Some car releases seem like a natural progression for carmakers to follow. With the SUV-crossover market segment so popular, for instance, it makes a ton of sense that pretty much every big name car brand wants a piece of that pie. Whether it’s in the low-priced SUV market, where companies like Nissan and Kia want to make a splash, or the high-end luxury SUV market, where Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, and Jaguar want to claim their fair share, opportunity is ripe for the picking.
And there’s more than just that. Electric vehicles are no longer a thing of the future: they’re becoming as popular as petrol and diesel cars, if not more. So when you hear of a Ford Mustang-inspired SUV electric vehicle, you might think, "Why not?" That car has been speculated about for years, and it’s finally making it into production. And what will follow suit? Competition, of course, in the form of the Chevrolet Camaro EV SUV.
On the other end of the spectrum, we always wonder how companies don’t see it fit to try to compete against cars dominating their own markets. For instance, the Jeep Wrangler—why does no one try to take them on? Surely, in the future, someone will come along and try to dethrone the off-roading legend. And in the meantime, Jeep isn’t afraid to tackle a market outside of their own wheelhouse—the popular pickup truck segment, coming in the form of the 2020 Jeep Gladiator.
It’s an exciting time for cars, and people are hyped. The cars listed here don’t exist—yet—but they’re sure to if the anticipation and buzz gets strong enough.
Here are 23 cars that don’t exist (yet), but people still hype.
23 Range Rover Road Rover Sedan
While it seems that every car company is trying to dive into markets they haven’t inhabited before—namely the crossover-SUV market, which is one of the fastest growing and biggest markets in the world—it only makes sense that Range Rover, who is known for their SUVs, might deviate away from that history. And what should they make, if not another Defender or Range Rover? How about a sedan? Earlier in the year, Land Rover announced they’re planning to move away from SUVs, and this awesome low-slung “Road Rover” was rendered. It might use a twin-motor layout, with four-wheel-drive capability offered by placing one motor on each axle.
22 Ferrari SUV
While everyone else is getting in on the SUV crossover action, it only makes sense that high-tier exotic companies like Ferrari and Lamborghini would want a piece of the pie. After Lamborghini announced their Urus SUV, which starts at $200,000, Ferrari hinted at their own SUV concept. Ferrari’s SUV will likely be on sale by 2022, and will be the fastest vehicle of its type, Ferrari has said in an Auto Express interview. With Bentley, Lambo, and Rolls-Royce entering the SUV market in recent years, it was a natural progression for Ferrari to follow. The SUV is known as Project Purosange, and they’re keeping it under wraps.
21 Lamborghini Sedan
Another avenue in which Lamborghini is branching out is in the four-door sedan market. Of course, theirs will be an exotic, luxurious four-door sedan. Lamborghini has always been known as a two-door supercar manufacturer, and we expect nothing less than a supercar from the Lamborghini Estoque, which will be a four-door saloon. It will run on a 5.2-liter FSI V10 engine, or possibly a V12 or V8, and it’s expected to be priced at around $230,000. For now, the Estoque is a concept vehicle that never made it to the production planning stage, but that doesn’t rule out Lamborghini of producing a sedan in the future.
20 EV Autonomous Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce is the king of high-end luxury vehicles. There’s something about a Rolls-Royce that oozes class and style—their body shape, badging, smooth V12 engines, and price. They’re also the ultimate limousine cars, with Maybach perhaps coming in second (though they’re owned by Mercedes now). Many people want to see an EV Rolls-Royce that drives itself. The V12 engines belonging to Rolls cars are already smooth and powerful, but can you imagine a completely silent EV Rolls, perhaps borrowing some of Tesla’s self-driving technology? A Rolls-Royce is best enjoyed from the rear seat anyway, so it seems like a natural expansion.
19 Mid-Engine Aston Martin: Vanquish
Even though the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar has yet to hit showrooms, the company is already pondering a second supercar for their lineup, one that will finally have a mid-engine setup like people have been wanting for years. It’s reportedly being co-developed with Red Bull Racing and 130 engineers and designers, and will be aimed at taking down the Ferrari 488 GTB. The as-yet-unnamed supercar will probably feature a new carbon-fiber monocoque with aluminum sub-frames, and rumors expect its sale will commence in 2020. Speculation says it could be called the Vanquish, if they decide to dust off that name, which was discontinued in 2018.
