The current crop of electric cars on sale today are simply staggering compared to what the market had to offer around ten years ago. Suddenly, you have a choice of hundreds of things rather than just a few, and manufacturers are scrambling for the cash as they try to produce the best ones possible.
The U.S. market is key for EV sales and Tesla seems to be dominating the scene ever since the release of the revolutionary Model S back in 2012. As a result, this year, ten new EVs, among others, are set to hit the U.S. market that we think are quite overhyped and should be looked at with a fine magnifying glass.
10 Mini Countryman Electric
The Mini Cooper electric has already impacted the European market in a relatively healthy fashion. It's aimed squarely at the Fiat 500e and intends to be a fashionable choice for an EV for someone whose looking to get out of an ICE car.
With the Cooper's success in mind, the next car to receive the electrified treatment is the Countryman crossover. However, it's easy to suspect that it will command extortionate money, considering it uses BMW's running gear and that other EVs will be much more practical and overall better choices.
Cars like the VW ID4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and many others are bound to be more recommendable than the electric Countryman. So, it may be best to hold off the hype.
9 Volvo EX90
The Volvo XC90 stormed the SUV market when it originally went on sale nearly 20 years ago. It was better value and in some ways, more practical than a Range Rover or a Land Rover Discovery.
However, Volvo appears to have thrown the value aspect out of the window, and introduced an all-electric EX90 that will start from a whopping $80,000. For context, a normal XC90 begins at around $56,000.
This price hike is off-putting to any loyal Volvo customer who wants to trade their ICE SUV for an all-electric one. It's almost as if the Swedish brand is hyping themselves up to appeal to a totally new market that may not even be tempted. The marketing strategy for the EX90 was a bad one, and Volvo should take a long, hard look at what they want to do with it.
8 Maserati Granturismo Folgore
The Granturismo Folgore is Maserati's first ever EV, and by the sounds of it, it's a deeply impressive thing. 750 hp from three electric motors and a 0-60 mph time of just 2.7 seconds is a truly ballistic performance.
While the Folgore is technologically superb, it is also estimated to cost around $200,000. While this is competitive with the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, it is a huge amount of money for a car that doesn't look that different from its predecessor and offers less of that raucous soul, given you can't have it with a bellowing V8.
Of course, a twin-turbocharged Nettuno V6 will also be on offer, but the Folgore's price point and evolutionary nature might mean that it will end up becoming a hard sell - especially in the U.S. market.
7 Mercedes EQG
If you live in Los Angeles, the Mercedes G-Wagon is a common sight. Every successful resident has one, and everybody who lives there wants one, just like the next iPhone. It's a fashion statement, despite the fact that the original purpose of the G-Wagon was for it to be a rugged beast.
You can imagine therefore, that L.A. will be very excited about news of an upcoming all-electric version. But, it's probably best to stay off the hype train on the grounds that electric Mercs have somewhat under delivered.
The EQS was supposed to be the all-electric S-Class, but falls very short on the level of luxury and ambiance in which the S-Class has always delivered. And the EQC could never hold its own weight against rivals. The EQG therefore, could end up underwhelming its customers, so it's probably best to hang fire until we see what they come up with.
6 DeLorean Alpha 5
When news first appeared that a new DeLorean would hit the market, everybody got excited to their bones. The DMC-12 never received a successor and finally, we would be getting one.
Unfortunately however, as advanced as the Alpha 5 is, it resembles nothing like the original DeLorean and instead looks like a low, generic EV. Not even subtle styling cues hint at the iconic, original design and nobody looking at one will immediately think DeLorean.
Ferrari has a certain skill in embracing new designs that are still as distinctive as products of the prancing horse. The Alpha 5 on the other hand only builds up hype because of its name, and doesn't flatter its history anywhere else.
5 Dodge Charger SRT Daytona EV
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The Challenger and Charger are set to go out of production by the end of 2023 and are set to be replaced by an all-electric replacement, hinting at the concept of the Charger SRT Daytona EV.
Mopar fans and customers only bought Hellcats and the like because of their grumbling V8s and old-school charm, so replacing that with batteries and electric motors will do nothing more than alienate the majority of Dodge's customers and fan base.
It certainly has promising, retro looks that hark back to the 1968 Charger, but that's all it is. The rest is nothing more than overhyped marketing.
4 Rolls-Royce Spectre
In theory, a Rolls-Royce EV is an ideal luxury cruiser. If the brand, with its many fascinating qualities, has consistently produced engines that have evolved to become fully silent, then an electric powertain would be a perfect transition.
The Spectre is the brand's first EV, but you wouldn't be able to immediately tell because it appears to be a facelift of the 10-year-old Wraith. The interior of the Spectre looks exactly the same as the brand's older vehicles, and for an all-new, revolutionary car, and this simply isn't good enough if they aim to change their game.
The Spectre does possess a very attractive design, but so does the Wraith. So, paying a premium of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars for a car that is less convenient and not that much different from its predecessor is going to be tricky to sell.
3 Tesla Roadster
What began as a massive hype fest in 2018 has translated into zero fruition at the time of writing in 2023. The Tesla Roadster has done nothing more than impress on paper and the initial demonstration, but not deliver almost six years down the line.
It's 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds is irrelevant when Tesla have failed to bring the car to market with no real sign of when they are going to be delivered to customers. Elon Musk was very pleased with himself when he revealed it at the launch, but extensive delays have only lowered the hype for the Roadster and might even kill off the excitement completely.
2 Tesla Cybertruck
Expectedly, Tesla's worst offender on the topic of hype is the elusive Cybertruck. With its mad, angular styling and futuristic interior, it hyped the public like no other truck - or any vehicle - that came before it. Order books became flooded as people flocked to jump on the hype train.
However, it would end up as being one of the most overrated vehicle launches of all time. Like the Roadster, it's been several years with no sign of further progress to bring the truck onto the market. Tesla say production will start by the end of 2023, but they still have thousands of deposits for the things and customers still don't know when their Cybertruck is going to arrive.
It may even be safe to say that the Cybertruck was too aspirational. Too mad. So crazy, that there is no realistic way it can be brought onto the market without any major or expensive changes.
1 Audi Q8 E-Tron
Audi's Q8 model has been a fairly successful SUV. It's based on the same platform and shell as the Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne Coupe. It's more stylish than the Q7 and bringing an all-electric version of it sounds tempting.
Unfortunately, Audi decided that the Q8 E-Tron should be nothing more than an updated version of their smaller, less prestige E-Tron SUV. A car that simply doesn't match the full-size Q8 in terms of size, luxury or presence. So, why did they suddenly apply the Q8 name to it?
The Q8 E-Tron to Audi customers serves as an underwhelming, yet overhyped vehicle that tries to be more upmarket due to a name change.