2013 – Coming to a Dealer Near You...
Apologies for this arriving so late, there was snow on the line between my penthouse apartment and Netcars HQ. But fear not, I am back with the promised whistle-stop tour of 2013. As ever, it’ll be gone before you even realise its arrived. I’ll kick off with a few of the Detroit Motor Show highlights which should suffice for January’s motoring treats and then whip through the rest of the year in the usual manner.
January
Detroit has revealed a lot and obviously, I can’t go through it all here but what I can give you are the stars of the show. This includes the Merc CLS’s smaller brother the CLA. It gives us a pretty good insight into the future at Mercedes as this four-door coupe is set to go up against the Audi A3 and a secret BMW 1-Series saloon which is in the pipeline. In other news, we saw the next incarnation of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, a couple of changes here and there but nothing major to report design-wise. Hyundai’s HDC-14 gave a glimpse of the company’s design future which is looking very ‘space-age’ to say the least. As ever, Hyundai is one to watch as we see the Korean firms get more of a stronghold on the reasonably-priced car sector.
Elsewhere in January, the Range Rover will make its way on to forecourts, probably a little bit late given the conditions we’ve just had, more info on this in last week’s blog. And finally, the James May-esque Dacia Sandero and Duster begin the Renault-owned firm’s advancement into the UK. The critics suggest that these two really do represent low-cost motoring at its very best. And of course, the VW Golf Mark 7 will take to the road and continue to front VW as a real class leader of family cars.
Also in January: Mini JCW GP, Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Mokka, Mazda 6 and Mercedes A-Class.
February
Citroen have bitten back with the DS3, Peugeot have done the same with the 308 and now Renault will attempt to pull back its reputation in February with the return of the Clio. The motoring press suggest that this should put Renault pretty near the top of the pile, which is a relief for French motoring. Obviously, the real test will come when the RenaultSport version arrives later this year...
Also in February: Caterham Seven Supersport R, Vauxhall Insignia Super Sport and Ford Kuga.
March
The F150 arrives in the autumn but until then, the stunning F12 Berlinetta takes the stage as Ferrari’s fastest and most powerful production car to date. A V12 complete with 730bhp for a bargain £240,000. But if you can’t stretch to that, how about a Fiesta ST? It has a two month head-start on the Clio RS but provided Ford have put all the best bits of the standard car into this one and then just turned up the heat a bit, it should be a raging success.Image credit: image
Also in March: Porsche Cayman, Toyota Rav4, Mercedes GL, Vauxhall Adam, Fiat 500L, Skoda Octavia, Kia Carens and MG 6 Diesel.
April
I don’t think there is anything to get too excited about in April, BMW return with another ‘GT’, this time disguised as a 3-Series; and the Nissan Leaf gets a facelift, unfortunately, I don’t think goes far enough to make it ‘appealing’.
May
The excitement is back in May, initially with the Mercedes SLS Black. ‘Black Series’ Mercs are notorious for getting Mr Clarkson’s knickers in a twist with excitement and so, fingers crossed, this will do the same. It’s also make-or-break time for Jaguar when the F-Type hits showrooms, the ‘spiritual successor’ of the legendary E-Type. It may not be quite as iconic but it promises to be another gem from Jaguar. The Clio RS also makes an appearance. Renault will also face massive challenges in trying to ensure that RenaultSport remains the king of the hot hatches with the next generation.Image credit: image
June
The Jag XF has proved to be something of a hit amongst us Brits and the XFR-S is due this summer. It’ll be something of an animal with its 5.0 litre V8 but it looks like it’ll be a lot of fun too. Battle really steps up in the summer for the hot hatch category as we see the Peugeot 208 GTI, supposedly the car to ‘regenerate’ the 205 GTI, my favourite hot hatch of all time. You can expect a couple of ‘hot hatch special’ issues from the motoring press this summer.
Also in June: Kia Cee’d GT, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes CLA on sale and Renault Clio SUV.
July
If the Aventador doesn’t attract quite as much attention as you’d like, your solution arrives this summer: the Roadster version. £300,000 gets you near enough the same performance figures as the standard car although I do worry that a car with such power will squirm when it’s missing some of its structural integrity. Nonetheless, one of the best designed Lambos since the days of the Countach in my opinion. The eagerly awaited A-Class also hits showrooms, furthering Mercedes’ assault on the A3 and the 1-Series. The hot hatch flame is turned up another notch in the later part of the summer when the next Golf GTI breaks cover ahead of the new Golf R due in early 2014.
Also in July: Audi RS6 Avant, Aston Martin Rapide, Lexus IS, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander, Renault Zoe, Seat Leon SC, Toyota Auris Touring Sports and Ford Focus EV.
August
As per usual, August is a quiet one, normally in anticipation of a busy autumn/winter season. And 2013 certainly lives up to the norm...
September
The ‘new look’ Alfa Romeo finally arrives with the 4C. Petrolheads all around are getting a little bit excited about what looks like one of the most stunning cars that the company has ever produced. Another make-or-break car, this is set to light Alfa’s fuse and boost sales for the next few years. The McLaren P1 should also be mentioned but I’ll refer you to another one of my posts for the details. As we expected, BMW have chopped off the Rolls-Royce Ghost’s head, like they did with the Phantom so expect this in the autumn of 2013 as well.
Also in September: Porsche 918, Corvette C7, Porsche 911 GT3, Infiniti Q50, Nissan Note, MG 3, Suzuki S-Cross and Vauxhall Insignia.
October
There is only one thing worth getting excited about in October. The Ferrari F150. The replacement of the Enzo. Details are sketchy but it is F1-inspired. Expect a massive showdown between the McLaren P1 and F150. Promises to be simply awesome.
November
Towards the back end of the year, the new Vanquish returns in Volante form and Lamborghini are back with one of their limited-run special editions, the Sesto Elemento. They’ll be 20 of them and each around £1.5 million. Expect them all to have sold by the time you finish writing your cheque. After a fairly long absence, the S-Class is refreshed and, as expected, the tech is jaw-dropping – it will be able to read and react to conditions ahead making the driver near enough redundant. Back in the real world, VW launch the Up! GT. It probably won’t be taking on the big hot hatch boys but marks a first in a long time for VW as it enters the performance city car sector for the first time since the hot Lupo.
Image credit: image
Also in November: BMW 4-Series, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Porsche Macan, BMW X5, Range Rover Sport, BMW i3, VW XL1, Kia Soul and Citroen C4 Picasso.
December
The RCZ used to be my ‘guilty pleasure’. But I’m no longer ashamed. It is gorgeous and by the end of the year, we’ll see the R version marking the most powerful production Peugeot we have ever seen. The rest of the RCZ range will also get a facelift. And in true German style, Audi will expand the A3 range to ensure it has every possible niche in the market well and truly covered: enter the A3 saloon. Audi A4 anyone?
Fair to say, a pretty exciting one. I think the hot hatches will steal the show with a number of the class leaders being replaced; it will be interesting to see how that adjusts the hot hatch league tables. And of course, we see two automotive legends battle it out once again: McLaren and Ferrari go head to head, no doubt it will be a very close call. That’s what’s coming up folks, thanks for reading, back for more next week.
AND DON’T FORGET: TopGear starts on Sunday, 8pm, BBC2.