A quarter of the way into the 21st century seems like a good place to stop and take stock of where the automotive industry is at, and quite frankly, it’s not something even the foremost experts can get a handle on.
Some countries and manufacturers are fully committed to EVs, others are hesitant and looking at other alternatives, and that’s reflected in the cars due to debut in 2025. There’s everything from old-school V8 sports cars to tech-laden EVs, and, as the old-guard manufacturers lean into nostalgia more than ever, the surprise returns of some much-loved names from times gone by.
Naturally, there are a lot of dreary crossovers in the works, but there’s plenty for the enthusiast to get excited about too. We’ve picked out the cars we’re most looking forward to seeing during the next 12 months.
Lexus LFR/Toyota GR GT3
Toyota GR GT3 concept
One of the most anticipated potential launches of 2025, this longboi is essentially a homologation special. It’s set to be the basis for Toyota’s next GT3 racer and is rumoured to either be called the Lexus LFR or Toyota GR GT3. This could even vary between markets.
With the racing version expected to debut for the 2026 season, we’d bet on seeing it by the end of 2025. The road car is rumoured to be using a new twin-turbo V8 paired with a hybrid system, with some reports putting power as high as around 900bhp, while the race car will ditch the electrification. It should look very similar to the GR GT3 concept from 2022, and we’ve put together everything we know about it here.
Mercedes-AMG CLE 63
Reception to the plug-in hybrid four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG C63 has been tepid at best, something reflected in its sales figures. It’s no surprise, then, that for the full-fat AMG version of the CLE coupe – a car originally expected to use the same powertrain – Merc seems to have U-turned.
Rumours started up this year that the CLE 63 will now use AMG’s well-proven 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, most likely in 585bhp mild-hybrid guise. This looks to have been confirmed by spy videos capturing the car with a distant but distinct V8 rumble emanating from its pipes.
Audi RS5
The Audi RS4 is dead, at least in combustion guise. Audi’s new naming strategy means that even numbers will be reserved for EVs, meaning that, just as the petrol A4 has become the A5, the outgoing RS4 will be replaced by the RS5.
Likely to be a plug-in hybrid with an uprated version of the new S5’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, we reckon peak power will be north of 500bhp. It’ll be available as both an Avant estate and, for the first time since the corking B7 RS4, a saloon. Our only reservation so far is that, from what we’ve seen, it doesn’t seem to be making a whole lot of noise.
Audi RS7
That lack of noise could be solved by the RS5’s big sibling, the RS7. Yep, this is effectively the successor to the current RS6 and is expected to make use of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, again as part of a plug-in hybrid system.
Peak power could approach around 700bhp, and it’ll go head-to-head with the new hybrid BMW M5 Touring. While only the Avant’s been spotted testing so far, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a saloon or Sportback version come along, too.
Porsche 911 Turbo 992.2
Porsche 911 Turbo 991.1
Porsche is currently in the process of giving the entire current-gen 911 a mid-life refresh. We’ve already seen it in boggo Carrera, Carrera T, GT3 and newly-hybridised GTS guises, and Porsche has confirmed that the updated Turbo – also set to be a hybrid – is on its way in 2025.
We don’t know the extent of the hybridisation yet, but Porsche has said that the electric bits will be produced by Varta, which also makes the GTS’s hybrid components, so we expect a largely similar system, with a small motor hooked up to the gearbox. In other words, it’s probably not going to be that much of a hybrid.
Porsche 718 EV
‘Excited’ is probably the wrong word for this one. Maybe ‘intrigued’ is more apt. After all, we know Porsche is perfectly capable of building a cracking EV, and we don’t doubt the battery-powered 718 will be just that.
But can an EV sports car ever really live up to the sheer brilliance of the soon-to-die 718 Boxster and Cayman, especially in their six-cylinder guises? We’re frankly sceptical but happy to be proven wrong.
Ferrari EV
The same applies here. We wouldn’t say we’re thrilled to see the Cavallino Rampante making its way onto the flanks of an electric car, but we’re definitely interested to see how Ferrari gives an EV its… Ferrari-ness.
That’s especially the case because we have no idea what it’s going to look like. Some outlets – and indeed the mules spotted testing – hint at a second SUV to slot in below the Purosangue, others reckon on a pure sports car, and others still think it could sit somewhere in between. Ferrari, for its part, just promises it’ll be “a surprise”.
Honda Prelude
Honda Prelude concept
A little over a year ago, the Honda Prelude would have been quite far down the list of classic sports car names we’d expect to return, and if it did, we’d have guessed Honda would pull a Ford Capri or Mitsubishi Eclipse and slap it on a jacked-up crossover.
But no, the Prelude is coming back, and true to its roots, it’s going to be a relatively affordable coupe – a very rare thing these days. It’s confirmed for Europe, and we expect it to use the underpinnings and powertrain of the Civic Hybrid. It should also look pretty much identical to the concept. Shame the previously rumoured manual gearbox might not be a thing, though.
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N
Hyundai RN22e concept
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the first performance EV that’s truly wowed us, so much so that it was one of the finalists of our 2024 Car of the Year test. We’re expecting more of the same from the upcoming Ioniq 6 N. It’s likely to use the same dual-motor, 641bhp setup as its boxy cousin, but packaged beneath the Ioniq 6’s unorthodox streamliner body.
It should also carry over the 5 N’s various performance features, including its remarkably good simulated gearshifts. Visually, we can basically expect a toned-down version of the RN22e concept from a couple of years ago.
Renault Twingo
Renault Twingo concept
Fresh from reviving the 4 and 5 as cute retro EVs, Renault is giving the bug-eyed original Twingo the same treatment, which we saw previewed as a concept last year. A production version will arrive in 2025 as the smallest and cheapest of Renault’s triumvirate of retro EVs.
There is a possible asterisk here: there’s a chance that, just like the brilliant first-gen Twingo that inspired it, the new one might not make it to right-hand drive markets. It’s something Renault’s currently evaluating, its product performance boss told Autocar in October. We sincerely hope it finds a way.
Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Good as they are, the closely related Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV are getting on a bit. Successors to both are expected to be revealed in 2025, sharing underpinnings with the new Dodge Charger.
Previously, the official line was that both would be electric-only, but Alfa has now conceded that, amid faltering EV demand, both could receive petrol powerplants too. These likely include the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo Hurricane straight-six as the Charger, which currently makes as much as 550bhp – a solid base, we think, for future Quadrifoglio versions. It’s expected that the Stelvio will be on sale by the end of the year, followed by the Giulia in 2026.
