january2021

What’s Not: A slew of AMG engines

are lined up for duty, from turbocharged

and mild hybrid inline-fours and -sixes

to twin-turbocharged and mild hybrid

V-8s. Both rear- and 4Matic+ all-wheel

drive will be offered, indicating a nine-

speed automatic rather than the GT’s

racy dual-clutch.

When: Late 2021

How Much: $100,000 (est)

Lucid Air

What’s New: Coming from much of

the brain trust that created the Tesla

Model S and every battery used in For-

mula E, the Lucid Air is in many ways

the now-aging Model S’ spiritual suc-

cessor. The car is a technology power-

house, initially with 1,000 hp (and po-

tentially 1,200 hp) from its dual electric

motors—with a three-motor version in

the plans. A key advance is its motors’

operation at a soaring 900 volts, min-

iaturizing the drivetrain. The result is

unexpected passenger room inside,

cloaked in a sublime shape penned by

ex-Mazda design chief Derek Jenkins.

What’s Not: As Lucid’s from-the-

ground-up first offering, it shares noth-

ing with anything before it.

When: Fall 2021

How Much: $60,000 (est)

Mercedes-Benz EQS

What’s New: The EQS is the first of

four mid- to large-sized electric vehi-

cles—two cars and two SUVs—sched-

uled to come off Daimler’s new mod-

ular BEV architecture. As the name

suggests, this is intended to be the

electric equivalent of an S-Class and

is roughly the same overall size as the

current flagship Mercedes sedan. De-

spite a sporty roofline inspired by the

CLS and AMG GT 4-Door, the BEV

architecture follows the familiar skate-

board format with a central underfloor

battery pack and motors at each axle,

which affords significantly more room

for passengers and their stuff. The

dramatic interior features a full-width

screen spanning the dash and extending

down to the center console.

What’s Not: Assorted pieces of sus-

pension and brake hardware. The flush

door handles and next-gen MBUX sys-

tem will be shared with the new W223

S-Class.

When: 2021

How Much: $110,000 (est)

Audi TT E-Tron

What’s New: Audi’s shifting priorities

killed off the TT as we know it, but

the iconic coupe will live on in spir-

it with battery power. Although Audi

and Porsche are working on the PPE

platform for large premium EVs and

the Taycan’s J1 platform will support

Porsche electric sports cars, Volkswa-

gen’s MEB platform will underpin the

TT E-Tron. MEB’s dual-motor capa-

bility will provide Quattro electric all-

wheel drive. As before, the TT EV will

have snazzy styling, a practical hatch-

back, and a drop-top variant.

What’s Not: Like its combustion fore-

bear, the Audi TT E-Tron will share

parts with common Volkswagens from

the MEB platform.

When: 2023

How Much: $50,000 (est)

Future Trucks: What’s NEXT

Trucks are the best-selling vehicles in

America, and we don’t expect that to

change any time soon, certainly not be-

fore these trucks of the future become

the trucks of today. From electric trucks

with monster power and zero emissions

to small trucks that fit in your garage to

a total rethink of what a pickup can be,

there will be a lot of ways to move your

friends’ furniture in the years to come.

Tesla Cybertruck

What’s New: Tesla’s take on the pickup

truck is more than just its stealth-bomb-

er styling. Its sheetmetal is 3mm-thick

unpainted stainless steel that’s bent into

shape, instead of stamped as with tra-

ditional trucks. Its F-150-sized frame

has a front and rear trunk, a 6.5-foot

bed, and built-in storage in its bed but-

tresses. Inside are two rows of bench

seats with seating for six. Tesla says the

Cybertruck can travel up to 500 miles

on a charge when packaged with a new

“double-stacked” battery.

What’s Not: Its motors—it’s available

with single-motor rear drive, dual-mo-

tor all-wheel drive, and tri-motor all-

wheel drive—are borrowed from the

Model S (with the latter setup making

around 800 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft

of torque). The Cybertruck’s air sus-

pension, which is both load-leveling

and capable of tilting the back toward

the ground so you can drive ATVs di-

rectly into the bed, comes from the

Model X. From the Model 3 and Model

Y, the Cybertruck gets Tesla’s familiar

horizontal tablet infotainment setup.

When: Early 2022

How Much: $39,900 (single-motor);

$49,900 (dual-motor); $69,900 (tri-mo-

tor)