Some prefer vintage, other prefer futuristic car designs. Here we’ve picked out the five best, in our opinion, or at least most notable new models with retro styling and the five with a futuristic look, which you can purchase this year.
Interest in vintage began to grow at the turn of the millennium and has reached its peak in the last few years. Car designers draw inspiration for new models by turning to the roots. Obvious examples of retro styling that immediately come to mind are Ford’s Bronco and Mustang, the Jeep Wrangler, or the Nissan Z. But there are other retro-styled cars to buy in 2023, which deserve attention as well.
1. Dodge Challenger
The 2023 model year is the final year for the Dodge Challenger. Unfortunately…This car represents a nice modern interpretation of the automotive classic.
With its rounder headlights, more traditionally styled tailgate and rear wing, the Challenger remains faithful to the original design even more than its Charger counterpart.
The Challenger SRT Hellcat with a supercharged V8 HEMI under the hood is one the most powerful mass-produced vehicles today, while the SRT Demon 170 version with 1025 hp is the fastest and most powerful muscle car in the world.
2. Alpine A110
Retro influence is obvious here… for those who remember how the original car looked like. The unique quad headlight layout and distinctive silhouette of the contemporary Alpine A110 send us back to the past. Retro style and modern amenities combined in one car very harmoniously.
3. Honda e
The all-electric Honda e echos with Class B subcompact urban cars from the 1980s like the Honda City or Jazz. The automaker designed the car on the basis of its philosophy of human-centered engineering, with a focus on usability and functionality.
Despite its retro look, the model uses up-to-date technologies and solutions, like a smart side mirror system, Honda Parking Pilot, a 35.5-kWh lithium-ion high-capacity battery, or a Single Pedal Control System.
4. Suzuki Jimny
The small truck is a winsome recreation of the original boxy Jimny LJ10 from 1970. It is Suzuki’s take on a classic Jeep, a capable off-roader with the brand’s part-time 4WD system, a robust exterior, and a functional interior oriented on professional usage.
5. Fiat 500
The Cinquecento is designed with Italy in mind for the tight city streets of this beautiful country. The Fiat 500 has been on the scene since 1957 changing and evolving, and spawning variations, but preserving its authenticity and recognizability in every new iteration. The latest Fiat 500 is all-electric, advanced, sustainable, and responsive.
As for futuristic-looking vehicles, the first to come to mind is the Tesla Cybertruck: much-discussed, much-anticipated, but still unavailable to customers…This is an amazing example of how a model has become wildly popular before hitting the market.
Futuristic Cars
Well, if we don’t take into account the Cybertruck, our TOP 5 best futuristic cars include:
The Polestar 2 is an electric performance fastback with a rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powertrain, a high-capacity 78-kWh battery, a range of up to 270 miles, a distinctive minimalist design, a single 231-hp or dual-motor 476-hp setup, and advanced safety tech.
The Lucid Air electric sedan introduced a host of innovations when arrive in late 2021, including an Advanced Driver-Assistance System with sensors and cameras. It offers rear-motor, dual-motor, or triple-motor configurations, either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and an 88 to 118 kWh battery.
Last year, the car was recognized by Car and Driver as a record-setter for the longest range (over 400 mi, up to 520 mi) and fastest charging speed (300 mi in 20 min).
The SSC Tuatara has distinctive butterfly doors, a carbon fiber body construction with aluminum crumple zones, and active aerodynamics. With power outputs of 1,350, 1,750, and 2,200 horsepower from a 5.9-liter twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 and the lowest-in-class claimed drag coefficient of 0.279, the model is a true pattern of a hypercar.
The vehicle’s name hides its essence: “tuatara” (“peaks on the back” in Māori) is a reptile from New Zealand that has the fastest molecular evolution of any living animal.
The Lotus Evija is an all-electric hypercar – the first EV made by Lotus Cars. It has individual wheel drive, four electric motors (one on each wheel) producing 2,011 hp, a four-single-speed planetary transmission, and a 70-kWh lithium-ion battery. The electric range is 250 miles. The Evija name derives from Eve of the Abrahamic religions, and it is a hint at the car’s pioneering status.
The Koenigsegg Gemera plug-in hybrid grand tourer originates from Sweden and has Scandinavian charm. It is the first 4-seater hypercar in the world and the first powered by a compact engine. The 2.0-liter TFG twin-turbo 3-cylinder unit weighs only 70 kg (150 lb).
In addition, the Gemera has a trio of electric motors – two on the rear wheels and one on the crankshaft, and a single-speed Koenigsegg direct drive (KDD) transmission. A 15-kWh batter allows an electric range of 31 miles. The car’s performance is outstanding: a top speed is 249 mph (186 mph in electric mode), and 0-62 mph acceleration time is 1.9 seconds.
