On the road: summer 2026
Any fears that Bugatti’s joint venture with Rimac might have led to it going electric were quickly dispelled with the Tourbillon, which is set to start landing with customers very soon, around two years after its original unveiling. A quick reminder of the vital statistics: an 8.3-litre Cosworth-built V16 engine, three electric motors, a grand total of 1,775bhp, a top speed of 277mph, and precisely zero turbochargers. In 2026!
On the road: summer 2026
Continuing the hypercar summer of 2026, the first of the 399 McLaren W1s should start turning up in their owners’ air-conditioned underground lairs very soon. Successor to the P1, and spiritual ancestor of the industry-redefining F1, it uses an almost entirely new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, part of a hybrid system that sends a peak of 1,258bhp to the rear wheels. With a 217mph top speed, it’s not quite in the same league as the Bugatti, but then honestly, how often do you really need to go that fast?
On the road: 2026 (est)
Four long years since it was unveiled, Gordon Murray Automotive’s (slightly) more attainable, usable 607bhp ‘baby’ supercar is finally out and about testing, with customer deliveries likely to begin this year now that production of the roadgoing T.50 has wrapped up. The T.33 uses the same screaming 4.0-litre Cosworth V12 as its big sibling, although because it’s a more road-focused prospect, it only revs to 11,100rpm rather than the T.50’s 12,100rpm redline. Pathetic.
On the road: 2026
A convertible 911 GT3? You’d better believe it. While the last Speedster used a GT3 engine, the S/C is the first car to combine the full lightweight GT3 package with an open roof. Sounds like it shouldn’t work, but when you’ve got a 9,000rpm naturally aspirated flat-six to listen to and a manual gearbox to play with, does that really matter? Anyway, it only weighs 35kg more than the coupe, so stop complaining.
On the road: 2026
It’s been over six years since we first saw the four-seater Koenigsegg Gemera in early March 2020, looking forward to its reveal at that year’s Geneva Motor Show (whatever happened there?). Since then, planned production dates have come and gone, plans for a version powered by a small but mighty three-cylinder have been dropped, and things have generally been quiet, but it looks like the Gemera – now exclusively available as a 2,269bhp V8 hybrid – should finally arrive this year. About time.
On the road: 2026
It’s been a few years since we’ve had a silly stripped-out two-seater hot hatch, but Cupra is bringing the genre back with the Leon VZ TCR. Using the same 321bhp mechanical package as the Nürburgring-smashing VW Golf GTI Edition 50, the 499-off TCR will be a full lightweight bucket-seats-and-harnesses special with a removable rear bench, although there’ll also be a less hardcore five-seater version simply badged the VZ and limited to 1,500 units.
On the road: 2026
The last time Cupra stuffed Audi’s sensational turbocharged five-cylinder engine into the Formentor crossover, the UK missed out, but not this time. The VZ5 is returning to the sharky facelifted Formentor’s range, complete with 385bhp and one of the greatest soundtracks of any modern car. It’ll still be rare, with just 4,000 being made globally, but this time, it’s coming to the UK in right-hand drive. It should be on the road here later this year.
On the road: summer 2026
The new Audi RS5 doesn’t replace the RS5 coupe, but the old RS4 estate. Except you can also get it as a low-slung liftback saloon, not unlike the old RS5 Sportback. It’s complicated. What isn’t complicated is an almighty 630bhp from a plug-in hybrid system anchored around an updated version of the outgoing car’s 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, a peak output over 100bhp more than a BMW M3 Competition. Then again, with an unladen weight of over 2.3 tonnes, it needs all that grunt. Expect to see UK cars this summer.
On the road: late 2026
This limited-edition version of the Audi RS3 not only marks half a century of gloriously warbly five-cylinder Audis, but also likely the end of the road for the engine configuration, in Europe at least. Perhaps underwhelmingly, the 2.5-litre turbo five-pot gains no extra power, staying at 394bhp, but the Competition Limited does get a series of chassis tweaks including some tricksy adjustable coilovers. Just 11 of the 750 total units are UK-bound, at a lightly eye-watering £92,855 each, and they’ll be here late this year.
