EV Torque – a look ahead

As 2021 ended, there were almost 40,000 EVs on New Zealand roads. That’s a 60 per cent increase year on year. I can’t wait to see where we land at the end of 2022 because growth is surging thanks to the Clean Car Discount. And the introduction of the Clean Car Feebate and Clean Car Standards, which both come into effect fully in April, should accelerate momentum further. 

Below is a good guess as to what EVs we can expect here in the near future based on what’s happening overseas, and a few cryptic announcements from local distributors. If these models don’t show up in New Zealand, you should be asking your local dealer why.  

AUDI– the Q4 e-tron could be a real volume model for Audi. Expect at some point an upgraded second gen e-tron, which will eventually spawn a Q8 model.  

ARRIVAL– This new firm has established operations in Australia. Likely to launch with their commercial van, they have released details of a car, targeting ride hailing and taxi/uber sectors. I pick this as one to watch.

BMW– The iX3 landed last year and the new iX, i4 and i7 models will arrive, boasting impressive range, along with a premium price. I’m sure demand will exceed supply however. 

CITROEN– The brand is growing here once again thanks to Auto Distributors NZ. The e-C4 is arriving shortly in NZ which is great news but supply will be limited.

FORD– The American is full on into the electrification of its range and we will hopefully see the Mustang Mach E, as well as a range of electric vans in 2022. 

HYUNDAI– Ioniq and Kona are selling well, and Hyundai also has a foot in the hydrogen fuel cell camp so it will be interesting to monitor whether this takes off. However, recent announcements suggest the company is pulling back on the hydrogen front.

KIA– The EV6 spearheads a new range of EVs from this brand. Expect  further models as it shares more platforms with Hyundai in the future. 

LEXUS– The electric version of the UX launched late last year and Lexus has the RZ and PHEV NX in the wings. 

MERCEDES BENZ– The German is making a big play of switching everything to electric. There’s an EQB coming, and later the EQE and EQS, both with impressive range claims. 

MG– The ZS EV is selling well due to its performance and attractive price. An updated version is due in the next few months to keep the momentum going. 

NISSAN– You can expect the futuristic Ariya electric SUV to arrive later this year, joining the Leaf. With statements indicating 23 new EV models by 2030, there is plenty to look forward to from Nissan.

PEUGEOT– Here is another brand that is talking up electric models with the e-208 and e-2008 here and vans arriving soon. An e-308 has just been announced too.

POLESTAR– The Sino-Swede is off to a successful start with the Polestar 2, and the US-centric Polestar 3 SUV could be a star next year.

RENAULT– The Megane is to be reborn as a crossover this year, becoming the first of 10 new EVs from the company. We will wait to see which of them lands here. 

RIVIAN– This looks to be the answer to the question ‘where is the EV ute?’ but there’s still no signal as to when right-hand drive production will begin, if it all. 

SKODA– Hopefully the plug-in Superb and Octavia will be joined by the fully electric Enyaq this year but we shall have to wait and see. 

TESLA– It’s comfortably the best selling EV brand here, and the Model Y, arriving soon, will further boost those numbers. I believe it will be competitively priced. 

TOYOTA– The company’s first EV, the bZ4X, is due out at the end of the year. And there’s a plethora of electric models to come thereafter. 

VOLVO– The Swedish maker has a few plug-in offerings but you can expect the C40 Recharge, a battery powered SUV coupe based on the XC40, to arrive later this year. 

VW– Aggressively pushing into the electric sphere, the German giant has much to offer but we are yet to get any clarity as to when or if we will see the ID3, ID4 and ID5 models.