2022 was shaping up to be an exciting year for the automotive industry, with manufacturers preparing to launch everything from tiny electric city vehicles and performance cars to premium electric saloons and modern interpretations of classic vans.
The growing shift towards electrification was also becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Several of the new cars coming in 2022 were electric or hybrid models, while traditional petrol performance cars were still making headlines.
With new models from BMW, Citroën, CUPRA, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen on the horizon, there was plenty for car enthusiasts to look forward to.
For buyers planning ahead, these new cars coming in 2022 offered a wide range of choices across different budgets and vehicle types.
Here are some of the new cars coming in 2022 that caught our attention.
The Citroën Ami was one of the most unusual electric vehicles expected to arrive in the UK.
Rather than being a conventional car, the Ami is an ultra-compact electric quadricycle designed primarily for short urban journeys. It has two seats and measures just 2.41 metres long, making it particularly well suited to crowded streets and tight parking spaces.
The Ami uses a small 5.5kWh battery and an 8hp electric motor, giving it a top speed of 28mph and a range of around 46 miles. Its limited performance is therefore deliberate, with the vehicle designed around affordable and convenient urban transport rather than long-distance driving.
When it arrived in the UK, Citroën listed the Ami from £7,695 on the road, rather than the £6,000 figure originally anticipated in this article. You can find the model’s official specifications on Citroën’s UK website.
The Ami’s tiny dimensions and simple electric drivetrain made it one of the more interesting new cars coming in 2022, particularly for drivers looking for an alternative to a conventional city car.
Its unusual design also helped the Ami stand out from the other new cars coming in 2022.
The BMW M2 needed little introduction by the time its second-generation model was announced.
The new M2 was set to continue the formula that had made the compact performance coupe so popular: a relatively small body, rear-wheel drive and a powerful six-cylinder petrol engine.
BMW’s official figures for the new-generation M2 gave it a 3.0-litre six-cylinder BMW M TwinPower Turbo engine producing 460hp. The car was capable of 0-62mph in around 4.1 seconds, with a top speed of 155mph.
The M2 was also expected to appeal to enthusiasts because of its focus on traditional driving enjoyment at a time when many new performance cars were becoming increasingly electrified. BMW’s official information on the M2 provides further details on its performance and equipment.
With its compact proportions, serious performance and BMW M engineering, it was one of the most eagerly anticipated new cars coming in 2022.
The CUPRA Formentor VZ5 represented something rather different from the growing number of electric models.
The VZ5 was the range-topping version of CUPRA’s distinctive crossover and used a 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine derived from the wider Volkswagen Group performance family.
The original VZ5 produced 390PS and was limited to 7,000 examples worldwide. However, there was an important catch for UK buyers: the original version was produced exclusively in left-hand drive.
Performance was impressive, with the VZ5 capable of 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds and featuring four-wheel drive and a seven-speed DSG transmission.
For UK enthusiasts, the lack of right-hand drive meant that the VZ5 was considerably less practical to buy than the standard Formentor models. Nevertheless, its five-cylinder engine and performance-focused specification made it one of the more exciting new cars coming in 2022.
The Honda Civic entered a new generation for 2022, bringing a more restrained exterior design and a greater emphasis on hybrid power.
The UK-market Civic was offered with Honda’s e hybrid system rather than the petrol-only approach used by some previous generations. The production model used a 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, producing up to 184PS.
The Civic remained a practical five-door family hatchback, while the new design aimed to give it a more mature appearance and a higher-quality interior.
Honda’s UK pricing for the Civic e began at £30,495 for the Elegance model in the 2022 price list. Honda’s official UK Civic information provides further details on the model and its hybrid powertrain.
With hybrid power becoming increasingly important to manufacturers and buyers alike, the new Civic was an important addition to the new cars coming in 2022.
It was therefore one of the more practical new cars coming in 2022 for buyers wanting improved efficiency without moving fully to an electric vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz EQE was one of the most significant luxury electric cars due to arrive during 2022.
Positioned as the electric equivalent of the E-Class in Mercedes-Benz’s expanding EQ range, the EQE shared much of its design philosophy with the larger EQS.
The EQE 350+ was expected to use a battery with around 90kWh of usable capacity, with Mercedes-Benz quoting a maximum WLTP range of up to 654km, equivalent to around 406 miles.
That made the EQE particularly interesting for drivers looking for a premium electric vehicle capable of covering long distances.
The car also brought many of Mercedes-Benz’s latest technology and luxury features, including advanced driver assistance systems, sophisticated infotainment and the option of rear-axle steering.
The EQE demonstrated how quickly electric cars were moving into the premium executive-car market and was one of the most anticipated new cars coming in 2022.
The EQE showed that the new cars coming in 2022 were not limited to affordable or compact electric models.
Few electric vehicles attracted as much attention as the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.
Inspired by the iconic Volkswagen Type 2 camper van, the ID. Buzz brought the familiar retro-inspired design into the electric era.
The production version launched in Europe during 2022 with a 77kWh net battery and a 150kW electric motor driving the rear wheels. Volkswagen quoted a WLTP range of more than 420km, depending on specification.
The ID. Buzz was available as a passenger vehicle and as the commercial ID. Buzz Cargo. The passenger version could accommodate five people and offered up to 1,121 litres of luggage space with the seats in place.
Fast charging was another important feature, with DC charging at up to 170kW allowing the battery to be charged from 5% to 80% in around 30 minutes under suitable conditions. Volkswagen’s official ID. Buzz information provides a useful reference for its launch specifications.
While the original article described the ID. Buzz as potentially offering up to 342 miles of range, the production vehicle’s official figures were lower. The 2022 ID. Buzz therefore provides a good example of why early specifications and estimates can change before a vehicle reaches production.
The ID. Buzz was one of the standout new cars coming in 2022 because it combined electric technology with a design inspired by one of Volkswagen’s most recognisable vehicles.
The selection of new cars coming in 2022 demonstrated just how much the automotive industry was changing.
Electric vehicles were becoming increasingly mainstream, with models such as the Citroën Ami, Mercedes-Benz EQE and Volkswagen ID. Buzz showing that electrification could cover very different parts of the market. This made the new cars coming in 2022 particularly interesting for buyers considering the switch to electric motoring.
At the same time, traditional petrol performance cars had not disappeared. The BMW M2 and CUPRA Formentor VZ5 showed that there was still plenty of enthusiasm for powerful combustion engines and engaging driving experiences.
The Honda Civic sat somewhere between these two worlds, using hybrid technology to improve efficiency while retaining the practicality expected from a family hatchback.
Ultimately, 2022 was an important year for the car industry, with manufacturers balancing the demand for exciting new vehicles against the increasingly rapid transition towards electrification.
Looking back, many of the new cars coming in 2022 helped set the direction that the car industry would continue to follow.
For buyers who didn’t need the latest model, the growing number of new launches also meant there were plenty of alternatives available on the used market. You can browse used cars for sale on MotorHype or find out more about how to buy a used car safely.
If you were planning to replace your existing vehicle, you could also sell your car through MotorHype.
Knowing what was coming to the market in 2022 also gave buyers a useful opportunity to compare new models with the growing range of used cars available at the time.
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