by Ronald DiMaggio and Christina Perry, TRED
2019 proved to be an exciting year for car enthusiasts: we saw a revival of the iconic Toyota Supra, a redesigned Porsche 911 and BMW 3 Series, and a brand new McLaren hypercar in the Senna. Those were all properly exciting, but with the new year well underway, I think it’s only appropriate to start looking forward [insert cheesy 2020 vision joke], so in this article we’ll be taking a look at some of the more important cars set to come out in 2020. This list is not exhaustive, though it includes all the cars that we expect to make a big splash in the industry.
2021 BMW M3
BMW is set to reveal its all new M3 sedan, based on the existing G20 3 series later this year (with sales starting early 2021.) Spy photos and renderings (like the one above) have fans of the brand on the edge of their seats. This is mostly because spy photos have indicated that the 2021 M3 may follow in the 7 series’ footsteps with an absolutely massive grille that extends from the hood all the way down to the front lip. Yikes. Less worrying, however, is what will be hiding behind that grille, a stronger and doubly turbocharged version of the existing B58 inline six, dubbed the S58. The new M3 will also be the first one ever to offer all-wheel drive. We can be sure that it will drive well, as all M3s do, but here’s hoping it looks okay…
2021 Ford Bronco
Ford is set to debut its new Bronco in spring of this year, and intel so far is pointing toward it being exactly what we expect out of a vehicle wearing a Bronco badge: a boxy, rugged, body-on-frame SUV. As we saw with the recent Supra unveil, bringing back an icon after decades of dormancy is a risky proposition, but it appears that Ford is doing it right.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach E
Another exciting vehicle from Dearborn is the new Mustang Mach E crossover. Slated for delivery in late 2020, the Mustang Mach E is Ford’s first full-fledged foray into the all-electric segment. It looks good, it will be quick, and it seems to be at least somewhat reasonably priced, though I do have one small gripe with the Mustang Mach E. Did they have to call it a Mustang? I’m not one to get hung up on the mostly arbitrary sanctity of model names, but this is a bit ridiculous. Aside from styling cues, this vehicle has absolutely nothing in common with the traditional Mustang, and I think it’s something of an affront to the Mustang heritage.
2020 Tesla Model Y
Tesla is planning to start deliveries of their new crossover, the Model Y, in the summer of this year. The Model Y, as all Teslas are, will be an important car because it will assuredly disrupt sales of its gas-powered competitors in a big way. Tesla’s entrance into a more reasonable price bracket with the Model 3 made quite a splash in the sedan segment, and we can expect the Model Y to do the same in the increasingly hot crossover market.
2021 Tesla Roadster
Another Tesla sure to shake things up, though at a much bigger cost, is the upcoming Roadster. Set to go on sale after the Model Y, the Roadster is a $200,000+ supercar with quite a few big claims to support. Tesla has claimed that the Roadster will do 0-60mph in under two seconds, and will be able to reach speeds in excess of 250mph with seating for four. If it’s as potent as Tesla says it will be, I’m sure Lamborghini, Ferrari and McLaren will be sweating once it hits the streets; though I’m sure those brands have at least a small fanbase unwilling to switch to a supercar that doesn’t make any noise.
2020 Chevrolet Corvette
We already know quite a bit about the new C8 Corvette, but since it hasn’t technically hit the streets yet, it still belongs on this list. The C8 is Chevrolet’s first mid-engined Corvette and it marks the biggest transformation of the iconic sports car since its inception in the 1950s. It is still very much a Corvette though, with pushrod V8 power, two seats, and two doors. Dealers are preparing to make deliveries as early as next month, and I can’t wait to see them on the road.
2021 Mercedes Benz S-Class
Representing for the luxury sedan category on our list is the all new 2021 Mercedes Benz S-Class, set to be available for purchase later this year. The S-Class is a staple of the Mercedes brand, but more importantly, it’s a technological leader in the industry. Mercedes tends to debut lots of new tech in their flagship sedan, and other manufacturers often follow suit. With this in mind, the new S-Class is sure to bring with it many new innovations, and induce lots of innovative ripples throughout the industry.
2021 Land Rover Defender
Arguably the quintessential British 4×4, the Defender has been absent from the US since 1997, because its lack of airbags (and Land Rover’s refusal to engineer their addition) failed to comply with US safety standards. The used market for the Defenders that had already made it stateside has been hot since then, and there was no hint of any new iterations of that classic Landy recently.
And now, the Defender’s return is imminent. It has a lot of modern updates, but it still retains a fair amount of the rugged, utilitarian styling that gave the original its charm.
2020 Lotus Evija
In the awesome but unobtanium category (for most of us), Lotus is bringing out one of the sexiest, most exciting hypercars we’ve seen in a long time. And… it’s electric. In fact, exciting is sort of an understatement. It’s the most powerful electric car ever, with nearly 2,000 horsepower and a top speed of over 200 miles per hour. Oh, and it charges insanely fast, too—18 minutes to charge 100% (to a very respectable 250-mile range.)
Even the name is pretty exceptional; it’s probably partially a clever riff on the electric vehicle acronym of “EV,” and it also (loosely) means “living” or “breathing” in Hebrew.
2021 Cadillac Escalade
Because the ‘Sclade is the perennial choice of A-list Hollywood celebs, reality show stars, and ballers everywhere, it has to stay on top of its style game. The 2021 iteration fittingly made its TV debut in commercials alongside Academy Award-winning actress Regina King during the 2020 Oscars.
It’s big (even bigger than before), and bold, adding 7.1 inches in length over the previous model, and a massive grill. Inside, there’s more space, and some serious tech updates to everything from the suspension and transmission to the giant, curved OLED screen that probably has better image quality than the TV on your wall at home. A diesel engine will also be an option for the first time.
*Featured image of Oscar®-winning actress and acclaimed director Regina King behind the scenes with the 2021 Cadillac Escalade.
