Everything electric coming in the next year

Friday, 24 September 2021

The range of new EVs available in New Zealand is increasing all the time - here is everything as of January 2022.

Electric propulsion is rising in popularity, and with most major manufacturers making a big push into electrification around the world, it won’t be stopping any time soon.

As the push towards electrification accelerates, we are going to be seeing more and more new EVs arrive on our shores, so lets take a look what is in store for EV buyers and drivers over the next 12 months.

Audi Q4 e-tron/Q4 e-tron Sportback

Audi’s next electric SUV should dot down sometime in 2022, coming in regular and Sportback body styles. It looks to take hardware from the Volkswagen ID.4, though Audi says it has given its own special twist on the tuning.

Power will span 125kW/310Nm to 220kW/460Nm while range will sit between 321km and 520km. Pricing is yet to be confirmed but at least one variant should sit below the $80,000 Clean Car Discount threshold.

The range-topping 4 Series will arrive next year, after the iX SUV launches at the end of 2021.

BMW i4

The BMW i4 is the all-electric 4 Series flagship, coming in two forms at launch, the eDrive40 and the M50, which is also the first ever all-electric M car. The M50 will offer a peak power output of 400kW/795Nm, along with 520km of range.

Kia’s EV6 will use the Ioniq 5 bones with Kia clothes over top. Outputs and ranges will differ slightly.

BMW New Zealand has confirmed we are in line to get the new i4 in early 2022, with the eDrive40 priced at $109,900 and the M50 priced at $137,900.

Kia EV6

The sleek, sexy EQS will come to New Zealand, we just don’t know when yet.

Kia’s EV6 is basically Kia’s take on the Ioniq 5. It has the same underpinnings with different styling, including an Aston Martin-like rear light bar and a new ‘Digital Tiger Face.’

At the time of writing, the EV6 hasn’t been given a firm launch date, but Kia has confirmed it will definitely be coming here, almost certainly in 2022, if not late 2021.

Polestar is aiming directly at Tesla’s Model 3 with the Polestar 2.

Mercedes-Benz EQS

The EQS is the first Mercedes-Benz designed on the company’s new electric platform and, as such, isn’t based on the platform of an existing ICE model. Being an electric equivalent of the S-Class, it has a lot of awesome tech but the coolest is probably Mercedes’ new Hyperscreen, which comprises three screens spanning the entire dashboard.

Volvo’s all-electric version of the XC40 was due here this year, but we haven’t heard much yet.

The driver and passenger screens are 12-inches each while the centre infotainment unit is 18 inches. We’ll definitely get it in the next 12 months, we just don't know when exactly.

Polestar 2

We’re yet to get a confirmed launch date for the Model Y, but we would be very surprised if it misses 2022.

A late addition to the forthcoming EV fleet is the Swedish Tesla Model 3 fighter, the Polestar 2. In New Zealand the Polestar 2 model range will include three versions, each offering a mix of performance and range.

The range-topping long range dual motor variant gets the aforementioned twin electric motors and the 78 kWh battery, with a total output of 300 kW and 660 Nm. Price and a firm launch date are yet to be confirmed, but the company has confirmed it will be opening its first showroom here before the end of this year.

Volvo XC40 Recharge

Mercedes’ EQB is basically an all-electric version of the GLB seven-seater.

Volvo’s all-electric version of the brilliant little XC40 sounds like an absolute ripper, with a range of more than 400km and 304kW of power on board. Everything else is aped from the combustion XC40, including the swanky Android-powered infotainment system and big emphasis on safety.

The XC40 was scheduled to arrive ‘sometime in 2021’, but we have yet to see it. Inside the next 12 months would seem a pretty safe bet though, as the electric-only ‘coupe’ version, the C40 Recharge, is also expected to be here in 2022 as well.

Rumour has it, the Ariya could donate some of its powertrain to the next generation of GT-R...

Tesla Model Y

Tesla’s Model Y is available in some overseas market, and it’s all but certain to launch here too. Last we heard, the units destined for New Zealand are to be built in China, at the new Shanghai Gigafactory. Deliveries were initially expected to start early in 2021 but are now looking more like early 2022, based on previous right-hand drive Tesla launches.