18 Affordable GM Super Sedan
People might consider the Chevrolet SS an affordable super sedan from the USA, as it is a sweet car with 415 horsepower. But that 415 horsepower isn’t exactly groundbreaking when matched up against cars like, say, the Dodge Charger Hellcat, which has 707 whopping horses. People really want to see an affordable domestic super-sedan in the vein of the Dodge Charger Hellcat, because currently, it dominates a market segment in which it is basically the sole car, with no rivals. We would like to see Ford or GM come out with something that could challenge the Charger Hellcat.
17 True Jeep Wrangler Competition
Here’s another car and company that basically owns and dominates a single market segment and has no competition to speak of. The Jeep Wrangler is such a unique and lovable car that no one has really thought to challenge its dominance. Over the years, cars like the Ford Bronco, Land Rover Defender, and Toyota FJ Cruiser have tried to take some of the Wrangler’s market share, but they’ve all pretty much failed. There has to be an automaker out there that can challenge the Wrangler, and perhaps even defeat it at its own off-roading game. Maybe the revived 2020 Ford Bronco will be a true competitor.
16 Ford Mustang SUV
For years people have speculated and complained about the lack of a Ford Mustang SUV—or any kind of sporty Ford SUV, really. But it seems that by 2020 consumers will finally be getting what they wished for. The EV SUV was originally going to be called the Ford Mach 1, which met with instant backlash and caused the company to backpedal and say that the Mach 1 had just been a working title…and that they weren’t really going with that name. Sure, Ford. Either way, people are incredibly hyped and excited about the prospect of an EV Ford SUV with a Mustang-like body styling, which might finally make its appearance.
15 Ford Mustang Raptor
While speculation has been riding high about the Ford Mustang SUV, people have taken the idea a step further: why not make a Ford Mustang in the vein of the legendary Ford F-150 Raptor? X-Tomi Design followed the announcement of the electric Mustang crossover SUV with a design of their own—the Raptor Mustang—in a cutting-edge concept. If the car looks anything like this awesome concept, Ford might have a real winner on their hands. Ford has promised to produce 40 new hybrid and electric vehicles by 2022. We believe the Mustang SUV will be one, and we hope the Mustang Raptor will be another.
14 Chevrolet Camaro SUV
Well, if Ford is going to make an EV SUV in the shape and style of a Mustang, it only makes sense that Chevrolet should try to compete and follow with their own EV SUV—in the shape of a Camaro. And earlier this year, Chevy announced just that—that they’re working on a performance-electric car that looks very much like a crossover. It only makes sense that Chevy will try to compete with the Mustang in a different market segment: the crossover SUV. The Camaro SUV might not have four doors like the Mustang SUV, but it’s probably the closest thing to a Camaro-wagon that we’ll see.
13 Mazda Vision Coupe
For many years people wondered when the Mazda6 would be made into a two-door coupe. Well, Mazda has gone the other direction with it and introduced a concept vehicle that is a stunning four-door coupe dubbed the Mazda Vision. It’s based on the RX platform and seems to look somewhat like an RX-8 or a futuristic RX-7, which would be awesome. Years ago, a bright-red RX-Vision concept stole the Tokyo show, and according to Mazda, the new Vision Coupe is not a successor to that sportier RX-Vision, but rather that car’s elegant foil. We just hope this thing makes it to production!
12 Nissan Versa SUV
The Nissan Versa and Versa Note hatchback are very popular cars in a very popular subcompact segment. While the SUV market is growing and headed toward an inevitable plateau, it only makes sense that Nsisan would capitalize by offering one of their most popular, inexpensive cars (one of the most inexpensive cars in ANY market, really) as a crossover SUV. A Versa-based crossover would grab customers that are put off by the Nissan Juke’s polarizing styling, as well as those who wanted a sub-$20,000 crossover like the Jeep Renegade.
11 Kia Cross-Soul
We don’t know if it’s going to be called the Cross-Soul, or the Soul-X, or something else, but the sentiment remains the same: a Soul-based crossover has a lot of appeal and makes a lot of sense if it’s executed well. Existing Soul buyers who want something with even more crossover appeal could find something familiar here—just take a look at the Trail’ster concept, shown above, and you’ll see what the ideal product of this vehicle might look like. This would certainly garner Kia much-needed percentage points in the SUV segment, which it is sorely lacking at the moment.
