of six figures at auction and has become one of the world's most recognizable automotive icons.
After a decades-long absence and numerous concepts, a modern version of the Microbus could be in the works.
Why We Want it:
VW showed an all-electric bus concept at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this past January— the I.D. Buzz (pictured above). The Buzz concept was built upon an all-new electric architecture, one VW has said will underpin a new sedan and SUV. In an interview with Automotive News Europe, one unnamed source within VW says it's been greenlit for 2022. An electric people mover makes sense because the long flat floor would allow room for plenty of batteries and without a drivetrain hump down the middle, there would be incredible seating flexibility. Let's hope this one becomes a reality.
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