In the main section of this site, you’ll find our reviews of nearly 260 individual models, but such is the rate of development in this industry that there will already be plans for their replacements in place, never mind the dozens of other models nobody has yet seen or heard of. For those,  we gaze into our crystal ball to bring you a glimpse at the future automotive landscape.

Lots of rumours and hints have been coming out of Italy regarding future Alfa Romeo models, all of them electric. The next Giulia saloon will be an EV, for example, and it’s likely to sire a sporty coupe as well. A larger executive model is also expected, while fans of the brand must be hoping for a resurrection of the Spider name, too. 

Late in 2025, it’s expected that Alpine will formally enter the Irish market, led by the Renault 5-based A290 hot hatch and swiftly followed by the production version of the dramatic A390 concept and a new A110 coupe. All will be electric.

Audi has just embarked on a massive rejuvenation of its lineup and there’s lots more to come from the German brand in 2025, including brand-new iterations of the Q3 SUV and the Audi A7. The latter will be reinvented to partly fill the gap left by the outgoing combustion-engined A6 and will be offered as an Avant estate as well as a saloon.

Relatively speaking, BMW will have a quiet year as it ramps up to the 2026 launch of its ‘Neue Klasse’ cars, effectively the next generation of the company. Before that, though, we’ll see mid-life updates for the 2 Series Gran Coupe and iX, plus CS versions of the M2 and M3 Touring.

It’s possible that by the time you read this, BYD will have already confirmed that its Seagull model, a small EV, will launch in Ireland in 2025 – though probably rebranded as the Dolphin Mini. We also know that BYD plans to introduce some of its sub-brands to the Irish market shortly, including Denza, an upmarket marque.

Citroën will shortly have the updated C4 and C4 X to sell, alongside the great-value C3 and C3 Aircross and, given the appearance of the C5 Aircross concept car last year, you can be sure that a production model is on the way, too.

Cupra has already launched a wealth of new models – such as the excellent Terramar and Tavascan – and updates to its existing Leon and Formentor, so it will focus on those for 2025, but we know that a junior EV is waiting in the wings, called the Raval.

Audi Alpine

DS Automobiles has been a little quiet of late, but we’re likely to see the French brand get a kickstart this year with the unveiling of a new D-segment electric car codenamed “D85” and a replacement for the classy DS 7 SUV. Meanwhile, the stylish DS 4 will finally become available with purely electric power.

The biggest news from Fiat this year will be the reinvention of one of its iconic nameplates, ie the Panda. The new “Grande Panda” features cool retro styling, but otherwise has a thoroughly modern vibe, and it will even be available with electric power.

Honda plans to radically overhaul its model range in the coming years, previewed by the ‘0 Series’ revealed in early 2024. Before that is the new Prelude coupe.

Though it may be a while before it hits production, the Ineos Fusilier will be the firm’s first EV, though it has promised that it will be just as good off-road as the existing Grenadier.

Keen-eyed readers may have noted the lack of any Jaguar models in our A-Z this year. That’s because the company has ceased manufacturing of all cars as it undergoes a complete reinvention. We’ve already seen a concept previewing the company’s design direction, and it has test mules on the road, so it’s an exciting time for the marque. 

A new Jeep Compass has already been teased, but it’s the all-new models due in the coming years we’re more excited about, including the all-electric Recon 4×4 and luxurious Wagoneer S EV.

Kia has already quietly launched facelifted versions of its Picanto, Sorento, and EV6, while making a big song and dance about its excellent EV3. There are more EV-named electric models on the way as well, including the Sportage-sized EV5 and – hopefully – a sporty crossover called EV4.

The new Mazda CX-80 has just arrived, but big news this year from the Japanese firm is the launch of a brand-new EV, though car enthusiasts will be hoping that the gorgeous Iconic SP show car paves the way for a sporty new Mazda coupe.

Likely to be a firm favourite with Irish buyers will be the new Mercedes CLA, offered in electric format for the first time (but not just electric). At the upper end of the price spectrum, meanwhile, will be an all-new SUV developed from the ground up by the company’s high-performance division, Mercedes-AMG.

MG has been incredibly busy of late and that should continue into 2025 when we expect to see an electric replacement for the old ZS and a coupe version of the fabulous MG Cyberster electric roadster. We’re also told that a small electric city car is in the pipeline, possibly to be badged the MG2.

Polestar 6 preview

Porsche Cayenne prototypes on the road

It’s hoped that Nissan will unveil an all-electric Micra this year, alongside the long-awaited third-generation Leaf EV. The latter is largely expected to take the form of a crossover rather than the sensible five-door hatchback of the first two iterations. Eventually, the Juke and Qashqai will be replaced by new EVs, too.

With the Polestars 3 and 4 now on sale, alongside an updated version of the Polestar 2, our attention turns to the next models from the Swedish brand. Naturally, they’re called the Polestar 5 and 6 and from what we’ve already seen of them, they’re something to look forward to.

Electrification is the name of Porsche’s game over the next couple of years, starting with the new Cayenne SUV. Internal combustion engines won’t be killed off completely, but the first-ever all-electric Cayenne will be launched this year. Perhaps more controversially, Porsche’s much-loved mid-engined 718 will be replaced by an all-electric successor. 

This should finally be the year that the fully electric Range Rover is unveiled in full. 

Renault continues with its retro theme this year with the launch of an all-new Renault 4. It references the original in its appealing design, and it retains the focus on practicality too, though this one is fully electric. There’s a new Twingo as well, but we’re not certain if that will make it to Irish shores.

Following several years of very few changes to its cars, SEAT has confirmed that it will give its Ibiza and Arona facelifts this year.

Following on from the Škoda Elroq will be several new electric models, including an entry-level hatchback, a C-segment estate, and a seven-seat SUV.

Suzuki has unveiled its first EV, the e-Vitara, sharing its name (but not its platform) with the long-lived crossover. A range of well over 400km is predicted, along with the option of all-wheel drive.

Will Volkswagen unveil the production-ready version of the cool ID.2 concept cars this year? We do hope so. And we also hope there’s a GTI version as well.

Volvo will swiftly follow on from the electric EX90 with a saloon-shaped alternative, the ES90.