Top 10 new cars to look out for in 2022
Can you believe that the New Year is almost upon us already? For our team here at Car Finance Genie, 2021 has certainly flicked by – but time never stops, and it’s much the same story for the world’s leading car manufacturers.
Whether or not you will actually be in the market for a new car during 2022 – and if you are, Car Finance Genie can help you obtain finance to make it possible – you may be interested to read about some of the vehicles that are set to debut on dealer forecourts over the coming 12 months.
So, we thought we’d take on the challenge of picking out just 10 of our favourites.
Fiat Centoventi
Our use of the Centoventi name here is, of course, a reference to the electric concept car of that name that broke cover at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019. 2022, though, is apparently set to see the launch of an all-new electric compact model by the Italian manufacturer, with a larger body and more space than the new 500e. We’ll have to see whether it might bear the Centoventi name, or for that matter, the Panda one, the current generation of the latter having been in production since 2011 – and showing its age.
Volkswagen ID. Buzz
One glance at the ID. Buzz concept is sufficient to indicate its very deliberate nods to the unmistakable aesthetic of the classic Type 2 Microbus. The production version – expected to arrive next year – will be essentially an electric-powered answer to the venerable ‘Camper’ for the 21st century, with a battery good enough to deliver over 370 miles of range.
Nissan Z
While we’re on the subject of legendary nameplates, they don’t come much more so than Nissan’s Z-cars, which have a lineage going back to 1969. Alas, while the successor to the long-lived 370Z has already caused a lot of fuss with its simultaneously modern-yet-retro styling and twin-turbo V6 powerplant offering up 400 horses, it won’t actually be coming to the UK. Concerns about increasingly strict emissions regulations in Europe are supposedly to blame.
Alfa Romeo Tonale
You can always count on Alfa Romeo bringing no shortage of Italian class and elegance even to vehicle categories that one might have never previously associated this esteemed marque with. It seems that this is certainly the case with the handsome Tonale SUV, which debuted as a four-door concept car at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and is set to show that the Italians can absolutely ‘do’ subcompact luxury crossovers. It is also expected to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Aston Martin Valhalla
Fine, fine; when we talk about cars to “look out for” in 2022, in the case of this sports car Aston Martin has produced in collaboration with Red Bull Racing, you might have to settle for the brief glimpse you get of it in the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die (you may have spotted it sitting in a wind tunnel at Q-Branch, but sadly not being used). Still, the 937bhp Valhalla is worth mentioning here on account of its status as the Gaydon firm’s first plug-in hybrid model.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
When Hyundai effectively ‘previewed’ the mid-size Ioniq 6 with the handsome Prophecy Concept in early 2020, it won many admirers of its clean, Porsche-style silhouette. More recently, sightings of pre-production prototypes have indicated that the version set to hit the showrooms will more closely resemble the Mercedes EQS than a 911. It is still very likely, however, to be an exceedingly good-looking and intriguing car, complete with two electric motors – one to drive the front wheels and one to drive the rear wheels – and a range of about 300 miles.
Ferrari 296 GTB
We just had to include an entry here from the Prancing Horse, didn’t we? The 296 GTB was unveiled in June as the latest addition to the legendary Italian manufacturer’s Berlinetta family of sports cars. Autocar reported at the time that the sleek mid-engined model would be Ferrari’s “first ‘mainstream’ electrified offering”, housing an all-new hybridised V6 engine rather than the traditional Maranello V8. In fact, it’ll be the first ‘proper’ roadgoing six-cylinder Ferrari, given that such models had previously been offered under the Dino marque until the 1970s.
Skoda Fabia
As for if you’ll be in the market for something a bit… cheaper and more practical in 2022, there will always be the Czech Skoda marque’s latest Fabia to consider. The supermini has long won praise as a more attainable alternative to its sisters in the Volkswagen Group, the VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza, and with the entry-level S model of the 2022 version starting from a mere £14,905, it appears that this reputation will continue. Expect a more refined driving experience as a consequence of the Fabia’s move onto the MQB A0 platform, as well as 50 litres’ more boot space than the previous model.
Audi Q6 e-tron
Reports about this upcoming large electric SUV from Ingolstadt’s finest – which will slot above the Q4 e-tron and below the E-tron in the Audi line-up – have made much of the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture it will share with Porsche’s Macan EV. And as What Car? has reported, such hand-me-downs are a “positive, because they’re more Gucci than Grandma’s knitted jumper.” It is anticipated that when the Q6 goes on sale in late 2022, it will sport a 90-100kWh battery and offer a range of approximately 300 miles between charges, which is in line with what rivals like the Jaguar I-Pace and BMW iX3 can manage.
Vauxhall Insignia
It says something about the surging popularity of SUVs in recent years – amid a corresponding fall in sales of family hatchback and saloons – that even the Vauxhall Insignia is primed for a radical visual overhaul that places it, in the words of Auto Express, “somewhere between an SUV and an MPV.” It is set to use the same EMP2 platform as the next Astra, and we can expect to see a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines.
Could you be getting behind the wheel of any of these intriguing vehicles next year, or maybe you have something else in mind? Regardless, when you apply for car finance through Car Finance Genie, you can be confident of bringing your desired vehicle within your reach.
