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Continuing our countdown of the top cars to watch for in 2024.
If you missed kickoff, catch up here with 40 to 31, 30 to 21 and 20 to 11.
JUMP AHEAD
- 10. Mazda CX-80
- 9. Hyundai Ioniq 7
- 8. Polestar 3
- 7. MG Cyberster
- 6. Volvo EX30
- 5. Lexus LBX
- 4. BYD Seal U
- 3. Lotus Emeya
- 2. Polestar 4
- 1. Toyota Prado
10. Mazda CX-80
Due: Q3 2024
Model: CX-80
Price: from c.$62,000
The Mazda CX-80 will be the third of Hiroshima’s new pricey, premium SUVs to hit Australia when it slots in between CX-60 and CX-90 in the first quarter, as an appealing Kluger or Palisade alternative.
The CX-80 will effectively replace the Mazda CX-9 – which has been dropped after 15 years on sale locally – and will sell alongside the CX-8. The seven-seat CX-80, like CX-8, is effectively a medium SUV elongated to accommodate a third row of seats; a slenderer CX-90 you could say.
Expect a choice of 209kW/450Nm petrol and 187kW/500Nm diesel 3.3-litre turbo inline sixes, and a 241kW/500Nm 2.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid, paired with all-wheel drive, with prices opening in the low-to-mid 60s.
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2024 Mazda CX-80 imagined by Theottle | © Wheels Media
Coming after the 2017 Wheels COTY-winning CX-9, it's fair to say that the CX-80 has a lot to live up to
Standard equipment will run to large infotainment and instrument displays, heated and ventilated Nappa leather seats, a heated steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive LED headlights, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a power tailgate.
Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are expected to be standard and front cross-traffic alert, a surround-view camera, and Level 2 autonomous driving functionality are likely to be offered. Coming after the 2017 Wheels COTY-winning CX-9, it's fair to say that the CX-80 has a lot to live up to.
9. Hyundai Ioniq 7
Due: Q4 2024
Model: single / dual motor
Price: from c.$90,000
Hyundai’s Ioniq 7 is coming in 2024 to give Australians a battery-powered, family-sized SUV while letting Hyundai Australia achieve its target of offering an electrified variant of each of its key SUVs by year’s end.
The dedicated electric Ioniq 7 draws on the company’s Seven Concept, with a cabin featuring three seating rows, a flat floor, high roof and innovative packaging to provide a versatile ‘Living Space’, using a range of recycled and sustainable materials.
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Built on Hyundai’s E-GMP battery-electric architecture, Ioniq 7 is expected to offer single-motor RWD and potent dual-motor AWD variants, and will allow 800V ultra-fast charging of the battery – which should offer a maximum range of 500km or more – while underpinning Vehicle to Load capability.
Dual large instrument and infotainment displays are expected to headline, along with a by- wire drive selector, digital side mirrors, and wireless vehicle software update capability.
An extensive suite of active safety, driver assistance and convenience tech will be part of the deal, with niceties such as a large glass sunroof likely for the flagship.
8. Polestar 3
Due: Q1 2024
Model: 3
Price: from c.$132,900
The 2024 Polestar 3 is the first SUV from the Volvo-derived EV brand, and it’s set to land locally in the first quarter to provide an intriguing alternative to the Audi E-Tron, BMW iX, Tesla Model X, and the Volvo EX90 on which it’s based.
It'll be offered in a single, highly equipped launch grade, and can be optioned with a Performance Pack featuring retuned suspension and 22-inch forged alloys.
The Performance Pack takes dual motor outputs from the standard 360kW and 840Nm to 380kW and 910Nm, trims the 107kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery’s 610km range by 50km, and shaves three tenths from the 0-100km/h, which takes 4.7sec in ultimate form.
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The ability to cop 250kW of DC grunt sees Polestar 3 fast-charge from 10 to 80 percent in 30min.
Highly-specced launch variants include a 14.5-inch touchscreen and 9.0-inch driver display, 21-inch wheels, adaptive air suspension, a glass roof, and a powered tailgate.
Pilot and Plus option packages are also standard initially but will likely come at extra cost down the track, and Matrix LED headlights and Nappa leather upholstery are optional.
7. MG Cyberster
Due: H2 2024
Model: RWD, AWD
Price: from c.$95,000
When the Cyberster was first mooted, we all thought it might be a bit of a joke.
Despite the badge on the bonnet, modern MG had no track record of performance cars. Or aspirational cars. Or a brand that could in any way support a car wearing a six-figure price tag. Thing is, nobody’s laughing at it now.
A lot has changed in the intervening 18 months. The MG 4 has established its bona fides as an entirely credible, well finished hatch and the dual-motor X-Power variant combines shocking pace with a modest price tag.
