Cars (and 1 Bike) We’re Excited About: A List
In our recent staff lists, we’ve looked back at some of our favorite attributes of cars over the years, and we’ve enjoyed seeing your responses, too. This week, we’re taking a forward-looking approach and sharing what we’re eagerly anticipating in the automotive world to come. A couple of us couldn’t contain ourselves to one pick, and we’re sure you have plenty as well. Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the next year or two in the comments!
Lotus Type 135
“I’m being cautiously optimistic about Lotus’ upcoming model, dubbed the Type 135. It will be electric (meh), but also competitively priced and really nice to look at. It will also be interesting to see how Lotus can combine an EV drivetrain with the compact, light and simple platforms for which the company has always been known and, in my opinion, should never stray away from.” – Andrew Newton
GM halo cars, plus a more practical choice
“The response of uber-luxury buyers to Cadillac’s Celestiq will be interesting to watch; as a handbuilt-to-order car, it’s an ambitious attempt to return to Cadillac as The Standard of the World. The red-white-and-blue American in me would love to see a U.S. brand reclaim that sort of prestige. As a Corvette fan, I’m marking my calendar for the C8 ZR1 reveal: Are we going to see a twin turbo, flat-plane-crank powertrain? My wall of car posters and brochure cut-outs in high school included a C6 ZR1, and the C8 version sounds like another poster-worthy Vette.
However, as a customer who has to stick to a budget, Toyota has my full attention: Not only is it killing the game with thoughtful (long awaited) updates to the trucks and SUVs that made its name and line its pockets, it has an eye on passion projects, too, especially the crazy-go-nuts hatchback that is the GR Corolla. Rumor has it that the GR86—which I seriously considered as a daily before going the hot-hatch route and buying a Fiesta ST—will soon be built entirely by Toyota. It could break up with Subaru and move the coupe upmarket, more in the GR Corolla’s $40K price range, which would make room for a cheap ($35K or below) sports car with a turbo-four. Who knows if such a car will materialize, but if so, that’s something I’d buy.” – Grace Houghton
An EV Sport Sedan?
“After seeing an Ioniq 5 N in person, I can’t wait for all those N goodies to be applied to a not-crossover EV. The Ioniq 6 in N-spec would be amazing, I just hope there’s enough growth in the EV market to ensure Hyundai is interested in making this sports sedan with super car performance.” – Sajeev Mehta
The 2026 F1 grid
“I took this question in a bit of a different direction—I am excited to see 2026’s F1 cars in action. The new rule set has plenty to be excited about—smaller size and no more DRS, for example—as well as a few head-scratchers that I’m curious how teams will navigate.
New rules often means that one team figures it out while the rest have to catch up, and as we’ve seen that can be bad for racing. That said, there’s been so much shuffling among drivers and staff in the lead-up to these new regs, watching how all the teams play out the new hands they’ve dealt themselves will be quite the spectacle. The cars will be shaped by all of that.” – Eddy Eckart
The answer is always…
“Not sure when it will be, but I’m most excited about the next-gen Miata. With every generation of the car, Mazda has managed to make it both better and intrinsically linked to the original brief. This upcoming version will, likely, be the first hybrid or electric version. That normally would make me nervous, but I’m curious to see how Mazda addresses the engineering and design in a way that still puts driving (and drivers) at the forefront.” – Eric Weiner
KTM 450 Rally Replica
“I’m still a Honda guy at heart, but my KTM 950 Adventure S has opened my eyes to the race-ready brand and gotten me curious about the 2025 KTM 450 Rally Replica.
Designed for the desert special stages, the 450 Rally Replica is a long-haul sand machine that every character of Dune wishes they had access too. Plenty of power from a relatively simple and light 450-cc single that sits in a chassis that incorporates twin fuel tanks for the rear subframe and a nice rally front end with extra wind protection and tech stack for navigation.
It’s total overkill for anything I do, but the idea of a lighter, more aggressive version of my big ADV bike sounds awesome.” – Kyle Smith
Sajeev bonus round: The next TRD Camry is a Hybrid?