This is the current petrol-powered Macan, which will sell alongside the all-electric version.

And as for the Cybertruck? Well, you can order one on Tesla’s New Zealand website, but production has been delayed until sometime in 2022 now and a RHD version will be well down the production schedule, so you shouldn’t start holding your breath…

There will probably be more launches announced as we get closer to 2022, and throughout the year itself. And, maybe even a few that no one expected. On that, there are a few models that have been confirmed for the New Zealand market, but we don’t know when they’ll get here:

Volkswagen has previously said that its first electric vehicle will be here in 2023, likely to be the ID.4 SUV.

Mercedes-Benz EQB

Mercedes’ next EQ model will probably be the EQB small SUV, which will come in five- and seven-seater configurations. We don’t know much about powertrains, but the EQB 350 4Matic will be able to drive up to 419km.

The Enyaq iV is also currently set for a 2023 launch, though that date could change.

Some models will exceed 200kW while there will be a long-range version eventually as well. The first examples are expected to land next year, or even before the end of 2021, but Mercedes hasn’t explicitly confirmed anything yet.

Nissan Ariya

The sporty Cupra Born is coming here, we just don’t quite know when.

Nissan revealed the Ariya last year as its latest all-new electric vehicle. The SUV features a low, coupe-like roofline, new styling and a minimalistic interior along with plenty of active safety aids.

Nissan New Zealand has confirmed that it was definitely interested in getting the Ariya here, but the company has been quiet on confirming anything concrete thus far.

Porsche Macan EV

Toyota’s bZ4x will definitely come to New Zealand, but it definitely won’t be cheap.

The next generation of Macan will be entirely electric, but sold alongside the current combustion-powered version. It will ride on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which will also underpin a bunch of upcoming EVs from Porsche and Audi.

It’ll use the same 800-volt architecture as the Taycan and allow for charging rates of up to 270kW but offer 'significantly” more range than the sporty four-door. Expect it here around 2023.

Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4

Volkswagen’s first proper electric car has been out overseas for a while now, but we’re not sure how far up the queue New Zealand is. Last we heard, the Volkswagen New Zealand team was planning for an early 2023 release. This is still subject to change, however.

We probably aren’t likely to see the ID.3, however (outside used imports, that is), as given the Kiwi car buyer’s preference for small and medium SUVs, the ID.4 SUV is being prioritised for us.

Skoda Enyaq iV

Skoda New Zealand said at the launch of the Enyaq iV that “New Zealand will be a targeted market for the Enyaq… and it’s a matter on when rather than if it will be launched in New Zealand.”

That was last year though, and official timings are still being worked out. It has been linked with a 2023 launch but nothing is concrete yet as discussions between the local arm and the Skoda head offices are still ongoing.

Cupra Born

Seat’s sporty take on an EV sitting on the VW Group MEB platform (ID.3/ID.4/Enyaq) is likewise firmly in the “coming here, but we aren’t sure when” camp.

Talk of a likely 2023 launch here is all we have, but given the shift in attitude towards New Zealand that Government’s Clean Car Discount has caused in manufacturers, who’s to say we won’t get it sooner?

Apparently the VW Group’s plans to make the ID range the ‘first’ to go into any market is off the table now and any of the groups brands are free to launch whenever they can get stock. Which is still a mighty big question mark.

Toyota bZ4x

The bZ4X, the “hero of Toyota’s global electrification future”, has already been confirmed as going into production, followed by six more electric bZ models by 2025 for a total of seven. It’s a RAV4-sized electric SUV, developed alongside Subaru, presumably swapping parts with the forthcoming electric Subaru SUV.

Toyota has only said it’ll offer “class-leading efficiency and a very competitive driving range”. We’re not sure when it will launch yet, only that it won’t be cheap.

The bZ4x’s twin-under-the-skin Subaru Solterra is launching globally around the middle of 2022 and would seem likely to come here, but Subaru NZ has said there is currently “no timeline to share” for that.