Future Cars Worth Waiting For: 2024–2028
Our sneak peek at the most promising cars, trucks, and SUVs of the next few years.
Even in the age of next-day delivery, self-checkout, and gigabit internet, some things can't be rushed. The cars, trucks, and SUVs seen here won't reach dealer lots for anywhere from a few months to a few years. Some of them are about to roll down the assembly line. Others haven't emerged from the design studio yet. We're telling you about them now, though, because these are the vehicles that will matter, regardless of how many boring crossovers automakers puke out. These are worth the wait.
2025 BMW M5
The next-generation BMW M5 sedan will take the stage for the 2025 model year with an upgraded powertrain that promises lots more power than before. For the first time, the M5 will be offered as a plug-in hybrid with an estimated 738 horsepower and standard all-wheel drive. There’s even a rumor that it will be offered in station-wagon form in North America. Unfortunately, we’re still too far from the expected July 2024 launch date for a list of complete specs, but we’re excited at the prospect of a wagon version (Touring in BMW-speak) of the M5 coming to our shores.
2026 BMW 3-Series
As previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse concept car pictured here, the next version of BMW's venerable 3-series sports sedan will adopt classic proportions for its latest generation. It will use an entirely new EV platform with an 800-volt architecture, but it remains to be seen if BMW will continue on with hybrid and ICE powertrains or transition its bread-and-butter model to a fully electric lineup. We expect to see it arrive for the 2026 model year.
2024 Cadillac Celestiq
Cadillac's new EV lineup will start with the 2023 Lyriq SUV and will continue with a flagship sedan called the Celestiq, set to arrive soon. Its dramatic design was revealed in 2022, and we know that it will have an all-wheel-drive electric drivetrain and boast a driving range of more than 300 miles. It's likely to command a price around $300,000 and have the technology and luxury to match.
2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Cadillac is seeking to capitalize on the Escalade name with the new battery-powered Escalade IQ. This 750-hp electric SUV will arrive during the summer of 2024. A 200.0-kWh battery pack sandwiched under its floorboards should be good for up to 450 miles of driving between charges. The interior dedicates much of its surface area to screens, but beyond the plethora of pixels is a luxurious wrapping of leather, polished-aluminum accents, and ambient lighting. To appease the chauffeured, Cadillac will offer an optional Executive Second-Row Seating package. Pricing will be steep, with most models in six-figure territory.
2025 Chevy Corvette SUV
The Corvette subbrand is expanding and will soon grow to include—gasp!—a Corvette-badged performance SUV. We're expecting it to ride on GM's Alpha platform and look something like this. Engine choices should range all the way from a turbocharged four-cylinder on the low end up to a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 in the top Z0-something performance model. We expect Chevy to reveal this controversial vehicle later this year.
2025 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 and Zora
The mid-engine Corvette C8 platform was always slated to spawn a whole range of performance variants, and the upcoming ZR-1 and Zora are the most exciting of the bunch. The ZR-1 is rumored to have an 800-hp, twin-turbo version of the Z06's 5.5-liter V-8, while the top-dog Zora hybrid (illustrated here) could pack an even bigger punch courtesy of its electric motors added to the turbo V-8's output. This all-wheel-drive monster could top 1000 horsepower.
2025 Dodge Charger EV
Previewed by a concept car last year, Dodge's upcoming electric muscle car is taking shape with an interesting combination of retro styling, futuristic technology, and good old fashioned swagger. Power will range from 455 horsepower for the 340 model, with the mid-level 440 packing 590 hp and the top Banshee model promising to beat the gas-powered Hellcat in every imaginable performance metric.
2026 Ford Mustang Raptor
Porsche has created an off-road Dakar version of the 911 and Lamborghini has turned the Huracan into a lifted supercar called the Sterrato. So why can't Ford apply its Raptor off-road treatment to the Mustang? It may sound crazy, but we hear it'll offer a naturally aspirated V-8 engine, all-wheel drive, and a lifted suspension with Fox Live Valve dampers. Expected this limited-run, bizarre spin on the Mustang to arrive in 2026 with a starting price of around $90,000.
2025 Genesis GV90
Sure, Genesis already has a flagship sedan, but no self-respecting luxury brand can do without a top-dog crossover these days. Enter the upcoming GV90, which will be a large three-row electric SUV with all the presence and size you expect from a range-topping model. We're not sure about specs yet, but expect it to have standard all-wheel drive, a range of around 250 miles, and a similarly posh interior as the G90 sedan when it arrives with a six-figure price sometime next year.
2026 Honda Prelude
The storied Prelude name is coming back to Honda's lineup, and we're hoping that the revived sports coupe will be as exciting as its predecessors. Shown in concept form at the 2023 Tokyo auto show, the Prelude appears to be based on the Civic and supposedly features a hybrid drivetrain. We're hoping that means well over 200 horsepower, although it remains to be seen if a manual transmission will be part of the equation. Honda says it won't be a hard-core performance car like the Civic Type R, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun to drive.
