Biggest new car releases for 2022

Australia’s car industry will hit the ground running in 2022, when a slew of exciting new models are bound for a showroom near you.

After two years of COVID-related setbacks including the high-profile semi-conductor shortage, most car company executives are being prudent with their forward-planning in 2022 amid the prospect of stock shortages continuing for the foreseeable future.

Despite that, the anticipation is already building for a swag of new models – and the good news is there’s something for everyone.

Here are our top seven new releases coming in 2022.

You cannot overstate the hype around the new Ford Ranger. The replacement for Australia’s second most popular new vehicle and the nation’s favourite 4x4 ute has been a decade in the making.

The Blue Oval brand’s best-seller will take on an even more sophisticated bent next year with a fundamentally overhauled technical package including a flagship 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, a bold new exterior and a flashy high-tech interior.

It sits on a new third-generation T6 ladder-frame architecture with a 50mm wider track (up from 1560mm to 1610mm) and 50mm longer wheelbase (at 3270mm) that places the front axle closer to the front of the vehicle.

The engine bay is now a hydroformed spaceframe (replacing sheet-metal panels), enabling a wider range of powertrains to fit, including future electrified units.

One of those powertrains is a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, which was available in the legendary Ford F-150 full-size pick-up in the US until recent months.

Inside, a huge new portrait-style 12-inch touch-screen dominates the dashboard area, while lower-spec variants get a 10.1-inch touch-screen.

The new Ranger will also include Ford’s SYNC4 infotainment operating system and continue to be fitted with an on-board modem. In addition to existing FordPass features such as remote start, it will now be able to receive over-the-air updates.

The popular Subaru BRZ-Toyota 86 sports car duo is back for another instalment in 2022.

Sharing a larger engine, more in-car safety and technology yet familiar rear-drive origins, the new BRZ/86 twins are also set to take a significant hike forward in pricing for their second generation.

Whereas the BRZ will touch down from the first quarter of 2022, the mechanically-identical 86 has been set back by about six months due to production delays stemming from the pandemic.

Rest assured, the excitement-factor will remain high for both compact coupes, irrespective of their arrival timings.

The Kia EV6 promises to be a step-change car for the fast-rising Korean brand.

Injected with award-winning DNA (the EV6 shares its fundamentals with carsales’ 2021 Car of the Year, the Hyundai IONIQ 5), the all-electric Kia EV6 is set to take the EV game to new heights thank sin part to high-tech new suspension and a unique Australian ride and handling tune.

Like the IONIQ 5, Australian stock of the EV6 will be initially limited as Kia works to fill orders in parts of the world affected by tightening emissions standards.

Kia Australia is expecting 500 examples for 2022, with negotiations currently underway for an additional 200-300.

Kia has announced a three-variant line-up, initially commencing with the EV6 and EV6 GT-Line – the former set to start at about $75,000 plus on-road costs.

The EV6 and GT-Line model walk commences with a single 125kW/350Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels and charged by a ‘standard range’ 58kWh battery pack. That battery can also be combined with a 173kW/605Nm dual-motor powertrain with all-wheel drive.

The ‘long range’ 77.4kWh battery pack can come with a single 168kW/350Nm e-motor powering the rear wheels, or 239kW/605Nm outputs and AWD.

In time, we can also expect the 430kW/740Nm all-wheel drive GT flagship, which is capable of accelerating to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds, whirring on to a top speed of 260km/h and travelling up to 410km between recharges.

The 2022 Subaru WRX has been a long time coming for ’Rex devotees.

Headlined by a brand-new platform, a bigger new engine, redesigned exterior and interior, and a range of fresh active safety features, the seven-variant WRX sedan and wagon family is bound for Australian showrooms around mid-2022.

The jury is out on how much power the first new Subaru WRX in eight years will produce. When it was revealed in September, Subaru USA said the next WRX’s new turbocharged 2.4-litre flat-four boxer engine will develop outputs of 202kW/350Nm – just 5kW more power and no more torque than the last-generation 2.0-litre WRX.

It has since emerged that JDM versions of the new WRX actually develop 202kW/375Nm – more in line with pre-reveal expectations.

All new WRXs sold here will at least offer a new 11.6-inch touch-screen infotainment interface, Subaru Eyesight safety suite and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Prices are tipped to increase – correlating with a vehicle that offers more performance, more technology and more smarts.

At least, that’s the impression Subaru stalwart and rally ace Cody Crocker gave us in a recent video on circuit with the new model.

Nissan is gearing up for what it claims will be the biggest year in its Australian history in 2022.

Although three new star SUVs – the QASHQAI, X-TRAIL and Pathfinder – will take the lion’s share for outright volume, it is the 2022 Nissan Z that we’re most excited about.

Nissan’s new rear-drive sports coupe will arrive in Australia in the second half of 2022 – later than initially expected – in two different grades.

Full specs and prices won’t be announced until closer to launch, but pricing is expected to start from around $70,000 and all versions of the seventh-generation Nissan Z will be powered by a new circa-298kW 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6.

Once the initial, limited-edition Nissan Z Proto Spec flagship sells out, the standard 2022 Nissan Z coupe will come with a mechanical limited-slip differential and launch control as standard.

Entry-level manual versions will be fitted with a six-speed close-ratio gearbox with synchronised rev control (SynchroRev Match auto throttle-blipping), EXEDY high-performance clutch and a carbon-fibre composite drive shaft, while nine-speed auto variants will offer aluminium paddle shifters.

Inside, the 2022 Nissan Z will bring an 8.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus a customisable 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster with three display modes designed to match your driving mood.

Toyota stole the limelight with the launch of the 300 Series LandCruiser in 2021. Next year, Lexus will be hoping it can emulate its parent company’s form with the release of the new Lexus LX.

Sharing the same fundamentals as the 300 Series, including its excellent new TNGA-F ladder-frame platform, the 2022 Lexus LX was revealed in October with both twin-turbo petrol and diesel V6 engines coupled with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Featuring a design unapologetically dominated by its spindle grille, the 2022 Lexus LX is claimed to feature a more streamlined look than the LC200-based SUV it replaces – and more tech, too.

Inside, there's a new digital instrument cluster, plus a huge 12.3-inch infotainment screen supported by a second lower 7.0-inch display.

In overseas markets at least, the new LX runs a cloud-based navigation system, over-the-air software updates and an on-board assistant.

In the US, the Lexus LX is set to arrive early next year, while in Australia it's set to arrive towards the end of 2022, priced from around $200,000.

Spanish performance brand Cupra is readying a big impact on the Australia new car scene in mid-2022 with the launch of a trio of SUV models.

Arguably the hottest of them, both in terms of popularity and performance, will be the Cupra Formentor.

Fitted with the same engine as the Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3, the Cupra 228 TSI DSG features all-wheel drive grip and clever electronics, plus a smart cabin fit-out to match.

Cupra is arriving Down Under with the full backing of Volkswagen Group Australia, and the new brand is being managed from within VGA’s head office in Sydney.

All Cupras will be sold here with a five-year factory warranty and prices will range from around $40,000 to $60,000, it is understood.

Without a stand-alone dealer network Down Under, Cupra vehicles will be sold online and via agencies in established Volkswagen dealerships, where they will also be serviced.

Related: Top 10 cars launched this year