On the road: 2026
This wasn’t part of the plan, but a slower than expected takeup of the electric Fiat 500e has led to Fiat shoehorning the old car’s 1.0-litre mild hybrid three-cylinder powertrain into the new one. With a meagre 64bhp on tap, an old-fashioned six-speed manual with its gearknob sprouting from the dash, and those charming looks, this is a proper old-school small car – something that Italy, and Fiat in particular, has always been rather good at.
On the road: late 2026
Turns out that customer appetite for a massive electric luxury SUV with Lotus badges wasn’t all that great, which… isn’t particularly surprising. As part of a major course correction plan, Lotus has re-engineered the Eletre to receive a plug-in hybrid system, with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot on board and an enormous 952bhp on tap. Already launched in China, where it’s bizarrely called the Lotus For Me, it’s coming to Europe towards the end of this year.
On the road: late 2026 (but probably not in Britain)
How time flies. The mid-engined C8 Corvette is coming towards the end of its life cycle and the Grand Sport is the final version to be introduced. Taking the model’s traditional spot between the base car and Z06, it ushers in GM’s brand new 6.7-litre, 535bhp LS6 V8. There’s also a hybrid Grand Sport X version that throws in the E-Ray’s electrified front axle for a total of 721bhp, but so far, there’s been no suggestion that either will make it to Europe to join the Stingray, E-Ray and ZR1 versions.
On the road: late 2026 (but definitely not in Britain)
Can you tell fuel economy standards have suddenly stopped being a thing in America? The Ram Rumble Bee resurrects the street truck vibes last seen around 20 years ago in the Viper V10-powered Ram SRT-10. This time, there’s a choice of – count ’em – three Hemi V8s, culminating in the full-fat 6.2-litre supercharged Hellcat mill, making a highly ridiculous 777bhp. Since Stellantis would be laughed out of the room if it ever tried to homologate this thing for European sales, you’ll have to go for a personal import if you fancy one outside North America.
On the road: late 2026
Is it an estate car? Is it an SUV? The answer is yes. It’s also likely to be the poshest car yet offered by Dacia, although this is obviously all relative – the Striker will still potentially cost under £22,000 when it arrives in Britain, likely at the tail end of this year. It’ll get hybrid powertrains with front- and all-wheel drive, as well as an LPG version for people who enjoy having a hard time finding somewhere to fill up.
On the road: likely late 2026
People buy Mercedes G-Classes to be seen in, and soon there’ll be an even more effective way of getting bystanders’ eyes on you with the return of the convertible version. Currently testing and set to be unveiled later this year, we don’t have any powertrain details yet, but the V8-powered AMG G63 seems like a natural fit for the drop-top treatment. We also wouldn’t be surprised if there was an electric one to boost interest in the slow-selling G580 EV.
On the road: early 2027
The most driver-focused Bentley since the one that won Le Mans in 1930, the new Continental Supersports is the first of the current-gen Conti to ditch the hybrid system, and is the first since the modern Continental was launched in 2003 to go rear-wheel drive. The lightest Bentley since 1940 – although still a bit of a unit at a hair under two tonnes – it should offer something unique when it arrives early next year.
On the road: 2027
Several years of rumours, grainy spy shots and teasers finally came to an end late last year when Toyota whipped the covers off the GR GT, its new front-engined V8 hybrid sports car that’ll also serve as the basis for its new GT3 racer. It’s got 641bhp from a new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, a top speed touching 200mph, a racy transaxle layout and a bonnet almost as long as the front straights of some racetracks, and it’ll launch properly next year.
On the road: late 2026 or early 2027
Remember the Jensen Interceptor? Probably not if you’re under the age of about 50, but you still might be familiar with the brutish British four-seater Chrysler V8-powered GT. The company that now owns the rights to the name has been doing restomodded versions for a while, but it’s going one better and readying a modern-day reinterpretation – and delightfully, it’ll stick to its roots with a (currently unspecified) V8 engine. We’ll see it in full later this year.