2024 Jeep Recon
A Jeep EV is coming. Details are still scarce, but we do know that the four-wheel-drive Jeep Recon EV will be an electric SUV with an available power-folding roof and easily removable doors. Details such as price, driving range, battery size, and power output haven’t been revealed yet. In photos, however, we see features such as an illuminated seven-slot grille, a tailgate-mounted spare tire, and seating for up to five. Jeep does claim that the Recon will come with locking differentials and underbody protection. Initial production is set for sometime in 2024.
2025 Lexus Electrified Sport
Lexus showed a range of electric concepts recently, but by far the most enticing is this EV supercar that appears to be close to reality. Lexus has described it as a spiritual successor to the LFA and made some heady performance claims: a 60 mph sprint in the low 2.0-second range and a range of over 430 miles thanks to solid-state batteries. There's even talk of a simulated manual transmission. We'll see how much of that comes to fruition when we hear more about this sporty Lexus EV within the next few years.
2025 Lucid Gravity
After launching its 10Best-winning Air sedan, the EV upstart Lucid Motors is developing an SUV called the Gravity. Slated to go on sale in late 2024, the Gravity shares most of its mechanical bits and interior design with the Air, so we’re looking at big horsepower, a large battery pack, and a posh cabin loaded with modern amenities. The Gravity has a large, curved display for gauges and infotainment as well as a secondary touchscreen mounted central on the dashboard for other functions. The Gravity will be offered as a two-row SUV, but a third row will be optional.
2025 Mazda CX-70
Mazda is expanding its SUV lineup to include a new two-row mid-size crossover called the CX-70. It rides on the same new architecture that’s underneath the three-row CX-90, and the cabin will be more spacious than the smaller CX-5 and CX-50 SUVs. We expect to see both a turbocharged inline-six gasoline engine with up to 340 horsepower and a plug-in hybrid. While Mazda hasn’t officially revealed the CX-70, we expect it to look similar to the Europe-market CX-60 (pictured) but with a wider body. Mazda has upmarket aspirations, and we expect the new CX-70 will have a nicer cabin than many similarly priced rivals. Expect to see it hit dealers in 2024.
2024 Mercedes-AMG C63
The top-dog AMG version of the latest Mercedes C-class won't have a V-8 engine anymore. That may sound blasphemous, but the powertrain that's replacing the old twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 is a hybridized turbocharged four-cylinder that produces a whopping 671 horsepower.
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQG
Over several decades, the Mercedes-Benz G-class built a reputation as an all-conquering off-roader before becoming a six-figure status symbol for celebrities. For its next act, it’ll become an electric vehicle called the EQG. If the futuristic-looking concept version pictured here is any indication, it’ll retain the classic boxy styling of the G-wagen that we know and love, and Mercedes says the EQG will also continue to be an extremely capable off-roader. The EQG is expected to be powered by four electric motors (one for each wheel) that will be individually controllable, which should improve performance both on- and off-road. The EQG will most likely get a fully independent suspension. We expect it to arrive for the 2025 model year. The price will likely go well beyond $200,000 with options.
2025 Nissan Maxima
Nissan is preparing to launch an electric sedan on the same platform as the Ariya crossover, and we think it will wear the storied Maxima nameplate. When it goes into production in 2025, look for it to have styling similar to the IMs concept car, as we've illustrated here. We're hoping it will be sporty like Maximas of the past, and it will aim to compete with the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model 3.
2026 Polestar 6
Polestar's first vehicle, the dashing 1 hybrid coupe, has been followed by a succession of more reasonable cars, but the Swedish automaker will move back upmarket in 2026 with the Polestar 6 convertible. Based on the O2 concept, the 6 will pair crisp styling with an 884-hp, 663-pound-foot all-wheel-drive powertrain, good enough for a 3.2-second sprint to 60 mph and a 155-mph top speed. Its bonded aluminum chassis and 800-volt architecture will be shared with the upcoming Polestar 5 sedan, and pricing should start over $100,000 for the eye-catching halo car.
2025 Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman EV
So far, Porsche's electric lineup includes only the Taycan sedan, but the brand's sports cars will begin to transition to battery power soon. The first entry will be the EV version of the 718 Boxster and Cayman mid-engine models due in 2025. We're eagerly anticipating these cars because Porsche is promising lots of horsepower, the same balanced chassis as the gas versions, and even a dynamic soundtrack of some sort.
2024 Ram Rampage
The full-size Ram 1500 has long been one of our favorite pickups, and soon Ram will offer the Rampage, a Honey, I Shrunk the Truck version of its bestseller. While it’s currently confirmed only for markets outside the U.S., the Rampage might become available to us soon. The Rampage doesn’t skimp on handy features, such as a power tailgate. Like other compact pickups, the Rampage will be powered by a turbo four-cylinder powertrain, possibly the 2.0-liter setup found in the Dodge Hornet GT SUV. More details are expected sometime in 2024.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
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