“Can I go again? After driving the Brown Crown last year and learning that all new Camrys are hybrids, I cannot wait for the Brown Crown’s “Hybrid Max” 340-horse turbo-infused powertrain to make its way into an actual performance vehicle: A Camry TRD hybrid.
The TRD Camry with Hybrid Max would surprise a lot of people. This is all hopes and dreams at this point, but come on, it’s all parts bin and a shared platform…how could it NOT happen?” – Sajeev Mehta
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If anyone is going to build and sell an EV that is truly a sports car, it’s Mazda. For nearly 35 years Mazda has shown there is a market for a car that handles very well, has a practical side as well, and looks the part in an understated way. No one ever said the Miata was a powerful road beast, because it’s not. A fine power source in a great handling package can be a winner.
What about the new Dodge Charger?
You beat me to it. This is the most beautiful car in decades.
The EV movement is a cancer… :/
I would love to see rule changes to F1 to make it competitive. As F1 stands now, it is just a show and not racing. As a die hard racing fan it is unwatchable.
MrKnow,
My horizon is the same as yours. I learned many years ago NOT to buy a new car. Let the folks with money to lose pay the depreciation, and I’ll buy it a few years down the road. Also, I may be an extreme example, but my two cars are a 1976 F250 that belonged to my dad, and a 1962 MGA 1600 MkII that belonged to my older brother. Both pristine. Cheap to keep, drive, insure, and register! No computers in my garage. When we go for a long vacation trip, we rent a car.
I see no mention of the new dodge charger from Stellantis, did we forget, or do we just not care anymore considering how bad Stellantis treats North American car buyers
fiat can go bankrupt and never surface again as far as I’m concerned.
EV’s??????????????????
No mention of the Ford Performance GTD??
Ahhh- the good Old days-when Everything was built Better—I could fix it with some Duct tape & Coat hanger–Of course people were better to—Families were Perfection Personified–Of course the Older generation was Stronger & Smarter Had to walk 5 miles to school (uphill both ways) -Change to something folkd don’t understand Scares them (but they will Never admit it) & once people reach a certain age They wear Rose Colored Glasses-
The good ole days:
Plugs and points: 10,000 miles
Tires: 20,000 miles
Exhaust system: 10-20.000 miles
Rocker panels (Michigan): 3 years
Gas mileage: 13-18 mpg (My buddy’s “58 Chevy Biscayne stick six would make 20 mpg hwy, if careful.)
I will stick to studebakers
Sad days indeed.
EV. WELL THEY MAY HAVE THEIR PLACE, BUT NOT IN MY GARAGE. MOST FOLKS LIKE THEM ‘CAUSE THEY ARE SOOOO FAST OUT OF THE GATE. BIG WOOP! GAS AND DIESEL HAVE BECOME FUEL EFFICIANT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. KEEP A FEW EV’S ON THE SHELF FOR USE AFTER THE BIG ONE. I LIKE PUMPING GAS & CHANGING OIL. ONE QUESTION? DOES YOUR AAA WRECKER SERVICE HAVE A WAY TO GIVE YOUR EV A JUMP WHEN YOUR BATTERIES HAVE DIED?????
Please turn off your caps lock. It makes your comments difficult to read for no reason.
SPEAK UP!!!
mentioning F-1. Geo. Russell was disqualified for being underweight at Belgium. Not so many years ago I remember everyone running outside the racing line after the race to pick up crag (sp?) to make sure they made weight. Then they seemed to stop doing so. Anybody know the whys?
Not sure whether the practice has fallen away, but I do know that Spa does not have a victory lap—they turn into the end of the pit lane—so no opportunity to pick up clag.
eddy – good point forgot that and ..clag been saying it wrong for years…why clag?
No idea! Sounds British to me, but I’m not sure
Eddy -certainly does and Hobbs was probably the first person I’d heard use it. A bit like slag as well ,maybe some commonality there.