The Cyberster, confirmed for the second half of the year, is MG’s first all-new sports car since the mid-engined MG F that ran from 1995 to 2002. Measuring 4535mm long, 1913mm wide and 1329mm tall, and riding on a 2690mm wheelbase, the Cyberster is comfortably larger than MGs of old – it’s also 20cm longer than a BMW Z4 and 15cm longer than a Porsche 718 Boxster.
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Despite increased dimensions, the Cyberster manages to evoke classic sports car proportions with its long, low bonnet and rearward driving position.
Yet its details are decidedly futuristic with LED headlights, angular LED taillights and sharp body lines. Then there are the Cyberster’s unmissable scissor doors, which open up and out like a V12 Lamborghini – a rather ostentatious choice, but one sure to grab attention and buyer interest.
The cabin features three digital screens: one for the digital driver’s display, another for the infotainment, and a third for the HVAC controls. Specifications from the Chinese government suggest the Cyberster will be offered in rear- or all-wheel drive configurations.
The former is likely to output 231kW, and the latter 400kW. Kerb weights rated between 1850-1985kg are also expected, so 0-100km/h should be dispatched in less than four seconds.
6. Volvo EX30
Due: Q1 2024
Model: Plus, Ultra
Price: from $59,990
Volvo’s EX30 electric small SUV slots into the range below the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, priced from $59,990 plus on-roads, which puts it squarely in Tesla Model 3 territory.
Three grades are offered, each with a 69kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery – there are two rear-wheel-drive versions and an all-wheel-drive performance variant. Rear-wheel-drives feature a 200kW, 343Nm motor and provide a Euro WLTP range of 480km.
Dual-motor AWD versions deliver 315kW and 543Nm, sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.6sec, and provide a 460km WLTP range.
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DC charging at up to 153kW underpins the capability for a 10 to 80 per cent fast charge in 30 minutes.
A minimalist interior theme is centred on a Tesla-style display presenting driving info such as speed and battery charge, in lieu of a conventional cluster.
The range-opening Plus features LED headlights, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and an array of Google apps, wireless phone charging, a digital key, a powered tailgate, Harman Kardon audio, and an extensive suite of advanced safety.
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A minimalist interior theme is centred on a Tesla-style display
Up-spec Ultra adds a fixed panoramic glass roof, 360-degree camera, automatic parking, powered and heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel, with the Performance Ultra adding 20-inch alloys.
Volvo EX30 supply is set to start flowing locally from early 2024.
5. Lexus LBX
Due: Q2 2024
Model: LBX
Price: from c.$40,000
They’re having a baby! Lexus, that is. The brand’s smallest-ever offspring, the LBX SUV, is set to join the Australian line-up in the first half of the year.
The Toyota Yaris Cross-based LBX, which is 305mm shorter than the UX, will be powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid powertrain with a nickel-metal hydride battery and a choice of front- and all-wheel drive.
A 9.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and ambient lighting are expected to headline inside, and heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, semi-automatic parking assist and an array of advanced driver assistance tech should also be part of the deal.
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Fast F Sport hero?
According to a Japanese publication, a Yaris GR-powered F Sport flagship could join 85kW mainstream variants, packing 200kW and 370Nm, an eight-speed torque converter automatic and all-wheel drive, to create a left-field high-performance player. We’ll see.
The Lexus LBX – it stands for Lexus Breakthrough Crossover – is likely to be priced around $40K and will fill the small shoes of the brand’s CT series (which was axed in 2021).
4. BYD Seal U
Due: Q2 2024
Model: Seal U
Price: from c.$70,000
China’s BYD is set to expand its pod of EVs named after marine mammals with the forthcoming 2024 Seal U medium SUV.
With a sillier name – but a less comical roofline – the 4775mm long, 1890mm wide Seal U is around the size of a Model Y, but with a 125mm shorter wheelbase, and has the Tesla firmly in the sights.
With the Dolphin hatch and sporty Seal sedan imminent, the Seal U is set to take the local BYD line up to five by the end of 2024, and will play alongside Tesla’s bestseller as well as the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Toyota BZ4X.
The Seal U builds battery-powered dreams on the brand’s E-Platform 3.0, which its shares with the Seal sedan.
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2024 BYD Seal
Expect to see two single-motor variants – a 150kW, 310Nm Comfort with a 72kWh battery, and a 160kW, 330Nm Design with an 87kWh battery.
European WLTP figures suggest ranges of 420km and 500km respectively from its lithium-ion phosphate batteries and 150kW charging capability is likely, for a zap from 30 to 80 percent in less than 30min.
It’s not clear whether the Hybrid version spied testing in Australia will form part of the 2024 Seal U range for which launch timing is yet to be confirmed.
🥉 3. Lotus Emeya
Due: H2 2024
Model: Emeya
Price: from c.$250,000
Electric sports sedan slayer the 2024 Lotus Emeya is due in the second half of 2024 and it has Porsche’s Taycan in the crosshairs.
