LOOKING FORWARD TO 2014: One car or event guaranteed we won't see this year

So instead we’ll tip what isn’t... motoring.com.au’s crew have donned the collective thinking cap to bring you their tips on what’s not going to happen in 2014

How did we go in 2012? Check out some wild and whacky non-predictions here.

Mike Sinclair
Editor in Chief
@petrolhedonist
Racing that reflects the real automotive state of play. There’s nearly 60 brands Down Under and at least 20 of them are vibrant, growing brands that have some sort of motorsport heritage. Yet we can’t get more than a handful onto the track. V8 Supercars presents some great racing, but look at the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)... Ten brands in 2013 and more expected in 2014.

Bruce Newton
News hound extraordinaire
A bi-partisan approach from Canberra designed to reinvigorate the car manufacturing industry as a vibrant base for Australia’s high-tech future.

Marton Pettendy
Managing Editor
@tumbulgumtown
Holden announcing it will release an all-new, rear-drive replacement for the beloved Commodore, made in Australia. In fact, if the reports are true, expect Holden’s last home-grown Commodore to be replaced within five years by a big front-drive sedan imported from China. It just won’t look quite the same doing Saturday night skids on Main St...

Michael Taylor
Our ‘Man in Europe’
@wordsbyMT
Ex-Audi engineering boss Wolfgang Durheimer, ex-Lotus boss Danny Bahar, ex-Renault COO Carlos Tavares, soon-to-be ex Audi design boss Wolfgang Egger, ex Mercedes-Benz F1 boss Ross Brawn and soon-to-be-moved-on Daimler board member for R&D Dr Thomas Weber joining forces to revive the Maybach brand. Again.

Ken Gratton
News Editor
@ken_gratton
How about something inventive, like the Victorian government rolling out overhead tram wires that provide transductive charging for battery/electric vehicles? Go wherever you like, as long as you don't stray more than 10 or 15km from the Melbourne tram (or electric train) network. How would it work? I don't know... I'm an ideas man, not a solutions man.

I do know this, however, if ever such a thing came to fruition, the state government would find some way to 'charge' for a subscription.

Matt Brogan
Road test Editor
@mattbroganAu
While the all-new Honda Civic Type R is already close to homologation, it won’t make it to market by the end of 2014. It’s a shame, really. Not only is it a much-needed performance flagship for the Honda brand, but one that comes at a time when the company needs to make waves.

Honda has new technology in the wings, including the Type-R’s fantastic 2.0-litre TURBO VTEC engine but it seems unable to fast-track its move to market.

Gautam Sharma
Middle Eastern Royalty
Mark Webber getting consistently beaten by his teammate. Mark Webber had a tough ask over the past five years. He came close to eclipsing teammate Vettel in the 2010 season, but was thereafter consistently and comprehensively beaten by the young German. It’s hard to see Webber being on the receiving end in 2014 as he makes the switch from F1 to the Porsche LMP1 sportscar team. There’s no Vettel to contend with this time around...

Feann Torr
Staff Journalist
@feanntorr
Lamborghini has committed to developing a SUV, the Urus, but something tells me we won't see a high-riding Ferrari SUV in 2014. Or perhaps for the rest of the decade. Or ever. Is this a good thing? For the integrity of the Italian brand, most definitely.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...

Don't forget to register to comment on this article.