Time is very much a flexible consideration when it comes to the automotive industry and as we have seen in 2021, you can’t rely on time being co-operative all the – erm, time.

So, as we enter the closing months of 2021, we look forward to what may or may not come to New Zealand’s automotive landscape.
Jokingly, we refer to this in-house as crystal ball gazing, where we make highly speculative, rumour-based predictions with a certain amount of educated consideration. We’ve been right before, and no doubt, we’ll be right again.
Our first ‘we reckon this should be here’ is from Fords-Wagen. Ford and Volkswagen are already in cahoots when it comes to utes, so why not SUV’s? Even if they are small ones.
The Ford Tourneo Connect and its commercial version, the Transit Connect are already well known in Europe, and will – for 2022 delivery – be based on the Caddy from Volkswagen, a light commercial which is trying to muscle its way into the lifestyle vehicle market.  Ford? We believe it’s your serve…
Australia has just seen a new Chinese brand touch down with an electric five seat SUV from a company which those in the know have heard of but know little about.
The company is BYD, the SUV is called an e6 and from what we can gather, it is targeting other Chinese brands especially making points on price, range and well, that’s about it really but then with electrics, does anything else matter?
And since we have come to China, Haval is looking to enter the hybrid race with its mid-sized SUV, the H6. This reflects a bit of a mindset change for the brand, which was looking to pure electric vehicles, but now Haval sees hybrids as the hallmark of tomorrow’s vehicles.
Korean brand Kia – which ironically has hybrid tech mastered – is promising an electric CUV in the not-too-distant future. The EV6 has gone beyond concept and has already started receiving awards. We look forward to its arrival, Kia.
Another design award winner is the Enyaq; a purpose-built electric SUV from Skoda which – by virtue of the national police contract – should make its way to us very soon.
Lastly, we probably won’t see the Mini Urbanaut anytime in the immediate or near future but given science fiction tends to favour retrospective designs, perhaps we shall see vehicle shapes of the past come into our future.