The Emeya is Lotus’s third EV, following the Eletre SUV and Evija hypercar, and only its second-ever sedan, the first being the twin-turbo V6 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, from a time when world-beating four-doors were way cooler (1990-1992).
The booted and batteried Lotus – codenamed Type 133 – will produce 675kW and 985Nm in ‘R’ form, which will top a three-tiered range starting from around $250K.
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The Emeya will sprint from rest to 100km/h in 2.78 seconds, says Lotus, and run to 256km/h, making it a shade less accelerative than Tesla’s Model S Plaid (and slower than a Lotus Carlton, which topped out at 285km/h) but that's hardly shabby.
Built on Eletre-shared 800-volt architecture, expect Emeya to offer a range north of 550km from a 102kWh battery pack, with the capability to add 150km of range in five minutes plugged into a 350kW DC fast charger.
Emeya’s leather, Alcantara and cool aluminium cabin will be headlined by a 55-inch AR HUD, 12.1in touchscreen infotainment and KEF premium audio.
MOREEverything Lotus
🥈 2. Polestar 4
Due: Q3 2024
Model: LR Range Single Motor, LR Dual Motor
Price: from c.$81,500
“With Polestar 4, we have taken a fundamental new approach to SUV coupé design,” said Polestar’s chief executive officer, Thomas Ingenlath.
Okay, so the whole idea of an SUV-coupe would normally be enough to make most right-minded people sick in their mouths but, infuriatingly, Polestar might just have brought us the coolest shape of 2024.
Polestar’s fastest ever production car, the Dual Motor Long Range Performance variant is not only capable of a 3.8-second 0-100km/h sprint courtesy of 400kW and 686Nm, but also has support for 200kW DC fast charging. Go for the Dual Motor Long Range and it’ll likely come with a targeted WLTP-rated 560-kilometre driving range.
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A Long Range Single Motor model is available, with a 600-kilometre driving range target. It is rear-drive only, with 200kW and 343Nm on tap.
A 102kWh lithium-ion battery pack is standard for all long-range Polestar 4 variants. It is currently unclear if Polestar will offer a standard range variant with a smaller battery, similar to the Polestar 2 sedan.
Measuring 4839mm long, 2139mm wide (including mirrors) and 1544mm tall, with a 2999mm wheelbase, the Polestar 4 is approximately 100mm shorter in length, width and wheelbase than a Tesla Model Y.
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Inside, the Chinese-built Polestar 4 features a 15-inch Android Automotive infotainment system powered by an automotive-focused Snapdragon system-on-a-chip as well as a 12-speaker, 1400-watt Harmon Kardon audio system.
The 2024 Polestar 4 will commence production in China in November, with a “full-scale” global launch – including Asia Pacific – due early next year.
Two models have been announced, the Long Range Single Motor (from $81,500 ) and the Long Range Dual Motor (from $92,150).
🥇 1. Toyota Prado
Due: June 2024
Model: Prado
Price: from $80,000
If Wheels reader correspondence is anything to go by, the new Prado, due in June, is Australia’s most keenly anticipated new vehicle for 2024.
The ‘250 Series’ Prado rides on a TNGA-F body-on-frame chassis, shared with the LandCruiser 300, Lexus GX and LX, and the Tacoma and Tundra utes. It's no great surprise, then, that its wheelbase is identical to that of the LandCruiser proper.
Some markets see two separate aesthetic treatments but Toyota Australia has rejected the retro round headlamp front end for a more modern grille and rectangular lights. Under the bonnet expect to find a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the current 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel with an identical 150kW and 500Nm.
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It will be matched to a new eight-speed torque-converter automatic, full-time four-wheel-drive, and a starter motor-generator for better fuel economy, quieter startup and smooth initial take-off.
Toyota claims a 50 per cent increase in frame rigidity and a 30 per cent increase in overall rigidity compared to the current Prado, which is based on a HiLux platform. The new Prado will naturally have a full-time all-wheel drive system with a low-range transfer case and a locking centre differential. We also expect the Prado to feature an Everest and MU-X-matching 3500-kilogram capacity – up 500kg over the Prado’s current 3000kg limit.
Measuring 4925mm long, 1980mm wide and 1870mm tall, the new Prado is 100mm longer, 95mm wider and 20mm taller than before. The Prado’s characteristic rear ‘barn door’ makes way for an electric lift-up tailgate similar to the LandCruiser 300.
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Inside, it features wireless Apple CarPlay, over-the-air software updates and Connected Services.
A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster sits ahead of the driver, replacing analogue dials and there’s also a small 4.2-inch multi-information display. As before, there will be seating for five or seven passengers, with a familiar line-up expected where the entry-level GX should have five seats, and all other variants will score seven.
Australian pricing for the new Prado has yet to be revealed, but it’s likely to cost a lot more than the outgoing car’s $62,830 starting price. We predict the entry version will arrive somewhere just north of $80K.
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