On the road: late 2026 or early 2027
In an outcome that surprised precisely nobody, not many people were interested in the savagely quick but largely soulless four-cylinder plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG C63. It’s back to the drawing board for Merc, then, which is readying a less powerful but likely more enjoyable hot C-Class powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six. This setup made its debut a few months back in the GLC 53, and we expect to see its saloon sibling before too long.
On the road: late 2026 or early 2027
Mercedes has been teasing us for a few months now with images of a camo’d up prototype version of the CLE coupe, complete with swollen arches, a gigantic rear wing and a mouth like a basking shark. It’s been confirmed to be a part of AMG’s ‘Mythos’ series of ultra-limited specials, and will likely be the first AMG model to get Mercedes’ new flat-plane crank twin-turbo V8, as seen in the updated S-Class.
On the road: 2027
Merc appears to be doubling down on track-ready V8 monsters, because it’s also confirmed the return of the hallowed Black Series badge, for another outing on the AMG GT. Set to sit at the pointy end of the second-gen GT range, expect it to differ significantly from lesser derivatives, as it’s being specifically developed as the base for the AMG GT3 racer. It too will likely get that 4.0-litre flat-plane crank V8.
On the road: 2027
Talk about hedging your bets. As EV demand fluctuates and regulations differ between regions, BMW is playing it safe by developing the next X5 with (deep breath) petrol, diesel, PHEV, electric and hydrogen powertrains. The fifth-gen SUV will be another of BMW’s mega-important ‘Neue Klasse’ cars, with styling that borrows heavily from the design language already seen on the new iX3 and i3 and similar showy interior tech.
On the road: 2027
Sounds like BMW has big plans for Alpina now that it has full ownership. While the first car of the former tuner’s new era sadly won’t be a production version of the gorgeous Vision BMW Alpina concept, we are promised that it’ll be, and we quote, ‘inspired by the 7 Series’. A posh 7er, or something more bespoke, then? We’ll have to wait until next year to find out, but BMW has confirmed one thing: it’ll have a big ol’ V8, and zero electrical assistance. Mmm.
On the road: likely 2027
Traditionally, our favourite versions of the Fiat Panda have always been the plucky 4x4 versions, so it pleases us greatly that it looks set to be making a comeback as a version of the slightly upsized Grande Panda. Previewed by a 2025 concept, the production version is likely to be a hybrid, pairing the regular car’s 1.2-litre turbo triple with an electrified rear axle. Fiat, if you’re reading this, please keep the white steelies.
On the road: 2027
A happy consequence of Lotus’ latest big reset is that the Emira, the last proper sports car the company makes, is sticking around for a lot longer than planned. It was originally set to disappear soon, its Toyota and Mercedes-AMG engines falling foul of upcoming emissions rules, but it’s been offered a lifeline – from next year, it’ll instead get a new turbocharged V6 being developed by Geely-Renault powertrain joint venture Horse. Insert the inevitable gag about more horsepower here.
On the road: TBC, but the prototype looks close to production
As part of its ongoing scuffle with the Corvette to claim American car bragging rights at the Nürburgring, Ford is throwing even more power and aggression at the already unhinged Mustang GTD. A prototype, with more downforce, less weight, stickier tyres and an unspecified amount of extra power from its 5.2-litre supercharged V8, has already set a storming lap at the Green Hell, and Ford has confirmed it’ll offer a ‘strictly limited’ production version.
On the road: likely 2027
Since its launch in 2019, we’ve had all the usual suspects (plus a few surprises) join the current Porsche 911’s range – except one. Blending twin-turbo power with rear-wheel drive and a hyper-aggressive aero setup, the GT2 RS version traditionally arrives towards the end of a 911 generation’s lifespan, and we expect the same to be true with the 992. A prototype likely to be this car has been papped hammering round the ’Ring many times, and it’ll potentially launch next year.
