The performance cars we’re excited for in 2022

Christmas puddings are being rolled out at the supermarkets and 2022 is looming ever nearer.

There’s plenty to look forward to in the fast-car arena so, noting that ongoing Covid-19 delays to manufacturing and logistics could affect scheduled launch times, here is the hot metal you can look forward to next year.

Audi

Audi has a couple of things in the pipeline for us.

Their flagship EV, the e-tron GT, was originally slated to make local landfall in mid-late 2021, however it was recently announced that its arrival has been pushed out to 2022.

When it lands it’ll be taking the fight to the platform-sharing Porsche Taycan, with 350kW/630Nm in base GT trim, and 440kW/830Nm in halo RS configuration.

Not won over by the prospect of a lightning quick AWD EV sports sedan? Worry not as Audi’s heavily updated RS3 is also due within the first half of 2022. Retaining its signature 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder, power remains capped at 294kW while torque rises to 500Nm. That’s not the whole story, however, as the 2022 RS3 also promises a big boost in dynamic tech, including drift mode and torque vectoring.

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BMW

BMW’s new 2 Series might actually arrive just before the new year or, if not, the beginning of 2022.

Based on a shortened version of the G20 3 Series’ CLAR platform, the G42 2 Series will take a two-pronged approach with its lineup from launch. It’s the all-wheel drive 285kW/500Nm M240i xDrive that we’re most keen to get our mits on. The flagship M2 is also due to be revealed in 2022, likely arriving locally in 2023.

It’s no secret that the first series production M3 Touring is also well on its way with an expected 2022 reveal. We'd hope to see it as soon as possible, although recent rumours suggest the long-awaited longroof will commence production in November of 2022, following the future 3 Series’ LCI-update, making a 2023 local arrival more likely.

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Cupra

A new performance model for our comparatively small and isolated market is something to celebrate. But how about a whole new performance marque? The reinvented Cupra brand is readying an Aussie assault with three interesting offerings: the Leon, Formentor and Ateca.

Volkswagen’s new performance sub-brand is well supported by the car making giant, based on known platforms with the proven and familiar 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged four-cylinder featuring in various states of tune.

Front-drive Leon hatchback and all-wheel drive Formentor SUV will both gain GTI-matching 180kW variants, with faster flagships that borrow the Golf R’s 221kW unit (229kW for the Formentor).

Colour us intrigued.

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Lotus

Lotus is a brand in transition, with the pivotal Emira looking to see out the long-lived Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 on a high. Available in either six-speed auto or manual guise, Lotus’ last internal combustion sports car will deliver 298kW and will clock triple digit speeds in under 4.5 seconds.

From mid-2022, however, the Lotus Emira will also be available with the bombastic Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo inline-four M139 engine, lifted from the A45 S. The German powerplant will be mated to AMG’s eight-speed dual-clutch and weights 50kgs less than the V6. It’s the most significant new Lotus in decades, and represents the end of an era for a historic brand that, from henceforth, is going all in on EV performance for the future.

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McLaren

It exactly doesn’t look it, but the upcoming McLaren Artura represents a radical departure from its Woking predecessors. For one, it trades its enduring range of twin-turbo 3.8- to 4.0-litre V8s for a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with hybrid assistance. It’s by no means going soft, though, promising 500kW/720Nm, a 0-100km/h time of just 3.0-seconds and 0-200km/h in a blistering 8.4-seconds.

It was meant to be here this month but, sadly, we’ve just gotten word from McLaren that its local arrival is now pegged for 2022.

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Nissan

A new affordable turbocharged coupe is a rare occurrence these days, even more so when it comes available with a six-speed H-pattern gearbox and three pedals. There are still crucial unknowns surrounding the Nissan Z, including kerb weight and local pricing but the opportunity for something great is there.

Naysayers may decry its carryover platform, but the prospect of a manually-shifting rear-drive chassis with a 298kW/475Nm twin-turbo V6, and up-to-date in-car tech and active safety has us very excited. All the modern convenience and a driving experience with one hand in the past? You have to give that a chance.

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Volkswagen

Not one, not two, but five rapid R-badged Volkswagens will be hitting our shores in 2022.

The eighth-generation Golf R hatchback and wagon will spearhead the assault, expected to arrive in the first quarter.

The first ever R-badged versions of the T-Roc and Tiguan are also confirmed for Australia. The Tiguan R is expected in the first half of 2022, while the T-Roc R will appear as part of a model-wide mid-life update in the later months of 2022.

All share the Golf R's 235kW (221kW in T-Roc) 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.

The biggest curiousity lies with the Touareg R, which Volkswagen also intends to import. The first R-badged Touareg, since the twin-turbodiesel V10 R50 of 2008, is propelled by a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6, coupled with an electric motor, yielding a combined 340kW/700Nm.

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Other cars to watch out for

Bentley’s GT Speed coupe and convertible represent the aptly-named sporting versions of the traditional luxury grand tourer. With a herculean 485kW/900Nm 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, the big barges will motor up to a whopping 335km/h, and are due early next year.

If that’s not sporty enough, the 992-generation of Porsche’s lauded 911 GTS is due in Q1 of 2022.

Elsewhere, you can look forward to the new Subaru WRX, and Aston Martin's Vantage F1 Edition.