10 Jaguar XJ SUV
While every other luxury car company is seemingly getting in on the SUV-crossover action, it only makes sense that Jaguar would follow suit. Jaguar might be more focused on their F-Pace for now, which is a really sweet looking SUV in the $50,000 range, but we think an XJ-based SUV would perform much better in the US market, where the XJ is their most popular series. Alongside the highest trim levels of the Mercedes-Benz GL and the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce’s upcoming “high-bodied car,” the extended-wheelbase Range Rover, and other super-high-end luxury SUVs, Jaguar could certainly make a splash. Plus, they could probably price their car under the competition, while looking just as good.
9 AWD Toyota Prius X
As a potential Prius V replacement sometime down the road, the Prius X could offer things that no other Prius has had so far—and which consumers desperately want. Namely, available all-wheel drive. The Prius X could also offer similar interior space and efficiency, or maybe even more. If you consider the V6-based Highlander Hybrid that starts at nearly $50,000, it seems like Toyota is in a position to offer a vehicle like this in their lineup. A Toyota Prius X, a high-bodied car with all-wheel drive and a spacious interior, could be just what Toyota fans want to see.
8 Honda Urban EV
Honda’s cute, upcoming electric city car has been confirmed for production recently, and people are stoked. The Urban EV concept will go ahead with full production starting in 2019. Given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the clean and simplistic electric city car, Honda’s design boss, Makoto Iwaki, told Top Gear that he plans to keep the production car true to the concept, a la the Jaguar i-Pace. Details like the front and rear LED displays might not make it to production, or the wraparound interior screens, for cost reasons. You can expect the car to be a five-seater, despite its size, and it’ll have a lower range than, say, a Tesla.
7 Vision-Mercedes Maybach 6
This might be one of the sleekest, classiest luxury vehicle concepts to come out in recent years, and it was first shown in 2016! The Vision-Mercedes Maybach 6 concept takes inspiration from Maybach limousines and exteriors from 1930s cars, like pre-war Bugattis and Talbot-Lagos. It has flowing lines and an immense size which is best viewed in profile. Chrome strips accentuate the curvy body. It measures 222 inches (18.5 feet!), making it an inch longer than the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe. Its four electric motors produce 738 horsepower, and it’ll have a range of 311 miles, should it ever get put into mass production. This might be the best collaboration between Mercedes and the newly-bought Maybach brand!
6 Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV
Okay, we might have jumped the gun when we said the Maybach 6 was the best collaboration between the two marques, because the Mercedes-Maybach SUV has the potential to look really cool also, if not a bit more standard. Debuting at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the Maybach-branded GLS will be Mercedes’ foray into the crowded luxury SUV market, and we’re sure they’ll make quite a splash. Rather than the boxy G-wagon looks, the GLS sports a curvier style more akin to other SUVs in the segment. Mercedes recently trademarked the GLS 73 moniker, which could be reserved for the bonkers “73” models that could have 800 hybrid horsepower!
5 Lamborghini Ferruccio
When Ferrari came out with their Ferrari Enzo, it was a true testament to the founder of the company, Enzo Ferrari. The 660-hp, V12-engined supercar started at $670,000 and makes us wonder why Lamborghini has never created a supercar as an homage to its own founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini. Well, no more! This highly futuristic Lamborghini Ferruccio concept was made by Mark Hostler to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the company in 2013. According to the designer, the concept is “a car that takes inspiration from the company’s lineage, and also showcases current design language and innovations of the company and their trademark flamboyant style.” We just hope something like it will someday be made.
4 Mercedes-Benz EQC
Mercedes teased their EQ concept at Frankfurt in 2017, where the show car became a preview of future electric compact models. The EQC concept car takes after their scrapped Vision G-Code concept and was shown alongside the Project One, which has already made it to the production stages. This tall hatchback or small CUV rides on a set of large alloy wheels, though it appears to be cut from the G-Code cloth, a futuristic coupe with illuminated front grille and zero emissions. The car was also shown alongside the GLC F-Cell EQ Power, and we hope some of these futuristic cars get produced sometime soon.