On the road: probably 2027, but chances of it coming to Europe are practically nil
Although far removed from its ’90s glory days, the Nissan Skyline has lived on in Japan for all these years, and as part of its commitment to launching more emotive ‘heartbeat’ models, Nissan’s working on a new one. We’re promised it’ll be ‘a driver-focused sedan’, likely with V6 power, and the teasers give us a look at excellent retro details like a return to the Skyline’s iconic quad rear light setup. There is one big and inevitable asterisk, though: sales are likely to be limited to Japan. Sigh.
On the road: potentially 2027
It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything entirely new from the Swedish horsepower enthusiasts at Koenigsegg, because they’ve been busy fulfilling orders for the Jesko and getting the Gemera ready for production. That’ll change soon, though – last summer, big boss and friendly real-life Bond villain Christian von Koenigsegg confirmed to TG that a new car is coming this year or possibly in early 2027. That’s about all we know at the moment, besides the fact that it’ll almost certainly have petrol power.
On the road: likely 2027
The switch from the old Huracan’s nat-asp V10 to the new Temerario’s 10,000rpm twin-turbo V8 has seen Lamborghini’s 907bhp ‘junior’ (the least appropriate use of that word ever) supercar lose very little of its predecessor’s drama, but a little bit of extra theatre can never do a Lambo any harm now, can it? That’ll arrive in the form of the inevitable drop-top version of the Temerario, likely to arrive next year.
On the road: likely 2027
Like its old sparring partner, the BMW M5, the Audi RS6 is turning to plug-in hybrid power in order to stay in European rulemakers’ good books. The next-gen model has been spied testing extensively ahead of a likely debut next year, and it looks set to keep its V8 as part of the hybrid system. All that means is the biggest talking point when it launches won’t be around its looks or performance, but its inevitable planet-like weight.
On the road: likely 2028
We can’t imagine how much of a headache it must be running a car company at the moment. Porsche was all set to replace the wildly successful original Macan with the new EV version, but the unpredictable EV market and shifting regulatory goalposts have led to it deciding to build a combustion-powered successor as well. It’ll likely arrive in 2028, probably share a platform with the Audi Q5, and inevitably become the company’s best-seller.
On the road: likely 2028
Further evidence of the product planning omnishambles companies like Porsche currently find themselves in, the K1 – the codename for a new range-topping seven-seater giga-Cayenne – was originally supposed to launch exclusively as an EV. Since then, Porsche has completely 180’d on that, and it’ll come only with combustion or hybrid powertrains to begin with. Like the mid-sized Macan successor, it’s set to be twinned with an Audi, this time the gargantuan incoming Q9.
On the road: likely 2028
The BMW M3 is going electric. But it’s also not. While there’s been much measured, level-headed chat online about the heavily teased M version of the new i3, BMW’s current split-channel powertrain strategy means there’ll be at least one more combustion-powered 3 Series, and with it, another M3 fuelled by liquified dinosaurs. It’s likely to get an updated version of the outgoing car’s twin-turbo straight-six, possibly as part of a hybrid system, and should look very similar to the electric one.
On the road: 2028
Although Alpine’s future lies largely in electric cars, it’s not finished with combustion just yet. Head honcho Philippe Krief confirmed to us last year that Renault’s sporty brand is cooking up a halo supercar, with a turbocharged V6 hybrid system pushing around 1,000bhp, planting it firmly in the hazy region where supercar and hypercar bleed together. Set to arrive in 2028, you can expect it to look a little like 2024’s Alpenglow concept.
On the road: 2028
‘Type 135’ was originally the codename Lotus assigned to a small electric sports car, intended to replace the Emira. But you know the score by now: slow EV demand, especially in the sports car market, declining sales, etc, etc. So Type 135 is now a V8 hybrid supercar, coming in 2028 with a combined power output of around 1,000bhp and a pair of tailpipes that make its V8-ness very clear. Should be a heck of a twin-test with that Alpine.
On the road: 2028
Hyundai’s luxury arm is going in heavy on performance with the launch of its extremely orange Magma sub-brand, and that looks likely to spawn a halo supercar cum GT3 racing homologation special in a couple of years’ time. Previewed last year by the awesome looking twin-turbo V8-powered Magma GT concept, production hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but Genesis made it abundantly clear at the time that this is more than a bit of motor show fantasy.
