2012 Cars


2012 Tesla Model S
2012 Tesla Model S

2012 Aston Martin DBX: It will pick up where the DBS leaves off to set a new high for power and performance at 007’s favored car company. James Bond won’t need a rocket belt. Just lots of money.
2012 Aston Martin Cygnet: "Q, you've shrunk my Aston!" "Not really, 007. Those nice Toyota chaps have simply let us posh up their little iQ to be the world's first luxury commuter car. But tell me: Do you think Aston enthusiasts will approve?"
2012 Audi e-tron: Look out, world. Audi plans to sell an electric sports car that looks--and goes--like its V10 R8. The e-tron won’t be cheap, but it will be super high-tech, super green, and super rare.
2012 BMW 1-Series: A ground-up redesign promises big changes for the smallest BMW. Besides new powertrains with higher mpg and lower CO2, the redesigned 1-Series should offer more body styles and maybe all-wheel drive.
2012 Buick Bolero: Tough new fuel economy mandates have General Motors rethinking future plans. That’s why the rumor mill expects a new compact Buick based on a hot seller in China.
2012 Cadillac ATS: After more plot twists than a soap opera, the new General Motors has finally confirmed a “baby Cadillac.” Sized and priced below the premium midsize CTS, the ATS could be an equally impressive domestic entry in the premium-compact-car class.
2012 Cadillac BTS: General Motors has a rough road ahead, but it still wants a new Cadillac priced below the CTS. The timing is right, but will the “Good GM” be able to do it?
2012 Cadillac Converj: Is GM’s flagship brand headed down Electric Avenue? A striking concept coupe suggests it will. Converj is Cadillac’s take on the Chevrolet Volt, and it could be out in a couple of years--if GM can get there from here.
2012 Carbon E7: It’s the world’s first car designed for law enforcement by law enforcement. You won’t ever be able to buy one, but the American-built Carbon E7 should save taxpayer bucks while it serves and protects the police.
2012 Chevrolet Malibu: Chevy is already redesigning its award-winning midsize car for what looks like a tough decade ahead. Fresh styling, more room, and new fuel-efficient powertrains could mean more accolades--and more sales.
2012 Dodge Caliber: Chrysler reloads the small Dodge hatchback with sedan styling and advanced fuel-sipping engines from new partner Fiat. The redesigned Caliber could be tough competition for sales-leading compact cars--if enough buyers give New Chrysler a chance.
2012 Ford Escape: A popular compact SUV is redesigned within a new global vehicle family headed by the next-generation Focus compact car. The result should be a trimmer, fuel-thriftier Escape with international style and more premium features.
2012 Ford Focus C-MAX: A popular European people-mover is redesigned for U.S. sale--and production. It’s one of the new fuel-savers that Ford needs to counter “pump shock” and boost sales.
2012 Lamborghini Murciélago: Attention teenagers and wealthy speed-freaks: Lamborghini is about to unleash an even faster, sexier top-line supercar. But the redesigned Murciélago also promises to be lighter, cleaner, and roomier. So it’s more practical, right? Ha!
2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class: Small cars are big business now, so this Euro-market premium compact is again headed for America, only redesigned this time. With typical Benz virtues in a more fuel-efficient package, the B-Class promises solid competition for the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series.
2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: With its E-Class parent just redesigned, this “4-door coupe” gets its own makeover and the same new “driver assistance” features. But, the next CLS won’t seem as startling as the first-generation model did--and it faces stiff competition.
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class: A timely redesign promises fresh looks, more power, and slight dimensional gains for the pioneer hideaway-hardtop sports car. The next SLK-Class should also be easier on gas, but the real shocker is a rumored all-electric version.
2012 Mercury Merit: The name is just a guess, but Mercury is definitely getting a version of the next Ford Focus. Merit looks like a winner. The problem will be getting buyers to notice it.
2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV: While other automakers focus on hybrids, Mitsubishi runs the green-car race with a pure-electric minicar. Pokemon cute and sized for the urban jungle, the i-MiEV could recharge this ailing brand’s U.S. sales and image.
2012 Porsche 911 Carrera: It won’t look very different, but the next generation of the iconic rear-engine sports car will be leaner, meaner, cleaner, easier on gas, and even more agile. Inevitably, the new 911s will cost more too.
2012 Porsche 928: Is Porsche about to do a coupe spinoff of its first-ever sedan? The odds seem to favor a “two-door Panamera,” but not until the economy picks up.
2012 Porsche Boxster: Porsche’s mid-engine convertible will lighten up and shift down to 4-cylinder power for better fuel economy with no loss in performance. The redesigned Boxster won’t look very different, but its prices probably will.
2012 Tata Nano America: A deluxe version of India's “new people's car” should come to America with a chump-change $7,000 price. Add in urban-jungle agility, high mpg, and surprising space, and this cute puppy could spell trouble for other U.S.-market minicars.
2012 Tesla Model S: An electric vehicle for the masses? Not quite, but this $50,000 sedan from Silicon Valley is a practical battery-powered midsize car that's also sleek, fast, and luxurious.
2012 Toyota Celica: Toyota’s once-popular sporty coupe is set to be reborn as a low-dollar, high-mpg Mazda MX5-fighter with rear-wheel drive and a Subaru powertrain. Goliath teaming up with David? Yup, and it could be just the start of a beautiful friendship.
2012 Volkswagen America: VW looks past the recession with a new American-focused midsize sedan--and a new U.S. plant to build it. Larger than the Passat, but designed to cost less, the "America" aims to be as family-friendly as the top-selling Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
2012 Volkswagen Chico: City-friendly microcars are big in Europe and catching on in America. That's why Volkswagen is readying a thrifty, low-cost two-seater a la Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. Chico is the likely name, and it could be U.S.-bound.
2012 Volkswagen Up: VW thinks really small with a new minicar to rival the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. Promising low price, low emissions, and high mpg, the Up could make Americans think of the original Bug.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

  • Consumer Guide New Car Reviews and Prices: Road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of new cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs from the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.
  • Fuel-economy leaders: The EPA admits its fuel economy numbers are estimates. Ours are real. Here are the fuel-economy leaders as determined in Consumer Guide tests.
  • Vehicle Class Buying Guides: Pick a vehicle--category compact cars, SUVs, premium midsize cars--or one of a dozen others and get a concentrated dose of Consumer Guide car-shopping advice specific to that class.
  • How To Buy a Fuel-Efficient Car: Whether it's a hybrid or a conventional car with great mileage the goal is the same. Find out how to buy a fuel-efficient car.
  • Auto Shows: Can't get to your local auto show? Consumer Guide covers all the big shows and tells you what you need to know to make the best choice in a new car.