Top 5 most eagerly awaited cars in 2013

We keep hearing it: we are in the middle of a crisis. And yet there had never been so many new models on the market as there were last year. Now 2013 promises to be just as productive. Here are five innovations we’re particularly looking forward to.

Mercedes S-Class

Traditionally, new S-Class models boast technological innovations that a few years later will be standard in everyday cars. A spaceship doubling as a flagship, if you like. We heard a plasma screen would replace the conventional analogue instruments, and a plug-in hybrid is also rumoured to feature in the catalogue. Finally, the S-Class has the difficult task of replacing the Maybach. Therefore, no fewer than six versions are planned.

BMW i3

BMW is, historically, quite conservative, but the i3 breaks all the rules. This electric city car with front-wheel drive is nothing less than a revolution for the brand, an ambitious project aimed at the future. Let us hope that BMW isn’t thinking too far ahead and that the i3 retains the brand’s traditional driving pleasure. The pleasant sound of the engine accompanying the rpm climbs, however, is gone. Reportedly, BMW is also planning a version with extended autonomy (in the shape of a fuel-powered generator).

Alfa Romeo 4C

‘Cuore sportivo’ is Alfa Romeo’s slogan. And yet, fans of the brand are inconsolable, since the current range consists of a city car and compact class, reaping special praise for their diesel engines. Is Alfa Romeo but a shadow of its former self? It promises to return to the source with the 4C: a youthful, lightweight coupé with central engine, for real sports enthusiasts. The sportiness is back with an almighty bang, then. A request for the engineers: make those wheel trains dance and the engine sing.

Lexus IS

Diesel fans will have to learn to live with it: the next Lexus IS will abandon the self-ignition engine. Not the best way to compete against the Audi A4, the BMW 3 and the Mercedes C-Class... But Lexus has another trump card up its sleeve: a hybrid. It has a 2.5L petrol engine that delivers more than 200hp, but emitting less than 100g CO2/km. We can’t wait to see whether these figures are correct in practice too, and whether this Japanese car can compete with its German rivals.

Chevrolet Corvette

For 60 years, the Corvette has been the only true American sports car, a tough competitor for the Porsche 911 – with slightly less sophisticated ways, but a more exuberant behaviour. The energy crisis hasn’t claimed the scalp of its traditional engine: the old faithful V8 is still there, albeit in a 6.2l variant. This engine has been recycled countless times and promises a dramatically lower consumption for the next generation of Corvette, the C7. There remains the question, though, of whether this old dear is a match for its European rivals, who are armed with the latest technology.