On the road: 2028
Ford has lost serious ground in Europe over the last few years, and it’s launching five new models by the end of the decade to try and claw it back. Some of those will be EVs, a couple based on Renault bones, but another will be a ‘multi-energy’ (read: available as an EV or with an engine) compact SUV wearing the Bronco name, and with styling heavily influenced by the rufty-tufty retro US market 4x4.
On the road: 2028
Yes, it’s almost certainly happening. McLaren is the last of the major supercar makers that hasn’t yet caved and launched an SUV, but given that these things are essentially licences to print money, it sort of needs to if it’s going to survive. The latest industry chatter says it’ll be here in 2028 and feature V8 power, probably as part of a hybrid system. Dealers have apparently already had an early look, and are presumably wringing their hands waiting for it so they can actually sell some cars.
On the road: 2028
The new Alfa Romeo Giulia probably should have been here by now, but Alfa’s currently busy comprehensively re-engineering it to take hybrid powertrains as well as the electric setup that was originally supposed to be the sole option. Such is the complexity of running a car company in this day and age, but it does at least mean potential Quadrifoglio versions of the next Giulia, as well as the related Stelvio SUV, could get actual engines.
On the road: late 2020s
If there’s one thing Maserati needs badly, it’s sales, and it’ll be hoping to bring some in from a pair of new ‘E-segment’ models – industry speak for 5 Series/X5 size – announced as part of Stellantis’ big 2026 investor day. They’re due to be an SUV, filling the gap left by the old Levante, and a sub-GranTurismo coupe. No powertrain details yet, but given that the take rate for Maserati’s EVs has been about the same as the offer of a swift punch to the face, we have to assume petrol power is on the table.
On the road: late 2020s
While most mainstream manufacturers move away from sports cars, Toyota appears to be doubling down on them – although whether the increasingly strict European market factors into its plans is another question entirely. The return of the beloved mid-engined MR2 has been teased multiple times by the company, and it’s recently been testing its new 2.0-litre turbo four-pot in a mid-engined layout in a modified GR Yaris, rumoured to be a mule for the new car.
On the road: late 2020s
A reborn Celica also looks to factor into Toyota’s plans, with the coupe due to return more than 20 years after it went out of production. Like the MR2, multiple credible hints have been dropped by the company over the last couple of years, and the rumour mill went into overdrive earlier this year when Toyota started testing its 2027 WRC contender with a distinctly coupe-ish body. We can expect the production car to get the same 2.0-litre turbo engine that’s rumoured for the MR2.
On the road: late 2020s
Ever since the electric Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster were first announced back in 2019, the pendulum has swung back and forth multiple times on whether we’d get combustion versions too – and in all that time, we still haven’t seen a production car of any sort. Finally, though, Porsche confirmed last year that ‘top versions’ – likely GT4s and GT4 RSes – will get some form of flat-six power, but we likely won’t see them until towards the end of the decade, a couple of years after the EV.
On the road: late 2020s
Godzilla has been sleeping since the R35 Nissan GT-R finally died in 2025, but it shouldn’t be for too much longer. While we’re still likely a way off seeing it, a new GT-R is in the works and, contrary to earlier rumours, it won’t be electric, as recently confirmed by new Nissan boss Ivan Espinosa. A hybrid setup of some sort seems to be the most likely solution, but we’ll be eagerly awaiting more details like excitable children in the runup to Christmas.
On the road: late 2020s
The current Mazda MX-5 has been with us for over a decade, and it’s not going anywhere just yet, but Mazda has committed to a replacement, and one that stays true to the fundamental MX-5 recipe of low weight, rear-wheel drive and revvy naturally aspirated engines. We’re glad Mazda’s taking its time, though – there really is nothing on sale like the MX-5 anymore, and it’s worth a bit of a wait to ensure the next one is worthy of the beloved roadster’s name.
